Just last month, I hopped onto a meeting of the Sex Education Alliance (SEA) to talk about the most recent onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping across the U.S. The Alliance is a membership organization for sex educators who are focused on family and child education and we spend a lot of time supporting each other in various ways. But we also look for ways to push the … [Read more...] about How the Anti-LGBTQ+ Movement Co-opts the Language of Anti-Violence Advocates
sex ed article
Why It’s Never Too Early to Start Sex Ed With Your Kids
You’ve likely seen the headlines: Adolescents Receiving Less Sex Ed Than 25 Years Ago. Teens Not Receiving Enough Sex Education. Adolescents Doomed Because Sex Ed Is So Darn Underwhelming. (That last one is mine. It represents the thoughts screaming through my head.) Just this past November, researchers published a paper in the Journal of Adolescent Health that compared … [Read more...] about Why It’s Never Too Early to Start Sex Ed With Your Kids
How to Normalize Talking to Your Kids About Pleasure
In January 1993, Joycelyn Elders was appointed the first Black surgeon general of the United States. A mere 15 months after her confirmation, she was forced to resign. While Elders was known for being outspoken about topics like sex education, the breaking point came when she spoke at a United Nations conference on AIDS. When asked about promoting masturbation as an … [Read more...] about How to Normalize Talking to Your Kids About Pleasure
Disabled Youth Aren’t Receiving the Sex Ed They Deserve
As I write this, I’m more than halfway through our latest Feminist Book Club book — Alice Wong’s Disability Visibility — and deep into the heart of Sex Ed for All Month. Previously known as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, the month of May has since been earmarked as a time to raise awareness around how we provide (or don’t provide) young people with adequate sexuality … [Read more...] about Disabled Youth Aren’t Receiving the Sex Ed They Deserve
How to Normalize Talking to Your Kids About Periods
I don’t remember much about my first menstruation, beyond the fact that I wasn’t sure if I was menstruating or dying. I was 13 by that point, so I already knew that periods were a thing. School had prepared us for that much, at least. But I suspected that vaginas could bleed for other reasons, too. Terrifying reasons. How was I to know whether the blood staining my … [Read more...] about How to Normalize Talking to Your Kids About Periods
Kick-Ass Sex Educators Who Are Way More Than Just Their Instagram Feeds
In 2019, a pair of laws were passed: the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) and the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). They were passed with the intention of making it easier to fight sex trafficking online. Under these laws, websites are responsible if third-party accounts post ads for prostitution on their platforms. Sites have responded to this new … [Read more...] about Kick-Ass Sex Educators Who Are Way More Than Just Their Instagram Feeds
How Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Reinforces Rape Culture
The fight for comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education gathered unprecedented momentum in the past decade. As campus sexual assault gained greater visibility, colleges and universities began implementing consent education programs to teach incoming freshmen about the importance of affirmative consent. At the K-12 level, Texas’ board of education agreed to revamp … [Read more...] about How Abstinence-Only Sex Ed Reinforces Rape Culture
Sex-Positive Books for Readers of All Ages
I was 22 when I discovered sex-positive feminism. Nerve.com was getting into its groove. The sex shop Grand Opening! had just opened its doors in Brookline. Writers like Susie Bright and Tristan Taormino were pumping out erotica collections and Crunch Gym was promoting its cardio striptease classes. Meanwhile, I had just fallen into a college internship writing for an adult … [Read more...] about Sex-Positive Books for Readers of All Ages
Most Sex Ed Stresses Abstinence. Here’s How Parents Can Fill in the Gaps.
"So what's going on with your vagina?" is a question my 6-year-old daughter casually asked recently as she strolled into my home office. I did a double-take, but it was quick. After all, I write about sex for a living and, well, sometimes, vaginas just … come up. "Oh, nothing. My vagina is fine," I said, just as casually. "OK," she said and wandered off. I am … [Read more...] about Most Sex Ed Stresses Abstinence. Here’s How Parents Can Fill in the Gaps.
Why Comprehensive Sex Ed Is the Hill This Mom Will Die On
A billion years ago (8 years? more?), I began to write my reported memoir on female sexuality and rape culture. At the time, the book focused on how I had become a sex writer in order to fix what I saw as my own brokenness and sexual dysfunction. A few years after that, however, I became pregnant with my daughter. Suddenly, I was no longer writing about this private pain of … [Read more...] about Why Comprehensive Sex Ed Is the Hill This Mom Will Die On