Unlike classroom lessons, which are supposed to follow local, state or federal guidelines, Internet programs have no independent standards. And proponents of abstinence-based sexual education argue that these digital services presume that sexual activity among teenagers is the norm, and do not spend enough time on alternatives. … Those who run digital programs say they simply want teens to have accurate information, to help them make good decisions. Even though popular culture is saturated with sex, facts and advice can be hard to find.
—New York Times. Sex Education Gets Directly to Youths, via Text. (via sexpositive)
(via sexpositive)
rtnt:
Read This, Not That: Real Sexual Education
In a nation where sex ed is ruled by abstinence and denial, Laurie Abraham takes a look at a high school class in Philadelphia that presents a unique and controversial approach to the subject: honesty, frankness, and openness. For the New York Times:
In its breadth, depth and frank embrace of sexuality as, what Vernacchio calls, a “force for good” — even for teenagers — this sex-ed class may well be the only one of its kind in the United States. “There is abstinence-only sex education, and there’s abstinence-based sex ed,” said Leslie Kantor, vice president of education for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “There’s almost nothing else left in public schools.”
Across the country, the approach ranges from abstinence until marriage is the only acceptable choice, contraceptives don’t work and premarital sex is physically and emotionally harmful, to abstinence is usually best, but if you must have sex, here are some ways to protect yourself from pregnancy and disease. The latter has been called “disaster prevention” education by sex educators who wish they could teach more; a dramatic example of the former comes in a video called “No Second Chances,” which has been used in abstinence-only courses. In it, a student asks a school nurse, “What if I want to have sex before I get married?” To which the nurse replies, “Well, I guess you’ll just have to be prepared to die.”
…
As to whether his class encourages teenagers to have sex — a protest perennially lodged against even basic sex ed (though pretty firmly disproved by research) — Vernacchio said that he portrays sex in all its glory and complications. “As much as I say, ‘This is how orgasms work, and they’re really cool,’ I say there’s a lot of work to being in a relationship and having sex. I don’t think I have the power to make sex sound so enticing that kids are going to break through their self-esteem issues or body stuff or parental pressures or whatever to just go do it.” And anyway, Vernacchio went on, “I don’t necessarily see the decision to become sexually active when you’re 17 as an unhealthy one.” His goal is for young people to know their own minds, be clear about what they do and don’t want and use their self-knowledge to make choices.
(via the-sexpert)
The high cost and high risk of a "feminine" form (TW for graphic health procedures)
Many transgender women in the United States lack the health insurance to cover gender reassignment surgery. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want access to medical procedures that will help them look more like society’s idea of feminine (read: curvy).
For women who can’t splurge all at once on a gender reassignment surgery, silicone injection is a solution. Some trans women pay a thousand dollars at a time for amateur silicone injections into their hips, breasts, buttocks and faces. This New York Times piece follows several trans women who put lots of money and their health on the line for curves.
The procedures don’t always go smoothly. Injection of loose silicone rather than enclosed implants means the silicone can travel through the body, hardening in odd places and seeping into the bloodstream or muscles and causing potentially life-threatening side effects.
Some of the women interviewed say they’ve spent enough money on silicone over the years to pay for the gender reassignment surgery they originally wanted. Years later, their bodies are disfigured and tired. As one poignantly puts it, “If I had known I would look like this, I wouldn’t have done it.”
This is a perfect example of why we need to examine health care standards from the perspective of a transgender person. Nobody deserves to go through gruesome, unsanitary procedures when there is a safe and established practice for gender reassignment surgery. Read this article - it’s a bit long, but it’s eye-opening.
