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Colorado Youth Testify in Support of HB 1081
I strictly assumed that by this time period humans would not be arguing over equality, inclusion, and sexual health. Apparently, some Americans don’t want their children learning about “the gays”, “the lesbians”, “the immigrants” or “cultures.” Some are even outraged because “white heterosexuals” are “no longer represented.” These are authentic words spoken from citizens present in the committee for HB 1081 or “The Sex Ed Bill”, on Thursday February 7th. I went into committee humming “I’m just a Bill” to ease the nerves, because I had no idea what to expect for my first committee hearing. I was not prepared to speak, but after listening to the opposition’s arguments that were no more than racist and discriminative, I wanted my voice heard. I was “the gay” that they rejected, and the “immigrant” that disgusted them, and the “culture” that they were opposed too.
My turn came to speak. Hesitant I got up from my chair, stepped slow and cautious to the stand while I felt judgment from the many eyes in the room. I thought repeatedly in my head what I wanted to say, but as soon as my mouth said the first word, everything seemed to vanish from my brain. What was a high school student to say? Hell, why was he even here? I sat down. My voice shook as I said my name, but I remembered the woman who didn’t want “the gays” and the “immigrants” in her white heterosexual culture and said “I am here representing the Latino community who cannot be here today because they do not speak English, or have the resources to be here.” Yes, I said Latino with an accent because in that very moment, I had never been more proud to be a person of color. I then stated “I would like to begin by saying that I identify as gay.” Never had a said “I identify as gay” openly, in public. I knew however that this was the time to truly express myself as an advocate.
I testified for HB 1081 in a way I never thought I would. I not only came out to the 12 legislators in the room, but I came out to the priest in the back who probably damned me to hell ten times over, the woman who drove from Colorado Springs to attack communities I am a part of, and the many allies in that room which gave me the boost of confidence I much needed. I didn’t have a clear understanding of why I do the work I do. I knew I had a passion for the education of individuals, the equality of humans, and empowerment of the mind, but it took that one woman saying “the gays” and “the immigrants” to accurately put this into perspective. Not only was I advocating for Comprehensive Sexual Health Education, but I was making a stand for everything that is included in Comp Sex Ed; The inclusion of culture, ability, gender, age, sexual orientation, size, and ethnicity. Comprehensive Sexual Health addresses the respect for others and respect for yourself, which is why I was able to testify, and confront the opposition: Learning about my body, my actions and reactions, and my rights as a young person has allowed me to gain self assurance and confidence. The experience of testifying for committee was electrifying, intimidating, but mostly rewarding and reflective, and I can only hope that I was remembered among the citizens who don’t want the “the gays”, “the lesbians”, or “the immigrants” in their culture, these pitiful underprivileged people: Where are they represented?
The Ministry of Educations says “No to condom in Schools.” I beg to differ. Yes to Condoms in Schools…..
By now we must all be aware of the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) and National HIV/STI merger to form the national authority for sexual and reproductive health. While it is a good move to have the merger, we are now faced with the question, will these two entities — now made one — make more success in its endeavour, and what about the rights component associated with sexual reproductive health?
One of the issues that this authority needs to examine is the debate on whether condoms should be distributed in schools or not. In order to tackle this correctly, the first step that must be taken is for us to scrutinise the readiness of individuals at this age to be engaging in sexual encounters.
There needs to be greater transparency in the age at which one can start engaging in sex and the age at which one can access sexual reproductive services. At present, it is 16 years old and 18 years old respectively. This is contradictory, but the sad reality is, it is our law, so we have to abide by it or else we know the result will be jail time or be fined large sums of money when brought before the courts. There have been several consultations over the years with the relevant authorities involved; however, we are yet to see any real change with regards to having consistency in light of this discrepancy.
Let us examine the pros and cons of distributing contraceptives in schools moreso condoms. Many argue that if this is done we are sending a strong message to children that they should be engaging in sexual activities at their young age, even though they are not emotionally ready for this act. How many of the children in schools are married? Well, we have to take into consideration the moral standing of most of the country being Christians, and we all know that it is a sinful act to be engaging in sex before marriage.
When last did you stop to check the statistics as it relates to teenage pregnancy? The last time I did, it still showed Jamaica having one of the highest in the region. What about that for HIV and other STIs? The 14-24 age groups have the highest rates in the total population. This should not be the case, but it is a reality that these unwanted diseases and pregnancies are occurring among our young people. How else can we deal with this in our society but to distribute condoms to students to rid the society of these unwanted actions? This should always be a last resort, but if the family was playing its role and educating children from within the home from an early age about sex, then the school wouldn’t have to be faced with this burden.
At the end of the day, we should also be advocating for comprehensive sex education in schools. Not only should we teach about abstinence — which is the greatest prevention strategy — but for those who are involved already there needs to be intervention strategy, and this can come in the form of condom distribution to protect these students against unwanted pregnancies and diseases. There should also be a supportive component which can come through counselling and effective referral services where needed. Students have the ability to make informed decisions and should be trusted in taking on this role at times.
Jason Madden
IYSO Council Member
We’ve been hearing stories this month of students in high school who have not been permitted to pose in yearbook photos or attend graduation with their babies. But this one takes the cake:
“A Michigan school district has barred two pregnant students from showing their baby bumps in the high school yearbook — a decision made to keep with the state’s abstinence-based approach to sex education, according to the superintendent.”
What? So, showing any evidence of pregnancy in a young person’s yearbook picture is a violation of a policy that indicates that young people must only be given messages of abstinence. I actually can’t follow the logic at all.
1)Tell them only that they can’t have sex (not how to use prevent pregnancy)
2) Hide the proof that they did have sex and did not prevent pregnancy
3) While you’re at it, make the girls (just the girls!) who had sex feel way, way bad.
4)….Just to follow the policy in (1).
?????
Meanwhile, the genius proposed solution here was retaking the photo to hide evidence of the pregnancy. Hey, she’ll still be pregnant, but at least we won’t have to look at it, amiright?
Let’s separate out several issues, though.
1) The school’s actions are absurd and essentially…stupid. I read Michigan’s sex ed policy and (you will be amazed to learn) it does not mention yearbooks or hiding photographic evidence of pregnancy.
2) Between this and the Elizabeth Smart quote, we’re seeing a lot of evidence lately that abstinence-only education not only leaves young people unprepared for preventing unintended pregnancy and STDs, but also shames and stigmatizes young people who do have sex or are sexually assaulted. It’s totally unacceptable and should not be allowed in our schools.
3) Acting like teen moms’ pregnancies and even their babies are something they should be ashamed of and hide is MEAN. And it serves literally no purpose – it doesn’t reduce teen pregnancy. It only indulges the prejudices of a culture all too willing to punish women for their reproductive choices.
This whole case stinks. White Cloud Public Schools Superintendent Barry Seabrook, and every adult involved, should be ashamed of their ignorance and their cruelty.
http://reproductiverightsunsw.tumblr.com/post/50247350365
Melissa Harris-Perry’s Panel looks at Elizabeth Smart’s recent comments on abstinence-only sex education and whether the policy is effective.
WATCH IT HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_MA_mrow8
South Carolina’s current sex ed law has been on the books for 25 years, and many advocates across the state are working tirelessly to have the current sex ed laws revised in order to be more accurate and comprehensive. Recently the SC Statehouse subcommittee heard testimonies on H. 3435, otherwise known as the Healthy Youth Amendment. According to several witnesses, the hearing was standing room only, and much of the crowd was in favor of the amendment. Several prominent members of the public health community gave testimonies and tried to persuade the subcommittee to approve the amendment. The subcommittee delayed the vote, but if approved, the amendment would move to the full committee and then on to the house floor. The sponsor of the bipartisan bill is Republican State Representative B. R. Skelton.
If Nevada and Sexuality listed their relationship status on Facebook, it would undoubtedly read “It’s Complicated”.
A flourishing sex trade? Check! A tourist industry that is based around that 80’s clichéd notion that “sex sells” and continuously uses women’s bodies as the background for marketing strategies? Duh, All about it! Home to Sin City, a place built upon a slogan that tells visitors that you can basically indulge in whatever vice you want, and leave with no consequences? Come on, It’s Vegas, Baby!
But providing young people a comprehensive sex education?! NOW, THAT IS SIMPLY OUTRAGEOUS. At least that’s what many lawmakers and anti sex ed advocates are screaming about in Carson City because of a new comprehensive sex education bill (AB 230) that is currently making its way through the Nevada legislature.
As a homegrown Nevadan, a Las Vegas resident for over 25 years, and an activist who found her voice and strength by engaging in local communities in Las Vegas and throughout Nevada, I can’t put into words how important and HUGE this all is.
See, Las Vegas is a city that has a difficult time having an honest conversation about sex. Sure, its nickname is Sin City, and everywhere you look, some notion of sex is being shoved down your throat (pun unintended). And while prostitution is not legal in Las Vegas itself, there are small towns outside of the city limits where legal brothels boast a steady business. All this to say, Las Vegas and the state it resides in, have not reconciled this economically-driven presentation of sex with the way we talk to the young people growing up around it.
My sex education in Nevada was similar to many others across the country. When the time came to teach sex ed, the health teacher separated us by gender: we then learned the basic anatomy of parts and functions, saw traumatic photos of STDs, and were warned about the varying consequences to having sex. You know, the basic fear-inducing, shame-based ways of talking to young people about sexuality.
Now what wasn’t talked about were all the sex-related things I was actually seeing around me day-to-day. Like the fact that most my friends were already engaged in varying sexual activities at that point. Like how I had no clue what a healthy relationship was supposed to look like for someone my age. Like how I didn’t have a firm grasp on what rape actually was, especially in the context of drinking and drugs. Like how I had internalized the correlation of my sexual desirability and success. Like how I knew that if I went to college, I’d end up making less money than if I served cocktails on the Strip. Like how I saw my male friend get in trouble for wearing makeup to school. Yup, my Nevada sex education really just became another layer of my adolescent confusion, fear and shame around sexuality.
Growing into adulthood, finding my feminist voice, and figuring out sex and sexuality on my own, I slowly shed those layers of fear and shame that had been so prominent in my life as a young person. As my voice grew louder and my activist spirit hardened, I quickly ascertained that Las Vegas and the entire state of Nevada was one of the most unique political landscapes in this country. And also had the most schizophrenic internal conversations with itself about sex and sexuality.
But just a few years ago, I saw a brief step forward in that conversation. I had the privilege to help organize the first-ever LGBT Lobby Day in Carson City where we actually talked with legislators about gender and sexuality. That was also the session where we were able to pass a domestic partnerships bill in Nevada (a state whose constitution includes language on marriage being only between a man and a woman). And after those victories, I often wondered what the next big legislative victory would be.
Fast forward a few years later, and here I am, sitting in an office in Washington, DC, working for a national organization that fights for reproductive and sexual health/rights for young people. And my job? I manage state-based policy and mobilization efforts around comprehensive sex education.
And I’m hopeful to believe that THAT is what the next big legislative victory will be in my home state.
To put some legislative context to this — After failed attempts in 2011, the Nevada Legislature is currently (finally!) debating the merits of providing its young people with a more comprehensive approach to sex education, and advocates are pushing hard this time around to see their vision turn into reality. And to add to that, the nation’s eye has been on Nevada’s legislature recently, most having to do with a new wave of courageous and progressive legislators (Lucy Flores, Kelvin Atkinson, Pat Spearman – I’m lookin’ at you!) that have really pushed the state to see that the Personal IS Political …. even in the Wild West of Nevada.
And though I find myself described as a Washingtonian these days, y’all should know that this little Battle Born activist doesn’t mess around with her Nevada’tude. With Nevada having the 4th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, and topping the charts in STD rates and high school drop-out rates, I’m standing in solidarity and joining my friends in the Silver State to push for a more comprehensive approach to sex education.
Because the adults of Nevada owe it to their young people to finally figure out their state’s relationship to sex; and maybe then, Nevada’s young people will have access to a healthy, positive relationship to sexuality and themselves.
If you are curious about the movement of Nevada’s sex ed bill, follow updates here!
Elizabeth Smart, who famously was kidnapped, held in captivity for months, and raped, had this to say about her feelings during the ordeal:
…she was raised in a religious household and recalled a school teacher who spoke once about abstinence and compared sex to chewing gum.
“I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.’ And that’s how easy it is to feel like you know longer have worth, you know longer have value,” Smart said. “Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value.”
My blood ran cold when I read this. Teens are being taught this in school! That if they have had sex, they are of no value - a dirty toothbrush, a cup of spit. How sad for Elizabeth and young women who like her have experienced sexual assault. How sad for any young person who is sexually active, too, to be consigned to the trash heap. Is this the best we have for them, seriously?
Jamaica has done it again. In an effort to turn the volume up against the fight against HIV/AIDS in the country, renowned vocalist and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph was introduced as the newest ambassador to help in this venture.
The Ministry of Health was instrumental in inviting the Jamaican born now Hollywood star to get on board and had a launch on Tuesday April 23, 2013. This reception saw several stakeholders attending to welcome the CEO of Diva Foundation – Lee Ralph.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Fenton Ferguson was very keen in his greetings and stated that “The disease was seen as a death sentence, no longer today as we have ART and support from Global fund, World Bank and PEPFAR. We now need to see how we can sustain these improvements with HIV/AIDS. Jamaica is amongst the first country to be looking at sustainable study in regards to HIV/AIDS.” He further went on to say that there is unity with the political parties, civil society and private sector and therefore nothing can stop us now. “HIV/AIDS as a developmental issue must now be treated in that way.”
Ms. Denise Herbol, Mission Director of USAID uttered firm words and reinforced that Partnership amongst all sectors will help us to achieve an AIDS free generation.
The JaBCHA Foundation was one of the key partners’ at this event and its Managing Director, Mr. Earl Moore beckoned that stigma still exists, especially amongst church people. “Private sector is not doing enough and again I will emphasize the churches are not doing enough and it is embarrassing.”
AIDS Healthcare Foundation was in attendance as well and its Southern Bureau Chief, Mr. Michael Kahane brought greetings from his organization. “This country is blessed with the willingness to accept new ideas. As the largest HIV/AIDS organization in the world we are happy to be on board with Jamaica.”
Ms Sheryl Lee Ralph with her melodic singing began her presentation “I am an endangered spices … I am a woman, I am an artist and I know where my voice belongs.” “Jamaica now is the time, you saw us light that fire earlier, you should take action and start talking about sex. We are going to love our children more by talking to them about sex and inform them about abstinence. We can and must do better when it comes to HIV/AIDS, it is everyone’s problem. Get involve, get inform, get proper information. I talk about condoms too, use them! I know you are saying it doesn’t feel good, well HIV doesn’t either. The number one reason most persons don’t talk about their status is because they don’t know their status. “Get tested!” 15-49 age groups are carrying the burden of this disease. “Get tested!” “I love you, God does not make mistakes.”
Ashe ensemble did performance from beating of drums, singing and dancing and had those in attendances wowed by the high energy that they end on and showed that young people are indeed creative and can make a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
This is truly a step in the right direction for Jamaica as it increases awareness on HIV/AIDS. People should become inform and stay in the know. There should be no more stigma and discrimination towards people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Jason Madden
IYSO Council Member
When Katelyn Campbell protested her school’s mandatory abstinence-only assembly, she did something I’ve wanted to do since leaving college. I remember there was one day in my health class sophomore year of high school when we had two speakers come into our class to talk about abstinence. I don’t remember what they said other than, “Sex isn’t bad, but just don’t do it.” That’s paraphrased a bit, but you get the idea. Knowing what I know now, however, I sometimes wonder what I would have said if I could somehow be transported back into my 16 year old body on that day. Maybe it’s weird, but I think about it occasionally. I imagine challenging the speakers on some point or another. Eventually, it leads to me standing up and teaching the class myself. We talk about things like teen sexuality, healthy relationships, and rape culture.
When I first began to read the article “How a German Elementary School Taught Sex Ed“ published today in The Atlantic, I was a bit shocked. The first sentence describes how a high school biology teacher in Idaho is under investigation by a “professional standards commission” for using the word vagina. Okay, that wasn’t what shocked me. After all, there was that Michigan State Representative who was censored last year for using the same word in front of adults. What surprised me more was the next sentence. Parents in Berlin are mad after an elementary school used a book containing illustrations of condoms and descriptions of orgasms to discuss sex.
Germany? That’s a country in Europe, right? Isn’t Europe supposed to be all liberal about sex and more open to discussion, which is why they have higher rates of contraceptive use and lower rates of teen pregnancy and abortion than other countries. So isn’t this normal?
The article included pictures from the book, along with a disclaimer that cartoon penises would be shown ahead. The first set of images show a couple of cuddling on the bed, both completely naked with all of their anatomically correct parts shown. In the next image, Lisa – the name of the woman – is putting a condom on Lars. Great, safe sex! In the following image, the couple is enjoying some post-coital cuddling.
To appease those German parents and lawmakers who thought that perhaps the book had “unnecessary zeal“, updated versions of the book change the name of the couple from Lisa and Lars to Mama and Papa, and remove images of condoms so that sex is not portrayed as something that is merely done for pleasure. The name of the book is even changed to “Was I in Mommy’s Stomach Too?”.
The authors of a 2012 study that examined children’s knowledge and understanding of contraception and birth argued that kids in elementary school are capable of understanding such topics. However, the study’s results showed that kids from Sweden and the Netherlands understood far more about these ideas than did children from the United States (no shocker there). (The picture at the topic of this article was drawn by a Dutch boy as part of the study. Not too bad, actually)
In the 22 years this book has been out, Germany has still managed to keep its adolescent birth rate to one-third of that of the U.S. While it would be unfair to claim that this book is solely responsible for the lower rate, it is indicative of wider acceptance of age-appropriate sexuality education in Germany and Europe as a whole. To be clear, there has been no discussion of banning the book in Germany, or firing the teachers who used the book. The book is still at the school, although children do not have direct access to it. The most critical comment of the book came from a lawmaker who said that “Sex education should accompany the development of children, not speed it up.”At a time when sex education is again under attack across the United States, it may be too extreme to ask that the book is translated into English. However, the United States could still learn a lot from Europe and their reasonable, realistic views on sexuality education.
« KO! KO! KO! », shouted the crowd .Mind you, they weren’t participating in a boxing match, neither were they at a musical concert, they shouted KO! in response to the health officials that took turns in sensitizing the crowd of more than 5000 that gathered at the Douala Place du Gouvernement to participate in the 9KM sensitization Walk that was organized by the Cameroon’s Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and better known by its French acronym CCATSIDA, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, and other stakeholders (local and international) in the fight against Malaria this Saturday 20th April 2013.
Being a participant, I could not help but be marveled at how engaged fellow participants were as we criss-crossed the streets of Cameroon’s most populated town. Young and old, and from diverse horizons, one thing united this people; that Malaria be kicked Out of Cameroon.
This passion and demonstrated in the endurance of the participants all through the alertness of their footsteps and the smile on their faces, could not however stop me from asking myself fundamental questions around the strategy for the fight against Malaria in my country. Thus, when one of the thousands of spectators that had amassed at streets corners shouted, “Where are condoms?”, there was an outburst of laughter from the crowd, I began asking myself what might have prompted this spectator to ask the question he did. As I thought about this, my eyes fell on the logo of the Cameroonian Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and on the T-Shirt of the participant ahead of me, my answer was here. The words AIDS on this coalitions logo prompted the question from this spectator.
AIDS and its prevention methods are better known in Cameroon than Malaria and its means of protection. This is paradoxical given that Malaria kills in Cameroon and Sub-Saharan Africa than HIV/AIDS. Mind you, I am in no way saying that resources (human and material) should be shifted from the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is causing havoc in Cameroon especially amongst youths, to the fight against Malaria. The point I am trying to make is that the fight against Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis has for long been done as though they were isolated.
It is true that a person that has Malaria or Tuberculosis is not automatically an HIV/AIDS patient, but most often people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Cameroon are victims of the Malaria and tuberculosis given the milieu in which they live and the little means they have to survive on.
I have for long being convinced that an effective fight against Malaria cannot be done in an isolated manner but must be inclusive; taking into consideration the vectors of the disease in various communities in Cameroon. A dirty environment provides good breeding grounds for Mosquitoes especially the female Anopheles mosquito, through which Malaria is spread, the fight against Malaria must start from there. If a clean environment is achieved through mechanism through efficient urban development and poverty reduction strategies, Malaria will be made history. After all, isn’t it common knowledge that prevention is better than Cure?
In Cameroon and I guess is the case elsewhere in the world, a change from a dirty and crowded environment to a cleaner environment is the main indicator that a person has emerged from poverty. This is so because people who could barely afford 3 meals a day will have little time to think about the environments in which they live talk less of women in this bracket going for prenatal consultation or even having time to take their infants to the hospital when they are sick. Thus, despite the bed-nets distribution campaigns that have been organized all over Cameroon and despite the fact that Malaria treatment is free for children and pregnant women in Cameroon, Malaria killed more than 3000 people most of whom children.
Without an efficient attack on poverty, which is fertile ground for poor living conditions, I am afraid our walk and much talk on the fight against Malaria will be in vain. For Malaria to be kicked out of this country, we must not only walk on occasions like those organized to mark the World day for the fight against Malaria, we must truly walk the talk on the fight against Malaria daily, by launching an immediate assault and poverty. Because Malaria is the consequence of a dirty environment which is its self a glaring consequence of poverty.
At George Washington High School in West Virginia, students were required to attend an assembly where abstinence-only speaker Pam Stenzel told students that if they take birth control, their parents hate them; that condoms aren’t safe; and bringing some members of the audience to tears by shaming and scorning those who had ever had sex. The assembly was funded by a conservative religious organization and advertised with fliers that proclaimed “God’s plan for sexual purity.”
Katelyn Campbell, a senior, was not having it; she has filed a complaint with the ACLU and spoken out against the Principal for subjecting students to this absurd performance.
We’ve known for years that abstinence-only speakers receive thousands of dollars to come to school and preach and moralize at teens, without providing any real and useful information. Derek the Clown, Keith Deltano the cinderblock-on-your-crotch guy, and Pam Stenzel are just a few examples of the phenomenon, often paid for by taxpayers.
The fact is that abstinence-only programs do more than just tell kids not to have sex. They impose an entire ideology on students who didn’t ask for it – an ideology in which men are dominant and unable to control their own impulses; women are either modest and submissive, or they get what they deserve; those who have sex are dirty and gross (who can forget about drinking the spit!) and LGBT students, at best, don’t exist.
Katelyn was right not to tolerate it. And her high school’s principal should be ashamed – both for hosting the speaker in the first place, and for his subsequent threats to call her colleges and tell them she’s disloyal and a troublemaker. (The college doesn’t seem too upset, by the way)
Troublemakers. That’s what students are called when they challenge a system that tries to control their health and their bodies. But today’s young people know that the myths and moral strictures surrounding sexuality are not just silly, they’re dangerous. This is trouble that needs to be made – and youth activists are brave and smart enough to do it.
Thanks to Advocates For Youth, I had the privilege and pleasure of attending the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health’s National Advocacy Weekend for 5 days this past March. As I packed my bags and boarded the plane that would take me from Ithaca, NY to Washington DC, I had no clue as to the intense intellectual, emotional, and passionate environment I was about to step into.
This year’s Advocacy Weekend was focused on the inclusion of immigrant women’s health care in immigration reform. Immigration policy directly affects an immigrant woman’s access to health care. According to the NLIRH website, the majority of female immigrants do not have healthcare coverage. State legislatures continue to introduce legislation that would restrict non-citizens’ access to basic public health programs, including prenatal care. Immigrant women are less likely to receive adequate reproductive health care, including cervical and breast cancer screening and treatment, family planning services, HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, accurate sex education and culturally and linguistically competent services.
Reproductive Justice tells us that these services are essential for women to have the basic human rights to dignity and self determination. It was under this belief that over 50 activists from across the country joined together. We represented the full spectrum of american latina identity- some of us were undocumented, others were second and third generation citizens. Our command of English and Spanish differed, but we were united in our conviction, and most of all in our support of one another.
Yo te apoyo. This is one of NLIRH’s campaign slogans, and it was this sentiment that was most felt throughout the weekend. As we learned about the intricacies of immigration reform and of it’s intersections with Reproductive Justice, we were free to voice our personal experiences and frustrations. People spoke of very personal obstacles- young motherhood, the pain of familial disruption by deportation, the inability to be seen by a doctor for a cyst in the breast- openly and honestly, and were always received with respect and the assurance that they had in their power the ability to create change.
At the rally for Immigrant Women on Sunday, speakers shouted, “We are on the right side of history!” to a church full of applause. I clapped and shouted right along. It was only later that I questioned the assurance I felt that this is true. I suppose I feel that I am “on the right side of history” when I am working with people who sound least like a history textbook.. People who choose not to simplify and sterilize an issue, because they are not afraid to admit to and confront the complexity and diversity of it. People who gain collective power through their willingness to admit to vulnerability, to the need to support and be supported in their struggle.
For more information about the issue of Immigrant women’s access to healthcare, and how it is affected by immigration policy, check out:
The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants
Are you a young person (14-24 years old) who is:
I have seen this post circulate on Facebook and loved its message. I apologizing for not crediting it since I am not sure who put it together. There is absolutely no way to sugar coat the rape stories that are happening today and we should keep doing our great work loud and proud until we no longer hear about these savage crimes happening in our world. It is about time we teach our fellow humans NOT TO RAPE. Full Stop.
— Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Kierra Johnson, Beyond Choice: How We Learned to Stop Labeling and Love Reproductive Justice
My name is Lesley Del Rio and I am a CREATE council member. I was disappointed to learn that after all the hard work we put into Youth Action Day, a group of people who oppose our message took it as a joke and intruded and tried to silence our voices. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but Youth Action Day was about Comprehensive Sex Ed and showing our support for HB 1081, not opposing it and bringing it down. We don’t want to give them any more attention because they don’t deserve it. This is an example of why we need to stand together and advocate for what we want and need in spite of opposition.
While browsing through my twitter page I came across an ad directed at teen mothers in NYC. While seeing this ad disgusted me; I was a little relieved that I had not seen it person in my city, Brooklyn. Not only is this ad extremely offensive (the Post calls it a “Tad” offensive), it has racist, classist and sexist undertones. The ad I saw featured a beautiful brown girl with big brown eyes and read “Honestly Mom… chances are he won’t stay with you. What happens to me?” It also quoted a statistic that 90% of teen parents do not marry each other. While this statistic can be shocking to most it also seems to continue to push the agenda of marriage and “nuclear” families among young people, something I wish this country would have let go of in the 1976 Reagan “Welfare Queen” era.
After further research, I discovered that this ad was part of a larger campaign created by the NYC Human Resources Administration. For an agency with the word “resources” in its name, it appears that they do not know how to use them very well. Especially considering the fact that the United States is preparing to undergo sequestration and they thought it wise to use government funding to disseminate disturbing, stigmatizing and shameful ads about teen mothers. Also considering the fact they are a “Human Resources” agency, I would think funds would be better allocated to real initiatives to help young mothers, such as creating real job opportunities for young moms and working with other agencies and organizations to provide childcare so that young women could support their families. It is resourceful to create life-size ads that basically say “Mom you suck for having me.”
While NYC has taken steps to improve the lives of young parents, like closing Pregnancy Schools after advocates insisted these institutions were in violation of Title IX, this initiative seems backwards. This is the same city responsible for the Living for the Young Family through Education program which provides free childcare around the city to help teen parents graduate from high school. In addition to these efforts, the NYC Department of Education mandated Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools in 2011 to decrease the rate of teen pregnancies, HIV and STIs among young people. However, many of the youth that I work with in Brooklyn still report receiving little to no sex education even after the mandate was placed into effect. Having grown up in Brooklyn my entire life and having never received formal sexual education, I know they are telling the truth.
So if you think scare tactics and shameful ads are going to work, think again. In fact it is just making the situation worse. I’m mostly concerned with who the agency talked to before creating these controversial ads. It definitely was not teen parents!! I wonder how agencies feel they can solve a problem without consulting the people on the ground and the young people with the “situated knowledge.” As a millennial of color, research shows that although my peers would like to decrease the rate of teen pregnancies, they also feel that society has a responsibility to provide young parents with the necessary resources and opportunities to lead healthy lives.
Lastly, I think these ads should be taken down, and the funding for this so-called Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Initiative should be redirected to organizations working to provide real comprehensive sexual education, access to contraception, teen parenting programs, affordable childcare and job opportunities for young people. Education, inclusion and empowerment is how we solve real issues not by attaching stigma to young people, especially young women!
“When I introduce the concept of reproductive justice to new audiences, at lectures or workshops, I always frame it in the same way. I use a really simple exercise, where I draw a stick figure on a piece of butcher paper, or an easel, or a chalkboard. Then I ask the question: “What things in this person’s life will impact their ability to create the family they want to create?” Usually it takes a few minutes for the audience to get going, but within five or ten minutes the result is a stick figure with many, many issues written in bubbles around them. Things like religion, money, environment, language, race, gender, sexuality, laws, incarceration end up surrounding the person.
This activity is a pretty decent illustration of my definition of reproductive justice—it’s working to build a world where everyone has what they need to create the family they want to create. And that work requires incorporating and taking into account all of those items written in bubbles on the diagram, as well as many we probably leave out. Almost always this exercise results in “ah ha” moments, and it’s had a striking universality—from using it with college students to using it in Latina immigrant communities on the border. Reproductive justice is an easier concept to explain in ten minutes than in a two-word soundbite, like pro-choice, but that additional context also allows for so many more of the issues and challenges or our every day lives to be made visible and explicitly included in our work.”
http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/02/08/communicating-complexity-reproductive-justice/
In the spheres of education and public health, sex education is often discussed in terms of content and outcomes. Policy makers, advocates, parents, and educators want to know: Does it teach about contraceptive methods? Is there a condom demonstration? Does it lead to young people delaying sex? Does it reduce rates of STI transmission? And certainly content and outcomes are of vital importance. But great sex education must also address the context of young people’s lives. And that requires that sex education support young people in building the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to create and navigate healthy relationships throughout their lives.
For too long, in reaction to years of federally-subsidized medically-inaccurate, misleading, and stigmatizing abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, advocates and educators in favor of comprehensive sex education have concentrated on a relatively small component of this topic. The work for comprehensive sex education has often focused narrowly on ensuring that young people can learn accurate and age-appropriate information about their bodies, about sexual decision-making and negotiation, and about reducing the risk of STI transmission and unintended pregnancy. And as a result, there have been positive shifts in sex education in recent years. Federal funding initiatives like the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative (TPPI) and the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) have increased the resources available in states, communities, and schools to implement evidence-based programs.
But too many of these programs and curricula focus narrowly on specific changes in youth risk behavior—such as delayed initiation of sex, reduced frequency of sex, and increased condom use—and not nearly enough on healthy relationships. This is a missed opportunity and an incomplete representation of comprehensive sex education.
Healthy relationships education is an integral component of truly comprehensive sex education. Released last year, the National Sexuality Education Standards outline the minimum, essential content and skills that is age-appropriate for children and youth in grades K-12, and healthy relationships is one of seven major topic areas (page 32). These standards outline the baseline of healthy relationship knowledge and skills that students should have after completing sex education coursework. For example, students should be able to:
It is not a coincidence that healthy relationships are a key component of comprehensive sex education, because comprehensive sex education is the best vehicle for healthy relationship education. The information and skills that it takes to create and navigate healthy relationships are best taught in the context of the non-judgmental, honest, and inclusive classrooms that comprehensive sex education fosters.
Because while some abstinence-only-until-marriage programs do purport to teach information and skills related to healthy relationships, these programs are full of flawed, incomplete, and harmful messages. These programs make false promises to youth that they will necessarily avoid heartache, regret, and “baggage” by pursuing relationships and avoiding sex. They teach young people that relationships that involve sexual activity can only chip away at a finite “self:” that youth have a certain amount of love and affection to give, and they will be diminished and depleted if they give it away “too soon” or to the “wrong” person. They often assume that (heterosexual) marriage is an inevitable and/or universally desired goal. This is a wildly limiting way to think about people’s personal and interpersonal capacity. Relationships—including young people’s relationships—can be opportunities for learning and growth, and we are much better off helping young people pursue mutually respectful and satisfying relationships than we are feeding them dishonest guarantees.
For many young people, part of pursuing and maintaining healthy relationships may mean delaying sex. For many others, it may not. Either way, a real understanding of communication, power, consent, sexual negotiation, and risk reduction is of vital importance. To fully meet young people’s rights and needs, we must take an inclusive and non-judgmental approach to relationship education. A sole focus on sexual refusal skills—as is the case in many abstinence-only-until-marriage programs—is just not sufficient. We must work with youth as they learn to form and maintain healthy relationships. This includes being truly inclusive of GLBTQ youth and families. It includes respecting and trusting young people with the knowledge and skills to negotiate relationships and sexuality on their own terms.
Healthy relationships education is not a “middle-ground” between comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. If we don’t look closely, some programs may use the guise of healthy relationships education to reinforce the same old gender stereotypes and compulsory heterosexuality that we see in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
Rather, healthy relationships education is part and parcel of comprehensive sex education. Sex education programs that teach youth to reduce their risk of unintended pregnancy and STI transmission are incomplete if they neglect to build in youth the knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to negotiate healthy relationships. And programs that purport to teach relationship skills but fail to do so in a way that represents the full range of experiences in young people’s lives are limiting and ultimately harmful.
We must take the strides we’ve made and move forward to ensure that sex education for young people is truly meeting their rights and needs and that healthy relationships education is integrally tied to the respect, honesty, and inclusivity of comprehensive sex education.
Where we share all of our emotions. About all of the states.
Just say NO to… Abortion?!
It’s basically the mantra of anti-choice lawmakers across the country and one that they’re now espousing inside the classroom. Currently there are two similar bills, one in Montana (HB 239) and one in Texas (HB 1057), that prohibits a school district from allowing any abortion services provider to teach sex ed in schools. And of course, by abortion providers, they really mean Planned Parenthoods.
The bill in Texas was just introduced last week, and includes a ban on “any entity or individual that performs abortions or an affiliate of an entity or individual that performs abortions” from providing human sexuality or family planning instruction. Talk about a case of the scarlet letter (“A” for abortion, in this case). The motive behind this piece of legislation is clearly to ensure any organization that is either a Planned Parenthood or any individual and/or entity that affiliates with Planned Parenthood is not welcome in Texas classrooms. It even reinforces stigma against abortion providers themselves, by actually banning individuals that perform abortions inside the classroom. This lawmaker (and so many others) simply does not want a more comprehensive conversation about sex education, including contraceptives, even when the Lone Star State has the fourth highest teen birth rate in the country. The bill would also put an “opt-in” requirement for sex ed, meaning all students must obtain a written consent form from a parent or guardian to even be able to sit in the classroom.
Montana is in the same boat, except it’s just further along in the process. On Wednesday, February 6, the House passed a bill (HB 239) that would, like Texas, require parental permission before students can attend sex education classes (“opt-in”) and also ban any “person, entity… affiliate or agent” that is a provider of abortion services to offer, sponsor, or furnish any course material on sex ed. The definitions are broad enough to, again, be harmful to local Planned Parenthoods or any organization that affiliates with the group, that has a stake in sex ed curriculum.
And to round out the “don’t you dare affiliate with anyone who dare say the A-word” news in the states, we turn our head to North Dakota, where two researchers who were granted federal funds to evaluate a local sex education program had their funds frozen from the University’s president (North Dakota State University) because they had signed an agreement to work with Planned Parenthood. While he justified his actions because of a (vague and contested) 1979 state law that prohibits any federal funds being used by entities that provide or refer abortions, the real reasons seems to be political pressure more than anything. Once anti-Planned Parenthood legislators caught wind of the grant and made comments about cutting the University’s funding if it dared move forward with accepting the grant, NDSU president peculiarly decided to freeze the funds (and without conferring with the researchers OR anyone from faculty leadership), making the announcement on a local conservative talk radio show.
Texas, Montana, North Dakota FAIL.
Now here are some other states and my emotions about them.
North Dakota vs. South Dakota = STALEMATE
Apparently, the Dakotas have gotten together and decided they want to make it as hard as possible for women to have any type of access to abortion. North Dakota’s Senate just passed a Personhood Constitutional Amendment initiative on Thursday that would amend the state’s constitution to give legal rights and protections to human embryos. YUP, you read that right, the state’s CONSTITUTION. If it passes the house, North Dakota voters will decide on it in the 2014 elections. And then South Dakota decides to hop back on the anti-abortion bandwagon and introduced a bill that would redefine the 72-hour waiting period as to not include weekends or holidays, which could drastically eliminate access to safe abortion for women – especially since there is only one comprehensive women’s clinic that provides abortions in the entire state. So yeah… neither state wins this round this time around. Sorry, Dakotas. Better luck next time.
And the winner is…
…Colorado!
The state’s House Health, Insurance, and Environment committee passed a comprehensive sex ed bill last week (HB 1081) that would define sex education in the state as having to be age appropriate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based, and include positive youth development. It also creates a grant program and a cash fund to ensure the implementation of comprehensive sex ed programs throughout the state. Legislatively, it’s only part-way there (and there are Senate challenges ahead), BUT we should all give a round of applause for Colorado ‘cause they are on their way.
But the real winners are the activists who told their representatives why comprehensive sex education is important. Big high-fives go out to Colorado Youth Create’s youth activists, Scarlett and Adrian, who were the only high school students testifying during the hearing. Listen to their awesomeness HERE!
Do you have any rants or raves about things going on in YOUR state? Or maybe you live in one of the above states? Please share all of the feelings in the comments section below!
Curated by Diana Thu-Thao Rhodes, State Strategies Manager, Advocates for Youth
(oldie but goody)
My boyfriend I have been going back and forth for the past year on whether or not we should be having sex. I mean we are already doing it and all but afterwards we always say that we know that what we are doing is wrong. I mean it’s hard!! He’s so handsome and has a huuuuge smile and an even bigger penis! And his kisses are so sensual. It really is hard to tell him no! We are both so busy with our work and school schedules that we only have time to see each other on the weekends. So after a week of not seeing your favorite person, you want to be intimate…but we just always hate that ashamed feeling that comes after sex. You know that dirty feeling you get after you masturbate? Yea it kind of feels like that. So my bf and I decided to wait until marriage to have sex….after the first 37 attempts it seemed as if it wasn’t for us…but we decided to give it another try and so far it’s been three months since we’ve had sex!! And I mean NO SEX at all! No intercourse! I haven’t licked his jolly stick, and he hasn’t even touched my juice box. We’ve decided that we want God to be the center of our relationship; we wanted to please him so that way we can have a blessed marriage when we decide to take that route! It hard but knowing that you are making God happy is what makes the wait a lot easier!
Text message conversation:
Friend: Becca!
Me: Haaaaaaaay!
Friend: What up!
Me: Chillin. You?
Friend: I gotta talk to you but I’ll text you in a bit….
oh man. this might be big.
Friend: Yo!
Me: What’s up ma?
Friend: Nothing what up?
Me: How was school?
Friend: Good!
Me: Thassssssswhatsup!
Friend: Fo sho! So Umm I gotta talk to ya…
breathe, Rebecca, breathe.
Me: What’s up?
Friend: So umm I kinda need something… From you..
Me: What?
Friend: Lol… Take a guess.. “be protected”
Me: For you?
no, Rebecca, for her cat. of course it’s for her. get it together!
Friend: Mhm.. Lol
Me: Is this something you want?
Friend: Not that I want, I need it. “stay protected” lol you have them…
Me: Yes I know, but have you and _____ talked about this? And have you had time to think about what you want?
Friend: Yes
Me: Okay, I had to ask. I trust you and I’m glad you asked me. Is there a certain time you need it by?
Friend: I don’t need it soon. Whenever you can (:
Me: Okay, well I want to make sure you have them for protection when and if you need them. I assume you haven’t talked to your mom about this?
why, Rebecca? why are you making assumptions? have you learned nothing from your social work classes??
Friend: We’ve had the “talk.”
Me: Ight lil’ ma. If you have any questions just ask
Friend: Ight I will (:
aww.
This was a conversation between a friend and I from a couple of weeks ago. If you can’t tell by the coy wording, we are talking about condoms and sex. Looking back on the conversation I wish I would have just said condoms and sex instead of “it.” What can I say? I was caught off guard. I have known this friend of mine all her life. She is a special person to me, and I consider her to be a little sister, especially since I don’t have any younger siblings. I have always been very open and honest with her, hoping that she would return the favor by trusting me, and I’m glad she did.
Back when I first began my activism with sex education and sexual health, I asked my middle/high school aged cousins and friends about the type of sex ed they were receiving in school. Some were a little embarrassed and tried to laugh my questions off, while others were straight forward and told me that they don’t remember learning anything, but that so and so was pregnant and had to leave school for a bit. No matter which way the conversation went, I always ended it with something like this, “I just want you to know that I will always be here for you, if you ever need anything. I’m in college, and I remember my years in high school; I know sex happens. I can’t tell you how to live your life, but I can tell you this, if you choose to have sex you should respect yourself and your partner by using protection.” I didn’t want to come off as preachy by telling them what to do, but I wanted to get a message across.
When I started having sex I had no formal education and had to research everything online. You can imagine how amazing that process went. I feel that I knew more than some of my peers because I knew that you could get pregnant “even if he pulls out,” and that you can’t get pregnant by having oral sex. However, I didn’t know that oral/anal sex are still sex, so condoms should still be used.
I have always had a great relationship with my parents, but in high school I was scared to talk to them about sex. Growing up in a devout Catholic household might have that effect. I wasn’t scared of them, but I didn’t want them to judge me or get angry. I didn’t know how to approach them. Now, things are much different. My parents are very much aware of the work that I do, and they respect me for it. While there is one particular issue we don’t see eye to eye on (I’m pro-choice, they are pro-life), we still respect each other and love each other. I often joke with my mom and tell her we will probably run into each other at a rally but will be on opposing sides. She rolls her eyes and responds with something like, “estas loca,” and I tell her to pray extra hard for me.
I love my parents, family, and friends. I’m glad that my relationships are always strengthening and growing thanks to the big questions and conversations that allow for both parties to gain trust. These conversations are important, not only for the obvious reasons like preventing pregnancy, STI’s, or HIV, but also to have healthy relationships with the people you love or care about.
Let the record show that this U-DGurl is in absolute LOVE with Laci Greene!
I am literally watching her video on “A is for Abstinence” and I think it’s such a great thing to do for those who need (and may not need) to be informed about abstinence and making the choice
She’s funny and so real…did I mention funny, too?
I do wish there was a Laci Greene symbol back in my high school days. So many girls grew up, confused about the changes in their bodies, confused about their desires and the world they lived in that seemed to change after they discovered two weird things growing on their chests. And what towhere telling you was worse, the “grown ups” we turned to made it their duty to give developing girls and growing boys the most untrue and confusing information possible. Either that, or they made you feel guilty about know what was happening to your body. It’s Yours! It’s your duty and privilege to know as much as possible about your body, your likes and so on without anyone, anywhere telling you that it’s wrong and sinful to.
Is it just me or has Laci Green been making some killer videos lately?? Her latest, A is for Abstinence, just might be the most spot-on five minute take-down of abstinence-only education that I’ve ever seen. YOU GO LACI.
Want more hilarious, sex-positive health advocacy and educational tidbits from Laci? Check her out on Youtube, Twitter, and Tumblr.
HELLO !!!! FRIENDS I WILL TELL YOU FROM EXPERIENCE TO PLEASE CHOOSE ABSTINANCE…. WHY CUZ ITS SURE…WE TALK MORE
“If, in contrast, tomorrow’s potential activists can feel that their demonstrations and actions are effective in molding public opinion and more important, in effecting needed social change, then the possibilities for constructive change in post-industrial American society are virtually without limit”
-Kenneth Keniston
When I was about sixteen, I participated and led a youth organization called the Youth Advisory Committee. The YAC was a state-funded program under the direction of AVANCE, a nonprofit organization. The YAC aimed to address youth at-risk from dropping out of school from the 78520 zip code in Brownsville. In one major project, we had to create a poll that targeted adolescents in our area. This poll contained issues that youth face often; including gang involvement, drug use, and teenage pregnancy [I cannot remember the other issues…]. We handed this poll to our classmates and they had to rate the issues they felt affected them the most. Consequently, the top three issues would then be utilized to create programs that addressed those issues. So, we sat in a room with my organization, our coordinator, and representatives of other organizations. We were going to openly discuss what was to be done. I cannot remember what the top three issues were but I know that teenage pregnancy fell below the top three. I made it clear to the adults that teen pregnancy was an extremely important issue to us. However, they could not do anything about it. It was pushed to the side…
I clearly remember that I began to sob because I was so angry and frustrated. I could not believe that nothing was going to be done! I did not understand this. If not us, then who was going to offer the support they needed? Who was going to empower them? Why? Why? Why? They simply said that they could refer them to other services. Before, I did not know of any organization that did advocacy work for teenage pregnancy or sexual health and reproductive rights. I was aware that Planned Parenthood existed but I only thought they offered medical services.
In these past elections, all of the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapters participated in a state-wide civic engagement project to register young people to vote and get them out to vote! Also, we informed them about the State Board of Education elections. In Texas, the SBOE has the authority to revise, review, and edit the curriculum from K-12 in public schools. By bringing awareness to the issue of the ineffective abstinence-only programs and the SBOE, we hoped to elect members who will fight to remove ignorance and censorship from the health curriculum.
In the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, we registered over 100 students to vote. Up until Election Day, we informed and directed students of polling locations. Now, I hope that the new members of the SBOE will begin to formalize their plans for a new type of sex education— comprehensive sex education. I do not want injustices like the one that I encountered when I was 16 to happen again.
https://www.facebook.com/tfnatutbrownsville
http://www.tfn.org/educate
Talking about young people in the part of the world where I come is already a sensitive issue and adding ‘rights’ which is another very explosive issue to this makes advocacy for the placing of youth rights at the heart of development a very difficult but not an impossible task. Behind these words lies the fears, doubts, and optimism of a participant at the just ended International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)-Beyond 2014 Global youth Forum (GYF) which held from the 4th to the 6th December 2012.They are also the words that come to my mind whenever I think about this forum and the impact its outcomes will have on the future of young people and therefore our world as a whole. The fruits of the optimism raised and the hopes re-enkindled by the ICPD-Beyond 2014 GYF not only in the young persons that attended this event but above all in the lives of the millions of young persons that are marginalized, down trodden, and persecuted because of their gender, age, political choices, and sexual orientation, will no doubt become reality as youths irrespective of their social status, religious beliefs, and gender have been empowered and energized by this forum. With most of the recommendations from the ICPD-Beyond 2014 GYF urging governments, international bodies, and civil societies to recognize the rights of all young persons especially the marginalized, suffering and persecuted(the girl child, sexual minorities, rural dwellers, the uneducated) and establish an enabling environment for the potentials of every young person to be unleashed and his/her dreams fulfilled, the forum is ended but has opened an avenue for youths to claim what is theirs and take their places in decision making cycles in their various countries. Enlightened, empowered, and inspired by the passion and enthusiasm I witnessed in Bali, the following words came to my mind in the evening of the 6th of December as the forum ended: ‘What happens when it comes time to part? Well you know how when you’re listening to music from another room and you’re singing along, because it’s a tune you really love, when the door closes, or a train passes, and you can’t hear the music anymore, but you sing along anyway?’ Just like the song described in this scene from the movie, ‘Music from Another Room’, the journey towards achieving youths rights might have begun long ago, Bali marked a new beginning in this fight for the rights of young people in all their diversity to be recognized and respected in the society where they live.
Another day has come and gone over Bali ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum.But as days come and go, the discussion intensifies and young people are more demanding to their governments, religious and traditional authorities, parents, and society at large.
Universal access to education,inclusive education, relevant education, quality education ,financing and partnerships, as well as ccomprehensive sexuality education were identified by participants at the ICPD beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum participants as being vital for comprehensive education to become a reality in our world and were thus recommended in that other for discussion by the United Nations and possible inclusion in its post-2015 international development agenda.
Transitions to decent work, and famiies,youth Rights and well being are the themes which were on the discussion table today.These being of course issues which are relevant to every young person irrespective of where he/she hails, the debate in the plenary was so intense and continued into the various work groups.
During the plenary on transitions to decent employment, it was revealed by the International Labour Organisation’s representative that we now have the highest number of unemployed youths that the world has ever. Also, during this plenary it was disclosed that 1 in 9 young workers in Africa are in the informal sector, 4 out of 10 young workers are working on a temporary basis, and 5 in 10 low paid persons are youths.
Productivity, fairness, and rewarding are the major characteristics of a decent job as defined by the International Labour Organisation(ILO). If one is to go by this definition, one will have no choice but agree with the above statistics. One other area in which there was total agree is on the fact that stronger families, respect of youth rights, and the well being of youths are the basis for any society and so for a world at peace with itself, there was need for these issues to be tackled with maximum care.
According to Mr.Anatole Makosso, the president to the conference of African youth ministers and youth minister of Congo Brazzaville, there exist three reasons for governments to carefully consider the above mentioned issues and ensure that the needs of youths are met: They are the majority, they are the future, they will not identify with any decisions taken without them.
Another day is come and gone, and the desire for action by youths on the part of their governments has not faultered Youths want to make the Bali declaration not only a declaration but a platform for action. Hear our voices!
What a long awaited and historic day for mankind has today being. The ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum was officially opened today. In the presence of close to a thousand participants, Indonesian officials, and representatives of governments the world over, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA’s executive Director , in his speech decried the situation in which so many young people, especially those in the global south, live in before pointing out the importance of this event, and then inviting representatives of governments and those he termed “Seniors” to look at the young people around them and challenge how they relate to them, and then think of how they can release the potentials of these young people.
Further setting the context of the Bali ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Youth Forum, the Indonesian minister for people’s welfare, declared that: we believe that a meaningful dialogue is necessary on the means and ways of engaging young people to release their potential. He further emphasized that , young people need to understand the values of life that will make them stay healthy, be educated, foster family life, actively participate in building the world they have always dreamed of.
Staying healthy, comprehensive education, transition to decent work for youth, Families, youth rights and well being, leadership and meaningful youth participation, and realizing youth rights are the themes which will be discussed and recommendations made by the over 650 participants for discussion and adoption by the UN member states as one of its post-2015 agenda.
Staying healthy and comprehensive education were tackled today in discussion groups (world Cafés) and recommendations made on the former. Access to data, putting in place of an enabling environment for youths by governments, religious and traditional authorities, access to quality, affordable, and comprehensive health services, and finally the abolition of laws and policies that that hinder youth empowerment are the recommendations that came out from the 15 sort of work groups that brainstormed on this topic. The recommendations on the comprehensive education will be presented tomorrow, Wednesday December 5th 2012.
It should be noted that the above recommendations were arrived at by participants including representatives of governments, UN agencies, and civil society in a very interactive, safe, and open environment after attending the plenary session that addressed the issue of staying healthy for a young person. At this plenary Advocate for Youth’s Meredith Waters acting in her capacity as young person commentator for this theme, declared amid thunderous applause from the audience that: the Global Youth Forum is a great way to start but not enough. Dr Nafsia Mboi, Indonesian minister of health, answering to questions from the participants declared to conclude the plenary that: Every person, I repeat every person including young people has the right to health.
Good as the speeches may be, world leaders should be conscious that young people are tired of speeches and want to see concrete actions being taken solve the pile of problems in which young people from all part of our beloved world are drowning. World leaders! Take action now or be fired! We are ready for the fight and I assure you we will always out power you; for we are the majority.
The United Nations announced, “Access to contraception is a universal human right that could dramatically improve the lives of women and children in poor countries.” CBS News says that this is the first time the United Nations Population Fund’s annual report describes family planning as a human right. CBS even quotes the executive director:
“Family planning has a positive multiplier effect on development,” Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the fund, said in a written statement. “Not only does the ability for a couple to choose when and how many children to have help lift nations out of poverty, but it is also one of the most effective means of empowering women. Women who use contraception are generally healthier, better educated, more empowered in their households and communities and more economically productive. Women’s increased labor-force participation boosts nations’ economies.”
But not everyone is happy with this progress. Groups like Human Life International are disgusted with this development. Really, the idea of having some control over when and where to get pregnant, spacing the births far apart enough for optimal health of pregnant person and children, and actually being able to care for the resulting children while saving some money in medical fees is mortifying. Let’s all get up in arms and fight this! I kid, of course. Albeit, there are people who serious with this kind of sentiment, like the folks at LifeSiteNews:
Declaring birth control a right means “everyone else must pay for…the new right” Clowes told LifeSiteNews, “even if those forced to pay for it may object to it on moral grounds. This violates the more basic human right of freedom of conscience, which has for some time now been dispensed with by UN ‘human rights’ champions.”
Despite what they’re saying, the UN declares “that legal, cultural and financial barriers to accessing contraception and other family planning measures are an infringement of women’s* rights.”
*Let’s all try to remember that now all women can get pregnant and not all those who have the ability to become pregnant are women.
SOURCES:
http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2011/08/01/big-win-for-women-family-planning-and-contraception/
https://www.unfpa.org/public/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57549577/un-calls-contraception-access-a-universal-human-right/
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/11/15/they-are-coming-your-birth-control-condoms-are-murder-and-contraception-is-rape
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/un-declares-birth-control-a-39human-right39#comment-710831021
Everyone should read this article: What happens when a woman is denied an abortion?
Although it may evoke the same thought I had:
“And water is wet.”
Check out this entry on Huff Post by Advocates for Youth’s own fantastic Youth Activist Network Coordinator, Ian O’Brien (also known as amplify user AFY_Ian)! It features an interview with GACC safesite Jeremiah at St. John’s University in New York!
by Deb Hauser
President, Advocates for Youth
Advocates for Youth congratulates President Barack Obama on his historic reelection. We also celebrate the amazing role that young people played within his administration and his reelection, and we recognize the growing power of youth to drive social and cultural change for a better world. Young people represented approximately 19 percent of the electorate yesterday—a larger percentage even than in 2008!
In the years ahead, we call on President Obama to stand with us in recognition of every young person’s right to honest sexual health education, safe and affordable sexual health services, and an equity of social, educational, and economic opportunity – the type of opportunity that builds healthy lives and strong communities.
THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO DECEMBER 7th
Boom. The International Youth Leadership Council is looking for college students in the DC metro area to apply to be new council members to start this January.
Need some background?
Advocates for Youth sponsors a project called the International Youth Leadership Council (IYLC), which is designed to develop youth leaders in the areas of international sexual and reproductive health and rights, abortion access, global HIV and AIDS, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and other sexual orientation and gender identity rights. The Council currently consists of seven members who are a diverse group of young people with backgrounds from around the world. Members attend colleges or universities in the Washington, DC Metro area.
IYLC members work with the staff of the Policy Department and The Youth Activist Network to increase U.S. support and leadership for improving young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights globally and domestically. As members of the council, they develop an understanding of a broad range of issues, including international family planning; maternal health and adolescent maternal mortality; gender inequality; harmful traditional practices, such as child marriage; HIV and AIDS; and LGBT rights. They in turn become familiar with related U.S. domestic and foreign policy, and international agreements that address youth sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Throughout the school year, council members serve as youth educators, advocates, and spokespeople on sexual and reproductive health issues and polices that affect young people around the world. They organize campus events, utilize online and traditional media outlets, conduct educational workshops, attend conferences, and lobby policy makers at the national and international level.
To Summarize:
-opportunities to shape policy from the local to international level
-resources to mobilize your communities
-meet some pretty fantastic people
-be fancy
Be a part of a movement to make youth voices heard!
Apply Now!
https://advocatesforyouth.wufoo.com/forms/international-youth-leadership-application/
Talk to your parents about sex. No, really. Do it. I’m being completely serious.
If your parents aren’t around and/or conversations with your parents never go well and you fear an extreme negative reaction, find a local clinic/Planned Parenthood and direct some of your questions there or do some research using the Internet or find a trusted adult who you can talk to. The education is worth it especially with all the risks that do come with sex.
But if the worst that can happen from talking about sex with your parents is just awkwardness, then it’s definitely worth the try. And it might not just be awkward for you, it’s probably this way for them too. But they care about you. And I’m sure you care about them, even if you’re not ready to admit that quite yet.
Studies show that the closer the relationship is between parents and children, the less likely it is that a teen pregnancy or an STI will occur.1 Open communication can only help. I know, I know. Easier said than done. So, how do we bring it up? Mom or Dad hands you your lunch or allowance or whatever and you just go, “Hey, can we talk about sex?” If that works for you, try that. I mean, yeah. Your parents will be caught off guard, but it’s better than never finding out what your parents know or if they’re willing to help you reach a better understanding of sex and all it entails.
You can also try pulling up some article from a magazine or off the Internet about sex education and/or prevention care and try discussing that with your parents, then casually ask questions about your own interest, but be sure to have those questions prepared.
Why would you want to ask your parents about sex? Why is it so important to have comprehensive education not only from school but from your parents as well?
It’s just important to gather all the information you can about sex. Let’s look at it this way. There are approximately one billion people ages 15-24 in the whole world, and there are about 42 million in the United States. 48% of high school students are currently sexually active, and 62% of those teens report using a condom the last time they had sex. Just 62%. That’s like a D minus. But get this, in 2006, only 5% of American high schools made condoms available to students.2
Maybe you’re thinking, “How hard can putting a condom on be?” It’s a good question. You probably know all the necessary steps, like checking the expiration date on the package, opening it with just your fingers and never your teeth, squeezing the tip of the condom, when exactly to put it on, leaving a half-inch space at the tip, which side to roll down, etc. And did you know that with typical use of a condom, 15 out of 100 people face an unintended pregnancy? When condoms are used consistently and correctly, less than 2 people experience an unintended pregnancy.3 Almost half of all new infections are happening with people under 25, but only less than a third of these people know how to protect themselves from STIs and HIV.4 So, think about those numbers again. Weigh the awkwardness and the importance of sex education together for a minute and decide what matters more to you.
For more facts, please click this link: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/press-room/get-the-facts
SOURCES:
1) Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention & Education for Adolescents & Children 5.3-4 (2003): 7-32.
2) http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-ATSRH.html
3) http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/press-room/get-the-facts
4) http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/hiv-home
By Melanie Waddell
SWARM attended the Urban Retreat in Washington DC over the weekend. It was an amazing experience where I was able to meet tons of different people from all across the nation and the world who are just as invested in these issues as I am. To see these young people so involved and engaged in the activities really made me proud to say that I’m with this group. I’m with Advocates for Youth and CAMI. I’m part of a group that promotes comprehensive sex education and equal rights for all.
So this group of amazing talented youth marched towards Capitol Hill and we went in to see our representatives and show them our power. We wanted to show them how much we cared, and show them why they should support us. We marched in to those offices, sat down, and met Congressional aides. We talked, gave our spiel, and left information folders. When we finished, the aides asked us questions or thanked us.
They were nice but noncommittal. One of them explained the process to our group. At the federal level there is only so much that our representatives can do. It’s really up to the state legislators to enact comprehensive sex ed programs for SC. This is because the federal government cannot dictate curriculum, that’s a state responsibility.
In a weird way, this was a practice run for the real meeting with our state legislators. For me, this confirmed that what we’re doing can make an impact. One person can make a difference because there’s a ripple effect. Every time we talk to a legislator, hand out a pamphlet, or post a blog, we can spread the message. And just by doing this, we are already making a difference.
SC is traditional. She’s old-fashioned. She likes her tea sweet and her yellow jasmine blooming. She has never been fond of change. And I can’t fault her for that. I’m the same way. I love SC. It’s the perfect temperature, with mild seasons, great people, and a friendly atmosphere that makes me feel at home no matter what city I’m in. That’s why I feel so strongly about this issue. SC is a great place. I’m just trying to make it even better. I want a state that is known for its neighborly waves, not its ranking as the 8th highest state for HIV rates.
I love my state. And I’m glad that SC has control over its own school curriculum. However, something needs to change. The statistics show that Ab-Only-Until-Marriage programs aren’t effective. They’re expensive, inaccurate, and they don’t work. If SC paid me $20,000 to tell blatant lies and I only worked one day a year, I’m sure taxpayers would be very upset with me. So how come no one questions the sex education that embodies those same qualities? Something has to change. That something is the sex education that is being taught across SC. We know what needs to change. But how do we do it? It’s simple really. We spread the message, we distribute information, and we show our legislators that we care about comprehensive sex education because we care about SC. So what are you waiting for?
Mary J. Blige, along with actress Julianne Moore and songwriter/producer Bryan Michael Cox, attending the Planned Parenthood Action Fund “Yes, We Plan” in NYC
10-22-2012
Source: http://teammjb.tumblr.com/
By Jordan Craven
I honestly feel like a changed person after the Urban Retreat. I miss my council, coordinators, and new friends. It was the best trip of the year.
I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Sonya Renee speak at the final dinner. Through spoken word her message was empowering and was beautiful. I fought tears and chills in every poem or stop. One day I hope to find my inner courage to be able to get my message of gender equality, comprehensive sex education, and personal stories across as elegantly as she did.
Another thing I loved was the people. Everyone was extremely accepting, warm, beautiful, and heartfelt. During the talent shows many performed amazingly with vulnerability and passion. In sessions, people made sure I was comfortable and accepted. Never have I been to a place where I felt so open to be me.
Finally, lobby day was a surprising success. Believe me, I was hella nervous, but through workshops, encouragement and wonderful coordinators and fellow council members, I, and everyone else, was able to step up to the plate and speak out in support of the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act.
I LOVED the privilege circle (despite the fact that it was cut short). I felt moved by the honesty and vulnerability from everyone who participated. I was able to fully comprehend my own privilege as a white male, but also my disadvantage as a gay youth who grew up in a single-parent home in a rural community. I felt close to my peers and would LOVE to do this with SWARM USC!
Overall I thought it was an amazing experience. When I left DC I didn’t want to come back to Columbia and the ordinary it serves. I will miss the sea of people, the sea of acceptance, and the sea of hope.
By Nadia Anderson
I had many takeaways from this amazing trip to Washington, DC for the Urban Retreat. It is kind of hard to lower it to three, but I will try. One takeaway was the act of storytelling. I never knew that it was better to talk about personal experiences rather than facts. I especially thought this because we were presenting for legislators for lobby day and they seem to always want the statistics when hearing about bills that people want to be passed. It was incredible hearing stories from all of the other students and even some of the students from our own group. I had to keep from crying sometimes. When I told my personal story, it was hard because some people that knew me for years were just hearing it for the first time and I think that it changed their perspective of me. I am glad that I told my story though.
I really enjoyed meeting all of the other groups on the trip. Everyone brought their unique personalities and styles and made for a great experience. I really enjoyed meeting the international students. I never knew the struggle that these people went through and that is something that you can’t just see from someone’s outer appearance. We all got on deeper levels with one another and learned so much that is relevant across the world. Everyone was on a mission to change the world and this weekend experience made our missions easier to accomplish.
One thing that I learned from the Urban Retreat that I brought back to implement in SC is the HIV treatment and the studies that scientists are doing to find a cure. I never knew that there were so many ways of treating HIV. I believe that people do not get tested because they still look at it as a death sentence. I will talk to the teen groups that I run and make sure that they know this to tell their friends and make sure that they are aware of what they can do to help themselves.
One memory I will always take with me is the group hug that we had before we started lobbying. Through that small moment, I knew that we were a family now. The things that we shared with each other and the laughs and smiles we shared made me realize that I could depend on all of them whenever I needed anything. Even though we came together under very tragic circumstances, we now have the motivation and the love to fight for what we believe in as a team.
By Darian James
As I made my way to the airport to join my coordinators and council members, I began to wonder about what the Urban Retreat would be like. After missing flight number one and being persuaded not to get on flight number two, flight number three was very early (5:26 a.m. to be exact) but quite the charm!
After missing two flights and waking up at 3:00 a.m. to catch the third flight I knew for sure that good luck was in store for me. I arrived at the Washington D.C. airport and was greeted by one of my fabulous coordinators, Cherisse.
Thinking that all of my bad luck was used on yesterday, I was certain that the rest of the trip would be perfect….. not just yet! I knocked on the door to room 711 and a guy answered the door. He welcomed me in and introduced himself. I thought nothing of it at that moment but as I began to think about rooming with a guy as the day went on, I started to feel more and more uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that I mentioned it to my coordinators. As we talked about the situation Emma explained that I was placed in that room by mistake. PHEW….I was relieved! As always, my name gave off the impression that I was a male.
The good luck begins and continues after that moment. The Urban Retreat was phenomenal. I am so appreciative for everything that I encountered prior to arriving at the Urban Retreat because I know that those obstacles were preparing me for my “Fiercely Fabulous Weekend.” The retreat certainly met and exceeded all of my expectations. Advocates from all over the world had the opportunity to share ideas, network, bond, grow, and so much more. At the various training sessions we had the opportunity to openly discuss our opinions and experiences about different topics without harsh stares or offensive comments from the people around us.
I am so thankful for this retreat because it not only allowed me to meet new people and grow as an individual but it assisted S.W.A.R.M. in forming a bond that is unbreakable. We shared so much with each other during those five days that you would have thought we knew each other for over five years. We laughed, walked, talked, took pictures, ate, danced, joked, and even cried together. I love my S.W.A.R.M. family so much and I know that Tim is smiling down on us because he would not have wanted it any other way! We love you Tim and we will continue to make you proud. I can honestly say that Exuberant Emma and Courageous Cherisse are two magnificent individuals. To take time out of their busy schedules, to travel to Washington, D.C. with 9 college students, who they saw face to face once or twice was remarkable. Thanks ladies!
The Urban Retreat has given me a different outlook on life, responsibility, rights, and so much more. My most memorable moments are going to the youth lounge for a refresher, media 101 and 102 with Ms. Rachel Cooke, the fabulous speech delivered by Ms. Sonia Renee, and LOBBYING! Lobbying was a great way to end our awesome retreat. It felt so good to go to our state representatives’ staff to voice our opinions and share our personal stories. We even had the opportunity to go on a few tours thank to our amazing coordinator Emma.
We as young people have the right to comprehensive sex education, deserve respect from everyone around us, and you should place responsibility on us to make wise decision when it pertains to sex and relationships!
Anyone who had anything to do with the Urban Retreat I want to thank you so much for a job well done! #UR2012
By: Alexus Tullock
When Ariel and Leighann informed me on the Urban Retreat they attended last year, I thought they were going a little overboard on the fun they said they had. They said I would meet cool people, get to lobby on Capital Hill, and eat lots and lots of snacks. Well, I honestly had the time of my life in DC.
First, meeting my SWARM council in August, I knew they were the bomb but this trip made us feel like a family.
Then, arriving in DC and meeting awesome people from all over the world was amazing. I had the pleasure of having a roommate from Africa. I never knew how lucky I was until I had the chance to listen to her story. Sexual health education doesn’t exist in Nigeria and many health clinics aren’t willing to help families in need. Most families can’t afford to go to a doctor when they are sick. My heart went out to her and her county. I took a small thing like going to the doctor for granted.
Every morning at 7:00 a.m. (that’s right 7 in the morning!) the California group introduced Forward Stance to the Urban Retreat. Being the great group SWARM is, we were the only ones to show up. Honestly, Forward Stance made a lot of sense. We should always focus on our opponent with a forward stance and we will win every time.
At the closing dinner before Lobby Day, we had the chance to give shout outs to whoever we wanted. Nadia gave a shout out to Emma and Cherisse. Boy did her story have me tearing up. It made me realize how much Tim was missed and how much SWARM was loved.
Lobbing on Capital Hill was so much FUN!! I felt so important. We were like little league politicians walking around DC. Emma was like our Secret Service Agent taking us under tunnels and on private tours! It reminded me a lot of the movie Salt. Having the chance to talk to our state’s Legislatures and bring issues affecting our youth was truly a “wow” moment. How many college students have the opportunity to do that? Not many but my SWARM Council did. I’m sure we made Tim proud!!
By Brittany Prince
My 1st flight. My 1st trip to the Capital. My 1st Advocates for Youth Conference. September 27-October 1 was filled with a lot of changing events.
At the age of 22, I finally experienced my 1st plane flight. Excitement rushed through my body as I arrived to the airport. I felt like a little kid in a candy store. As we prepared for take off I became anxious and could not help but look out the window. Then it finally took place, the wheels started rolling, the speed accelerated and the plane left the ground. My eyes lit up and I started screaming “weeee” until the pilot instructed us to turn our electronic devices on. My flight was everything I expected and more. I finally got to see Google maps in person.
Once we arrived in DC the metro became our new of source wheels and also my bed on the go. The speakers and workshops were wonderful, but the people were amazing. It was amazing meeting people from different backgrounds coming together for a common goal. It filled my heart with joy being surrounded by youth who were being the change they want to see in the world. Although it was nice meeting new people it was gratifying getting to know my council members better. I never would have imagine being so close to people who were complete strangers to me less than two months ago. Our bond has grown so strong for one another. We laugh together, cry together and will continue to change the world, together. I would do anything for them. We are not just council members, WE ARE FAMILY.
We continue to soar and reach the sky. We will TAKE FLIGHT!
As I boarded the plane to return back to Florida all that ran through my mind was that Urban Retreat was more than I expected it to be. I never knew that there were so many young people that we energized and excited about better comprehensive sex education. That weekend opened my eyes up to some many different cultures, personalities, and ways of life. I learned about different topics that I was either naive to or completely oblivious of. The many workshops and training sessions that I attended allowed me to be equipped with the necessary tools and information needed to advocate for my cause . Urban Retreat more than prepare me to be able to come back and make a significant difference.
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Click to watch: Fundamental Human Rights.
Every day, governments all over the world violate the fundamental human rights of millions of women. The Center for Reproductive Rights fights on the front lines every day to beat back these assaults — and Meryl Streep, Sarah Silverman, Amy Poehler, Billy Crudup, Audra McDonald, and many more are standing beside us in this call to action in the global battle for reproductive freedom.
I have received something special from The Advocates for Youth Urban Retreat in Washington, DC. For 4 days and nights I was able to see the visions and values of youth advocates from all over the United States as well as Uganda, Nigeria, Jamaica, and Nepal. Students from all over the United States have come together to raise their voices on Abstinence-Only Programs. The conversations I have shared with other youth advocates have given me a better understanding of the United States sexual education policies. And I believe that if enough of us raise our voices, we as a generation can change the Abstinent-Only Policies of our nation.
I enjoyed Angel Brown’s (Senior Program Manager GLBTQ Health and Rights) presentation on HIV Vaccine Research, ARV’s and Prevention Strategy. This session gave those that were uninformed about HIV a basic overview of vaccine research and antiretroviral drugs. We also explored how current research and treatment approaches are impacting prevention strategies. We also had a chance to present ourselves to different youth advocate groups from all over the United States as S.W.A.R.M. (Students With A Responsible Message). Aimee Thorne-Thomsen (Vice President for Strategic Partnerships) a very kind woman in my view, sat down to speak with me about sexual education and families.
I didn’t grasp the idea why my younger family members would come to me before they would go to their parents. But she explained that they might be more comfortable talking to me rather than their parents. Our group conversations have shown me that the days have changed when youth were more open and unafraid to ask their parents about sex. It should shock the public conscience when youth are starting to ask questions before they reach their teens. I have seen many instances were youth have been caught in situations they could have avoided, if only they were taught sexual education.
Martin Luther King once said that our lives begin to end “the day we become silent about things that matter”. We maybe dreamers and we may be ignorant in politician’s eyes on the policies we would like to change. But our vision embraces the right of all young people to have the sexual health education and services they need to protect their health.
One of the things I like to do as the moderator for STFU, Pro-Life is share pro-choice music. People ask me why I do this, how is it relevant, etc. I just think it’s cool to know if our favorite bands or singer supports a cause that we believe in. A lot of these artists actually put their money into supporting sexual and reproductive health and rights. Giving them a shout out just seems like the thing to do.
As stated on the STFU, Pro-Life blog:
This is based on their support for Planned Parenthood (either by playing for feminist events and/or knowingly signing onto labels that donate to PP) and continuous work for feminism and overall pro-choice awesomeness. You might be surprised by some of these artists. And if there’s a musician(s) you know that’s pro-choice and it’s not on this list, let me know! Progress never sounded so good.
And here are some of the bands:
311
AdeleAgainst Me!Against All Authority
A.K.As
Alanis Morisette
Alice in Chains
Alkaline Trio
Aimee Mann
Andrew Bird
Angels and Airwaves
Ani Difranco
Animal Collective
Anti-Flag
The Antlers
Aphex Twin
Archers of Loaf
Asobi Seksu
Ataris
Atlas Sound
Audio Karate
Au Revoir Simone
Avail
Bad Astronaut
Bad Religion
Barenaked Ladies
Bayside
Beach House
Beastie Boys
Beck
Beirut
Ben Folds
Ben Harper
Best Coast
Beyonce
Big D and the Kids Table
Bikini Kill
Billie Holiday
The Black Keys
Black Mountain
Blink 182
Bloc Party
Blondes
The Bloodsugars
Boards of Canada
Bob Marley
Bon Iver
Born Ruffians
Bouncer Fighter
Bright Eyes
Broadcast
Broken Social Scene
Brother
Bruce Springsteen
Bush
Caribou
Cat Power
Chaka Khan
Cher
Christina Aguilera
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Cloud Cult
Coldplay
Cornelius
The Cure
Crystal Antlers
Cyndi Lauper
Dam Funk
Dan Deacon
Danielson
Dar Williams
Dave Matthews Band
The Dears
Death Cab for Cutie
The Decemberists
Deer Hunter
Destroyer
Devendra Banhardt
Digable Planets
Dillinger Escape Plan
Dinosaur Jr.
Dirty Projectors
Discovery
Dixie Chicks
Dom
The Donnas
Dropkick Murphys
Dry the River
Editors
Ellie Goulding
Elvis Perkins
Emilie Autumn
Errors
Everclear
Everlast
Expensive Looks
The Explosion
Feist
Femi Kuti
Fish Bone
Flogging Molly
Florence and the Machine
Freelance Whales
Flying Lotus
Foo Fighters
Forest Fire
The Format
Four Tet
Fox and the Law
fun.
Gang Gang Dance
Get Up Kids
Good Charlotte
Goo Goo Dolls
The Go Team
Green Day
Gregory and the Hawk
Grizzly Bear
Hayden
Henry Rollins
Hole
Holly Throsby
The Holograms
Hospitality
Hygiene Wilder
Iggy Pop
Indigo Girls
IUD
Janis Ian
Jessie J
Jewel
Jimi Hendrix
Joan Jett
Joanna Newsom
Johnny Cash
Justin Timberlake
Kate Nash
The Kennedys
Kings of Convenience
Kinky Friedman
Kitten Forever
Korn
Lady Gaga
Lenny Kravitz
Less Than Jake
Le Tigre
Lily Allen
Little Boots
Living Colour
Liz Phair
Ludacris
The Lunachicks
Madonna
The Magnetic Fields
Manic Street Preachers
Maps & Atlases
Marilyn Manson
Marina and the Diamonds
Marnie Stern
Mary J. Blige
Melissa Etheridge
Metric
Mirah
The Mountain Goats
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
My Brightest Diamond
My Morning Jacket
The National
Neil Young
Neko Case
New Found Glory
The New Pornographers
Nice Nice
Nice Purse
Nina Simone
Nirvana
No Age
No Doubt
NOFX
No Rey
No Use For a Name
Odetta
The Offspring
Of Montreal
Passion Pit
Patti Smith
Pavement
Pearl Jam
Pennywise
Phantogram
Phish
Pink
The Postal Service
The Presidents of the United States
Queens of the Stone Age
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
The Raincoats
The Ramones
Rancid
Ra Ra Riot
Regina Spektor
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
R.E.M.
Rilo Kiley
Rise Against
RZA
Salt ‘n’ Pepa
Santana
Sarah McLachlan
The Scissor Sisters
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
Sheryl Crow
The Shins
Sigur Ros
Sleater-Kinney
Social Distortion
Sonic Youth
Sorry OK
Sound Garden
Stars
The States
Steel Train
Stone Temple Pilots
Straylight Run
Strike Anywhere
Sugarcult
Sum 41
The Summer Set
Surfer Blood
Sweet Secrets
System of a Down
Ted Leo
Teenage Moods
Telekinesis
Tegan and Sara
Thao Nguyen
Thom Yorke
Those Darlins
Tom Waits
Tool
Tori Amos
Tupac Shakur
TV on the Radio
U2
Uh Huh Her
Usher
The Vacancy
Vampire Weekend
Veruca Salt
The Volcano Diary
Wavves
Whetherman
White Zombie
Wolf Mother
Wolf Parade
Women
Yann Tiersan
Yeasayer
Yellowcard
Yo La Tengo
Zola Jesus
1Flesh is a new online organization promoting the message that condoms and hormonal contraception are ineffective at preventing STDs/STIs and unintended pregnancy as well as being harmful to the health and relationship of a couple. They believe that people should not have sex before they are married, and then should use a method of “birth control” called the Creighton Model, which is really just a suped-up version of the Rhythm Method (despite how much they tried to convince me otherwise).
Need to catch up?: Part 1: The Basics, Part 2: Religion, Part 3a: Education
This is part three of an in-depth interview I conducted by e-mail with Anna Buckley of 1Flesh, from July 15- 19. All of their responses are printed in full and unedited. My response and criticism can be found below.
1) What kind of government involvement, if any, is appropriate when it comes to sex education?
Tough question. The government has recently become involved with what for all time has been considered an intensely familial matter.We imagine that a daughter told by her mother that she is beautiful, loved, of infinite value, worth a man who will cherish her as such, and that sex is a positive good and a total gift of self oriented in its nature and chemistry towards "forever," would be more likely to make holistic sexual choices and achieve inner happiness than if by watching a Planned Parenthood employee put a condom on a banana.
Similarly, we believe that a father telling his son that he is proud of him, that he loves him, that sex is a positive good and a total gift of self oriented in its nature and chemistry towards "forever," that it is no manliness to use women for pleasure, but it’s epically manly to sacrifice your desires for the good of your beloved, and to seek the woman who you will promise to be with forever, and once that promise is made, then fulfill that promise with your entire body in the act of sex — We believe this would be — in the long run — far more effective than being shown a slideshow of diseased penises and getting free rubbers from your gym teacher.
However, we’ve created a culture of awkwardness between parents and their kids, to the point where this discussion has become a far scarier one to have than it should be. We are inundated with the culture’s idea of sex from a young age, and thus parents feel like they’re competing with everything cool in a kid’s life. Want to talk to your son about this when he turns 12? 11 is the average age a boy is exposed to hardcore pornography. Want to tell your daughter her body is valuable and beautiful? She’s already seen the female body used to sell cars on TV.
So if the government is to be involved in sex education, we believe it should be finding people who can effectively speak against the current sexual culture that’s making everyone miserable. Maybe Obama could help us out. After all, he speaks very effectively on the importance of families staying together, and of fathers resisting the easy route of divorce and instead being present for their wife and children, to which we tip our hats.
2) Do you believe sex education courses belong in schools? If so, and if you were able to write the curriculum, what would you include?
See previous question. Add to it teaching the Creighton MODEL to girls.
3) As part of sex education classes, you would recommend the Creighton Model be taught to girls. If the boys in the class will presumably one day be married to women, isn’t it important for them to be familiar with the Creighton Model as well?
Absolutely. You’ve got fantastic ideas: Teach it to boys and girls — perhaps not together, as there could be a maturity gap in the discussion of things like luteal phases and mucus patterns — and watch the male respect of the intricacy and beauty of the female body soar.
4) You refer to girls as having "infinite value." How do you define this phrase? And is the same true for boys?
The value of the human person is immeasurable, priceless, and infinite. We hold this truth to be self-evident, that the value of all else pales and bows before the value of a single human life. And yes, the same is true for boys.
5) In your ideal conversation of how mothers talk to their daughters about sexuality, you say that girls are "worth a man who will cherish her as [having infinite value]." To me, this phrase suggests that her value is her virginity and her ability to become pregnant. I agree that every person deserves to have a partner (if they want one) that loves and cherishes them, and treats them well. But I don’t believe that virginity or fertility are the reasons someone deserves to be valued and treated well.
We had no intention of suggesting that a girl’s value is her virginity and her ability to become pregnant. That’s ridiculous. Girls are worth men who will cherish them as having infinite value for the simple reason that they are girls. That they are human persons. Dignity and infinite worth are products of being a human person, and girls — who are so often bombarded with the idea that their worth depends on being "hot", being productive, having sex, making children, being popular, being rich, etc. — need to be affirmed by their lovers in this manner: "You are of infinite value to me because you are."
6) Do you think it’s important for religion to be included in sexuality education?
No. Then again, we’re a little confused why it’s so important for the government to be involved with sex education, but whatever.
7) How does information of and access to condoms increase the chance of someone -who wants to remain abstinent- having sex?
There’s folks way more qualified to answer that question, so we’d again refer you to the following study.
Response and Criticism
1) The Federal Government has been involved with funding sex education programs, unfortunately giving hundreds of millions of dollars to abstinence-only programs that are proven failures. But there’s been no federal law about what is taught in these classes. Some states don’t require sex ed be taught at all. And the curriculum for sex education programs are decided largely by the school districts with consideration for community input.
Also, were you serious when you said that telling your child they’re loved is more effective at achieving a positive, health sexual outlook and practice than learning how to prevent STDs and pregnancy? I agree that the female body is often objectified in media, but, if anything, wouldn’t that make it easier to talk to your child about body image and sexual autonomy since you have so many accessible, cultural examples to make your point?
2) Much more on the Creighton Model later!
3) Since I don’t think you’re suggesting that the Creighton Model should start being taught in 5th or 6th grade (where they wouldn’t understand it anyway) or in jr. high (see how far you get talking about cervical music to a room of 13 year olds), I don’t think that a maturity gap is what you should be worried about.
4) If the term “infinite value” has the same meaning for boys as it does for girls, why have both times you said it, you’ve applied it to girls, especially considering that you made the choice to use different language for boys?
5) It’s a nice thought, but there’s no denying that girls are held to a much higher standard of “purity” than boys.
7) This link is to the Duke study, described above. If 1Flesh doesn’t feel they’re qualified to answer this basic question, I guess I’ll jump in. Knowing how to use a condom will not magically make a person who has chosen to be abstinent change their mind and make sex a “habit.” Sex is a personal and consensual choice. Just because I have a life-jacket doesn’t mean I’m going to go water skiing.
Next Up, in pt. 4: Sex
1Flesh is a new online organization promoting the message that condoms and hormonal contraception are ineffective at preventing STDs/STIs and unintended pregnancy as well as being harmful to the health and relationship of a couple. They believe that people should not have sex before they are married, and then should use a method of “birth control” called the Creighton Model, which is really just a suped-up version of the Rhythm Method (despite how much they tried to convince me otherwise).
Need to catch up?: Part 1: The Basics, Part 2: Religion
This is part three of an in-depth interview I conducted by e-mail with Anna Buckley of 1Flesh, from July 15- 19. All of their responses are printed in full and unedited.
I assume you support abstinence-only programs. What are you thoughts on more comprehensive approaches? Also, how do you feel about classes including discussions on contraception being labeled comprehensive? To you, is it an appropriate term?
Actually, we find abstinence-only education decisively whack. Telling kids to just not have sex because it’ll give you STDs degrades the act of sex as ugly, patronizes the students as stupid, and — though we know there’s "evidence" both ways — doesn’t seem to be a magic cure.Educating kids on contraception is no better. Such programs — well-intentioned though they may be — come with the philosophy that women cannot understand their own bodies, that men "are going to have sex anyways" and thus can’t control their bodies, and that the grand purpose of a thing as mind-blowing as sex is to satisfy a biological urge without biological consequences. There’s a reason the 2011 Duke study “Habit Persistence and Teen Sex”concluded that “programs that increase access to contraception are found to decrease teen pregnancies in the short run but increase teen pregnancies in the long run.” It creates a lame sexual c ulture, and reaps lame results.
No, if we had our way (which we’re entirely aware that we won’t) girls would be empowered to understand their own fertility cycle by being taught to chart with the Creighton MODEL, not as contraception, but as self-knowledge. Girls and guys would all learn about the nature of sex itself, in all its bonding beauty, from oxytocin to prostaglandins, from fetal development to pheremonal attraction. Girls would be told that they have immense value inherent in their very beings, and guys would be taken on a hike and told about how historically speaking, an essential part to manliness is the ability to battle and destroy our selfish passions, and to sacrifice ourselves for love.
We’re speaking unoffically, of course, and entirely off the top of our heads, of course, but the bottom line is this — elevate the sexual culture. It currently resides in the pits. We’ve got 1 in 5 women being raped, and 1 in 3 reporting some sort of sexual abuse. We’ve got untold millions of kids addicted to porn, and 63% of married women who’d rather be watching a movie than having sex with their husbands, and 1 in 4 teenage girls with an STD. Whatever we’ve been doing, it ain’t working.
So much to say here, so let me start with the Duke study and go from there. This is a quote from the Conclusion of the study you linked to:
There is much persistence in teen sexual behavior. If this habit persistence arises from a moral or psychological barrier that has been crossed once an individual has sex for the _rst time (a _xed cost) or the _rst time in a relationship (a transition cost), programs that increase rates of teen sexual activity may lead to higher pregnancy rates in the long run than in the short run.
I have issues with this and how you interpreted its meaning. First, yes, teens have sex. I don’t think I’d call sex a “habit,” though, and I certainly don’t think that in order to have sex you have to break through a “moral or psychological barrier.” The study also suggests that once you have sex (either for the first time or with a new partner) that sex is automatically a “habit” with a “cost.” They, and you, seem to say that birth control becomes less effective over time, which is not true. The only way that more sex leads to more pregnancy is that you have a greater number of possibilities of using birth control incorrectly or inconsistently. That’s not a problem with birth control. That’s a problem with poor education and limited access.
Now to the rest of it.
1) I’m glad that we both agree that abstinence-only programs are “whack.” Side note: No one has said “whack” in 15 years. What are you doing?
2) I disagree that learning about menstruation, sex, pregnancy, and contraception would make anyone feel like they “cannot understand their own bodies.”
3) Regardless of the type and quality of the sex education they are given, men are “going to have sex anyways;” 62% by the end of high school and 90% by the end of college. We agree that sex is a natural, healthy desire, but in my opinion, and in the facts, pre-marital sex is not due to an un-controlled (male) body; it’s about desire, pleasure, and fun. And it’s not cheapened by this. How can two people consenting to sexual pleasure be “cheap”? Also, who are you to decide whose sex is good enough?
4) Millions of kids are addicted to porn? Really?
5) Your solution to rape, sexual abuse, and STDs is to discourage the use of condoms? Come on now.
Can you comment on why you believe that sex has hormonal "bonding" elements? Why would it be necessary for the body to do this?
Well, from an evolutionary perspective it makes sense. If sex has the capacity to produce a new offspring, the last thing you want is your mate ditching you. It would ruin survival chances all around — especially for the offspring. Thus it seems that any individuals who became chemically bonded to each-other during sex — by chemicals like oxytocin — would have a greater chance of spreading their genes than individuals who didn’t. Natural selection would pick it up from there.
Actually, if we’re going to guess about the mating habits of primitive humans, I’d say it makes much more sense, evolutionarily, for a female to copulate with several males, ensuring that her children will be cared for by many.
You say "an essential part to manliness is the ability to battle and destroy our selfish passions." Doesn’t this suggest that sexual desire is harmful to young men? And doesn’t it assume that young women don’t also have strong sexual desires?
The key word here is "selfish" desires. Sexual desires are good, appropriate and beautiful. They make Shakespeare Shakespearean, and the world go round. The problem is that our culture tells men — and especially men — to take these beautiful desires — which by their nature look outwards, towards a beloved — and turn them inwards, making them selfish. Young men are inundated with the message that — in order to be a man — they have to get laid. Think about that term, "get laid." It’s entirely about "me." I get something. Not "I give myself", not "I share in something beautiful", but I get. When sexual desires become selfish, pornography makes a whole lot of sense. If it’s about me, who needs another person? The alarming fact that frequent viewers of pornography are more likely to believe that women enjoy rape, and more likely to label an act of sexual violence as sexual — and not violent — seems a natural consequence of divorcing sex from the idea of self-gift. If desires are selfish — about me — who cares about the other person? To which we here at 1Flesh react violently, and instead claim as our own a sexual culture that stands in radical, stark contradiction to the tyranny of selfishness: Sex as pure self-gift, all imitations be damned.
I 100% agree that using language like “get” and “take” instead of “give” and “share” are problematic (and patriarchal) when it comes to sexuality. I also agree that most pornography plays into these ideas. But I don’t think the idea of pornography is inherently selfish, and I certainly don’t think that it leads to a tyrannical sexual culture of selfishness. Yes, some people watch legitimately problematic porn, but I would suggest that material like that isn’t really about sex at all.
Can you cite the study where you read those stats on sexual violence?
It’s right here. There is a 22% increase in sexual perpetration; a 20% increase in negative intimate relationships; and a 31% increase in believing rape myths. A total sample size of 12,323 people comprised the present meta-analysis.
This study was conducted by the National Foundation for Family Research and Education. It appears that this Canadian organization does not have a website, and from everything else that I found on them, they appear to be on par with the American Family Association and the Family Research Council, both of which are listed as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Meaning I don’t take seriously anything coming out of these groups.
Next Up, in pt. 3b: Education (continued)
~ Samantha
Community Editor
“We don’t have high paid lobbyists; we don’t have a lot of money. Here are some of the things we do have: the most people living with HIV & AIDS, the most poverty, the most sexually transmitted infections, the most people without health insurance, the most vulnerable populations, the fastest growing epidemic, the least access to healthcare, the highest mortality rates, and the least resources to deal with this crisis.” – Kathie Heirs, CEO AIDS Alabma
Kathie Heirs’ blunt summation illustrates the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the southern United States. Hiers and her organization AIDS Alabama, which is part of the Cultural Advocacy Mobilization Initiative (CAMI) at Advocates for Youth, appear in a new documentary entitled deepsouth. Directed by Lisa Biagiotti, the documentary follows the stories of individuals and communities fighting the spread of a HIV/AIDS epidemic in the domestic south. deepsouth examines the different facets of a culture that renders this epidemic invisible and perpetuates the silence around this issue. deepsouth shows that understanding the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is less about ‘that one time you should have used a condom’ and more about the compilation of factors (e.g. abstinence-only sex education, religious values, individualism, racism, homophobia, etc.) that lead to an epidemic.
The film premieres this week at the International AIDS Conference, which is under way here in Washington, DC. The conference and city is buzzing with hope for an AIDS free generation. With recent medical advances, like the FDA approval of Truvada and more clinical trials for HIV vaccines, Secretary Hilary Clinton’s goal of an AIDS free generation seems within reach. Yet, the focus on medicine and prevention do little to address the stigma and discrimination of HIV positive individuals or the real causes of a global epidemic. This week alone, HIV statistics on black men became consistent talking points and were publicized with few parallel messages on the discrimination, profiling and stereotyping of black men and the relations of sexism, racism, and heterosexism to a larger HIV/AIDS epidemic. Echoing Elton John, the key to developing a true global commitment to ending HIV/AIDS lies in deconstructing a fear of HIV/AIDS (HIV/AIDS phobia), a judgment of those living with it, and addressing other HIV/AIDS risk factors such as poverty and lack of education.
deepsouth pioneers this path by examining the cultural factors that contribute to discrimination through the lens of three main stories. Biagiotti follows Josh, a young, gay black man living with HIV in a rural community, Monica and Tammy, coordinators of a support group and retreat for HIV positive individuals, and Heirs, who tours the country seeking federal aid for the epidemic.
In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, Biagotti lays down the focus of her documentary:
The reality is that HIV is less about safe sex and more about safety nets. HIV is symptomatic of so many other social ills. Silence, stigma and judgment create layers of secrecy. They can’t be “fixed” without a deep dive into the underlying reasons behind why people are quiet, what they’re ashamed of and why they’re afraid.
The documentary’s premier is tonight at 7PM at E Street Cinemas in Washington D.C., and will screen tomorrow, Wednesday, July 25 at both 3PM and 7PM.
Stay tuned for a second blog post later this week that reviews the film and discusses the role of HIV/AIDS phobia and racism in HIV/AIDS activism.
Just in time for the International AIDS Conference here in Washington, DC, this week Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 6138, the Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act of 2012. This visionary bill creates a policy and financing framework for an AIDS-Free Generation.
Quoting from the Congresswoman’s press statement:
The Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act of 2012 increases and targets federal resources to maximize impact of HIV efforts, expands efforts to end stigma and discrimination, repeals and reforms laws that violate human rights and undermine the positive impact of resources, and maximizes federal coordinating efforts to drive greater efficiency and improved results in all HIV and related programs. The bill establishes a system to expand targeted efforts to prevent HIV infection using a combination of effective, evidence-based approaches and accelerated research and educational reforms to addressing the epidemic at home and abroad. The bill also provides for the expansion of comprehensive sex education, the distribution of condoms to people in prison, and improved provisions for monitoring HIV care.
In particular, the bill highlights the impact of the HIV & AIDS epidemic on young people both domestically and internationally as well as calls to expand comprehensive sex education and end funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.
Currently, there are 26 co-sponsors.
We applaud Congresswoman Lee for her leadership on this legislation and proudly support the bill and hope for its passage!
The text of the bill should be up soon and will be available here. For more information on the bill, check out this fact sheet.
Comprehensive sex education, one of the objective of yalc (youth activist leadership council) is the need of today’s generation education. Giving knowledge regarding sex education helps to overcome the risk of the sexual behaviour.Sex education, which is sometimes called sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is also about developing young people’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It is widely accepted that young people have a right to sex education. This is because it is a means by which they are helped to protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS . It is also argued that providing sex education helps to meet young people’s rights to information about matters that affect them, their right to have their needs met and to help them enjoy their sexuality and the relationships that they form other. Research shows that teenagers who receive sex education that includes discussion of contraception are more likely than those who receive abstinence-only messages to delay sexual activity and to use contraceptives when they do become sexually active.
In Nepal , the subject has been introduced from class 6 but the srh information has been included only in class 9 and 10. The education about sex education has been overlapped with reproductive education which is almost different from each other.In the present curriculum , grade 6 and 8,includes only about reproductive areas like HIV ,methods of family planning and other STDS which really lags behinds the information regarding their bodily change and their curiosity regarding attraction towards the opposite sex and others. Students know more about more than those in text books through other sources by that time. Students are exposed to the subject much later than when they should actually have been. All the information is flooded in class 9 all of a sudden rather than gradually introducing age appropriate topics. Several topics are mentioned just but not explained. It means that the curiosity of the students will grow. For e.g.. Process of sex is mentioned but not explained. Similarly, abortion has just been mentioned, but with least explanation. And like the simple sharing information to parents and older siblings are also not included .if such things are focused and put in the curicullum then the students will share their curiosity and share their problems with their parents which will be guided in a right direction.
Yesterday the CDC released the results of its Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, a survey of 15,000 high school students around the nation that asks questions about a variety of health and safety behaviors.
The headline for sexual health was: no headline.
There were no statistically significant changes in the percent of young people who have ever had sex (47%), who are currently sexually active (34%), or who used condoms (60%) and/or the most effective forms of birth control (24%) at last sex.
The only statistically significant change was in HIV education, and it wasn’t good: the percentage of students taught in school about HIV has trended down since 1997 and went down between 2009 to 2011 (from 87% to 84%).
What lessons can we take from this?
1) No matter how much adults want to live in denial, a significant proportion of teens are having sex. Among seniors, 63 percent of students have already had sex and nearly half are currently sexually active.
2) Safer sex messages still haven’t taken hold among all young people. While it’s wonderful that so many young people are using condoms and birth control, those numbers need to be much closer to 100 percent, with all young people fully protected.
3) Every year fewer students are learning about HIV – and we already knew that less than a quarter have been tested for HIV. What’s causing this – the abstinence-only programs that have taken root around the nation? No Child Left Behind and the emphasis on standardized testing? Funding cuts in the current economic climate? Whatever the cause, the erosion of HIV education has to stop. Students’ lives depend on it.
Read the full Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance here. Also check out Martha Kempner’s discussion of the results on RH Reality Check.
. ”..all the Lilly Ledbetter hypocrites who claim to be fighting the War on Women? Let’s hurl some acid at those female democratic Senators who won’t abide the mandates they want to impose on the private sector."
Hurling acid? Acid? Hurling acid in women’s faces. As if advocating an all-to-real threat of violence against women is an acceptable thing for a spokesman of a U.S. Representative to do.
This hideous quote came from Jay Townsend, a campaign spokesman for Congresswoman Nan Hayworth (R-NY). It appeared in a discussion (about gas prices!) on a Facebook page dedicated to dialogue within the district about local issues. There is so much in Townsend‘s quote, but I think we have to start with the acid; and that’s hard to do because I’m having a tough time conceptualizing how that quote could be said in this country and about some of our most powerful women. Actually, maybe that’s where I need to start. This did just happen in the United States. Our female political leaders were threatened with horrific violence. And worse, the Congresswoman he works for didn’t fired him. How is this true in 21st century America?
That question could be asked about a lot of things happening today, especially about women. How is access to birth control being threatened? How is getting an abortion today harder than it was 25 years ago? How are the bombings of Planned Parenthood clinics not considered domestic violence? The list continues: abstinence-only programs, filibustering the Paycheck Fairness Act and the DREAM Act, the serious lack of adequate parental leave, funding being cut for rape crisis centers and services for survivors of domestic violence, state constitutional bans on marriage equality, the ongoing 30+ year fight for an Equal Rights Amendment, mental health centers being closed, employment discrimination; it never ends. The reality is that this is the kind of environment that allows misogynists to threaten to throw acid into the faces of accomplished women.
This cannot be where our progress has led us, and yet this really happened. This is what happens under the ideology of wanting to put women “in their place.” Now this is where the other parts of the quote come in. Jay Townsend threatened these 12 women while accusing some of them of not paying their female staffers as much as they pay the men in their offices. That’s what he means by “Lilly Ledbetter hypocrites.” I have to note, though, that this claim is a bit sketchy.
While I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if the national wage gap was just as true in the halls of Congress as it is anywhere else, the report that he is pulling this information from isn’t exactly…visible. In his Facebook comment, Townsend linked to an article from a conservative newspaper called the Washington Free Beacon (note: that’s beacon, not bacon; I read it wrong the first time and was pretty confused) which claims that they analyzed information on how much Senate staffers are paid, and concluded that 37 of the 50 Senators in the Democratic caucus pay their female employees less than their male employees.
I was curious about this, and searched the article for a link to the study. It wasn’t there. So I tried to track it down myself, but every website that came up just linked back to the WFB article. Suspicious. Next, I tried to contact the writer through Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail, asking to be sent the report. Haven’t heard back yet. I then tried looking up the information myself, but each Senator has between 50 and 80 staffers working for them, and it would be impractical for me to nose dive into such a huge project. Which, of course, also made me wonder why the Washington Free Beacon felt it was necessary to take the time right now to do such a laborious analysis. Curious.
Townsend, though, tries to use this claim as proof of the Democrats being the ones waging a war on women. He gets very confused, though, as he appears to say that the democratic women are hurting women by not following the Lilly Letter Act or the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act, and that that’s a bad thing, yet hates that they are trying to pass the PFA because it would force employers to pay their employees fairly, which is also apparently a bad thing. And then of course he also seems to be under the impression that the LLA and PFA only apply to private sector workers, which of course means that it wouldn’t apply to Senate staffers, but this, of course, is not true either.
Now, I mentioned earlier that Townsend had not been fired. The following is what has been happening since his statement. Townsend posted his comment on Facebook on May 26th. Six days later, Congresswoman Hayworth put out a statement, also on Facebook, calling the resulting outcry a “manufactured controversy.”
This is a manufactured controversy by a campaign operation that has, for months, hurled offensive rhetoric and imagery at Nan Hayworth on various Facebook pages, including the one mentioned today. It is a matter of public record that the moderator of the page in question, while purporting to represent an objective point of view, is on the payroll of the Becker campaign.
Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Hold up. So, you’re blaming your opponent’s campaign for your spokesperson threatening to burn women’s faces with acid and you’re wondering why people are upset? You really don’t see that they had an incredibly valid reason for being pissed; that all the evidence was there, and didn’t need any ginning up to seem outrageous? Is that what you thought? You’re a United States Congresswoman. Really?!?!
Two days after that, Townsend chose to resign. Note: He was NOT fired. He resigned. To be clear- he threatened to throw acid at women, and the woman he worked for chose not to fire him. Just to be clear. His announcement of his resignation, (say it with me!) over Facebook, still managed to make the whole thing worse.
It was stupid because my words were easily misconstrued; thoughtless because my choice of words obscured a point I was trying to make, and insensitive because some have interpreted the comment as advocating a violent act.
I’m sorry; your words were “misconstrued”?!? “Obscured”?!? Wrongly “interpreted” by “some” to be “advocating a violent act”?!?
Please! Tell me what is it exactly about “Let’s hurl some acid at those female Democratic Senators,” that I misinterpreted as advocating violence.
Please. Really. I’d love to see you try.
Rep. Nan Hayworth can be contacted through her Facebook page, her website, or at her office, at 202-225-5441.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
Amplify has the stories you need to hear! With so many great contributors from all over the world, you definitely don’t want you to miss out on the top insightful and informative stories of the week. Check in each week for a list of must-read posts. Whether it’s a national story or a individual experience, these are the issues you care about!
May 20- May 26
Stats this week: 13 posts by 12 writers
Pieces of Me: Gay in the Rio Grand Valley- by JamesMLee
Inside this post:
I knew from a very early age I was gay. When I entered elementary, things became very clear to me. I wanted to hold other boys’ hands, I would give them flowers instead of punches, something felt different. At first, I think some adults were amused by this, although as time went on, I noticed a change in their reactions toward me, it was then I first realized I couldn’t "behave" that way.
“Toning It Down” Isn’t A Solution- by Amplify_Staff
Inside this post:
Ten reports of bullying, a group assault on one young person, and the result is that young person is expelled. No penalties for the bullies – they ran off while school police arrested Darnell.
Media Justice and Privacy? May It Exist?- by Media_Justice
Inside this post:
Women of Color’s bodies are always on display in various ways. The messages this sends is that folks have the right and privilege to speak on, examine, watch, and follow us. We are socialized into thinking this is okay because it is “normal” to do without really examining what it does to women and girls of Color. And when we speak on and up about our privacy, about this hyper-visibility and display we are not taken seriously, ignored, erased, and targeted for other forms of violence (i.e. name calling, defamation, threats, intimidation, and physical violence).
Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!
~ Samantha
Community Editor
—————————————–
My post this week: Abstinence-Only Programs and Rape Culture: A Cartoon
If you feel like you’ve heard this message before, it was probably part of an abstinence-only program. These inaccurate, misleading programs use shame, intimidation, and fear to try to convince young people that sex, sexuality, and sensuality are dangerous. Similar to the cultural messages that tell women not to get raped instead of telling men not to rape, these messages rely on the belief that male sexuality is so strong and inevitable that it is out of their control and that female sexuality, which is not as essential, needs to be guarded. Further, these beliefs assume that there are certain rules of conduct that women must adhere to in order to protect themselves from unrestrained, male sexual aggression; rules that if they don’t follow to a tee, others could socially and legally presume that they got what they “wanted” or “asked for.”
In the cartoon, a baby says a word they don’t really understand and dances to a song by wiggling her butt. And the mother’s right- it’s adorable. In the third frame, the mother gives her teenage daughter a short skirt. By this age, the daughter obviously feels comfortable with her body, evidenced by her short top and shorts. In a culture that constantly tells girls that they should feel bad about their bodies, however they look and however healthy they are, it’s actually a good sign that this teen appears to enjoy her body the way it is and seems to have no shame in it. Brava.
The fourth frame, showing an unintended pregnancy- judging by her bowed head, lowered eyes, and frown- curiously depicts the mother brought to her knees in tears, asking, “Where did I go wrong?” I say curiously because the only clues we are given about their mother/daughter interaction involve a cute baby or toddler and a teenager receiving a short skirt. None of these have anything to do with an unplanned pregnancy.
Unless of course you believe what you were taught in an abstinence-only program.
The fourth frame implies that women who swear, shake their butts when they dance, and wear short clothing are in some way responsible for becoming impregnated because of these things. If you believe this, you must also believe that girls who don’t swear, don’t move while dancing, and don’t show “too much” of their skin would have somehow avoided this. The “logic” in this way of thinking depends on the belief that the difference between sex leading to pregnancy and no sexual activity is what the girl or woman is wearing and how she acts.
This line of thinking completely ignores and rejects the actions that actually have an impact on sexual activity and pregnancy. First, I have to question why all the “blame” is put on the mother. She’s not the one experiencing an unintended pregnancy. This is not at all to say that the daughter should be “blamed,” but that blaming the mother assumes that her daughter was incapable of controlling her sexual desires and urges and unable to use some form of contraception. Why is there this assumption? I believe it has to do with the irrational fear that many adults (particularly parents) have that teen sexuality is uncontrollable and inherently dangerous. The cartoon assumes that because her mother let her swear, dance, and wear short skirts, what else could have possibly happened but an unintended pregnancy? It assumes that the daughter is a mindless being who doesn’t know how to make her own decisions about her body and her sexuality. If mothers want to help their daughters avoid unintended pregnancy, they first have to realize and respect that their daughters are capable of making personal, sexual choices.
Second, there is no mention whatsoever in the cartoon of any form of sexual education. A medically accurate, fact-based, comprehensive sexual education would provide this teenager with all the information, tools, skills, and confidence to make informed decisions about her sexual expression and activity. These fact-based classes, which rely on science and reality rather than myths and assumptions, have been proven to be more effective at reducing incidences of unintended pregnancy. Studies of abstinence-only programs, on the other hand, have repeatedly proven their short-comings and failures.
In the cartoon, the mother asks herself, “Where did I go wrong?” The answer is certainly not in short skirts. What she should be asking herself is: Why didn’t we talk about sex? Why wasn’t I sure that she was using a reliable method of birth control? Why didn’t she know about the morning-after pill? Why did she feel that being sexually active was so taboo that she couldn’t talk to me about it?
Swearing, dancing, and short skirts do not cause pregnancy. Things that actually lead to unintended pregnancies include not having: knowledge of how pregnancy happens, information on how various methods of contraception work to prevent pregnancy, skills in talking about relationship dynamics, free and safe access to birth control, and a safe, respectful environment in which enthusiastic consent is continually asked for and given.
The mother in the cartoon ignores and rejects all of these things. This is dangerous because it perpetuates the myths that young women must protect themselves from men by strictly following someone else’s sexist rules. Worse, while these rules portend to give a woman control and power, they end up taking power away from her by insinuating that even if she had factual knowledge of pregnancy and birth control, her choice to wear a short skirt matters more. That regardless of what she knows, it’s how others choose to, and are culturally taught to, react to what she’s wearing that makes the difference. Basically, she either follows her own rules and gets raped, or she gives up her rights to decide for herself and hopes to not get raped regardless.
I’d rather choose what to do with my own body and expect that the men around me are not brutish animals, but rather respectful human beings who understand that my voice matters more than my skirt.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
Amplify has the stories you need to hear! With so many great contributors from all over the world, you definitely don’t want you to miss out on the top insightful and informative stories of the week. Check in each week for a list of must-read posts. Whether it’s a national story or a individual experience, these are the issues you care about!
April 29- May 5
Stats this week: 55 blogs by 31 writers
Top Five Ways to Support Young Activists: Lessons from the “Heart of It All”- by ashthom
Inside this post:
I am not going to lie – in doing the work that I do, I get tired. It is grueling at times, and I get a little sick of older people telling me my generation is apathetic. That’s why it was so refreshing to see two of the most prominent women in the United States praise something that passionate young people organized.
Risk of Negligence- by peepee
Inside this post:
HIV positive youth come from all different backgrounds; however recent studies show that 75 percent of HIV positive teens (13 to 19 years old) were African, even though only 17 percent of all young people are Africans. Unlike young men, the vast majority of young women get HIV through heterosexual sex (sex between a male and female), because Young women are especially vulnerable.
Republicans Further Demonstrate Inability to Address Sexual Health: VAWA edition- by ashthom
Inside this post:
Republicans simply do not support the types of services and policies necessary to prevent violence. Instead they stick their heads in the sand to avoid addressing the root causes of violence, because it causes them to question their privilege and beliefs.
Unconditional- by cavve_sol
Inside this post:
So, I’ve been volunteering as an Abortion Doula for the past few months, and it’s really been amazing. The womyn I meet, the stories we share with each other, the tears that pass, the hands held in the brightly lit sterile room… I’ve also been battling just as long it seems with others in my life about the supposedly horrible thing I am doing, the kind of work I am dedicating myself to.
Taking Action Across Texas- by Garrett Mize
Inside this post:
We had approximately 30 young people attended each training. They learned extensive information on grassroots organizing and civic engagement. In particular they learned tactics like voter registration, block-walking (canvassing) and phone-banking. Each of our student chapters will be using these skills through the next semester to register thousands of students across Texas to vote.
New Action Alert: Tell the Obama Administration to Stop Endorsing a Sexist and Homophobic Curriculum- by Amplify_Staff
Inside this post:
President Obama has said he is working toward women’s equality and ending sexism. He has shown his support for contraception as a part of basic health care. And he has spoken out against homophobia and bullying of LGBT students. Yet the Administration has allowed Heritage Keepers onto a short list of HHS-approved programs, in direct contradiction of those principles.
The Church, Privacy and Individual Freedoms- by Ricaadoe
Inside this post:
I believe this is a dangerous standard by which to determine how society progresses or evolves, since scripture itself cannot evolve, it is static. [...] As society’s understanding of human attitudes, relations and needs evolve, there will arise a need for renewal and change. Where the church opposes this, the state must assert itself as the proper guardian of the liberties of all citizens.
Looking Back on Spring 2012- by kenzie
Inside this post:
We set up our table with a cardboard cutout of Rick Perry, our current governor and the second largest support of failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs (George W. Bush is still #1 though!) so that students could write him a message and stick it to him, literally, with a sticky note.
Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!
~ Samantha
Community Editor
—————————————————-
Blogs I wrote this week:
The Female Body in YA Fiction
In Context: Criticisms of the SlutWalk Movement (trigger warning)
Think of the Children!
Republican Policies on Rape, Incest, and Abortion
Today is the last day of classes, and of course I’m happy to be done with classes (currently pretending there are no finals) but I’m also thinking back to everything we’ve done this semester! This was my fourth semester as president of the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter, a non-partisan student organization that aims supports religious freedoms, civil liberties, and strong public schools. Here’s a group picture from one of our meetings, aren’t we just the cutest activsts you ever saw? I know we are 
I’ve summed up most of our events with a few highlights and pictures below, and I know that more than anything it’s been an incredible semester and I can’t wait to come back in the Fall!
Party with Darwin!
This was our first event of the semester, which consisted of two parts: 1) celebrating Darwin’s birthday by eating cake (of course!) and watching Kansas vs. Darwin, and 2) some good old fashioned craftivism where we turned plain old condoms in to condom roses for our Valentine’s Day condom distribution and petition drive! We had a great turnout, just over 40 students came to hang out and many signed up for our Valentine’s Day event too!
One of our birthday cakes for Dawin’s birthday! Not only was it adorable (thanks to our officers), but it was also delicious and vegan!
Some student chapter members creating condom roses by wrapping red cellophane around a condom, securing with tape, and then adding a green pipecleaner! Instant romance!
Our super adorable outreach coordinator, Julian Villarreal, posing with a heart made of condom roses! What a beautiful sight!
Valentine’s Day Petition Drive and Condom Distribution
We know Valentine’s Day is the day of loooooove and often the day of looooooove making, so we wanted to make sure our peers had the condoms they needed to get it on (if they choose to!) and also used the opportunity to collect petition signatures in support of medically accurate, comprehensive sex education! We collected over 200 petitions and mobilized 18 students to volunteer with us! This is an annual tradition for us, and always tons of fun
Getting some signatures! We had tons of condoms that we crafted to look like roses (that’s whtat you see on the table) which students loved, we distributed every condom we brought with us AND collected over 200 petition signatures!
Students for Birth Control Rally with Cecile Richards
We were lucky to partner with University Democrats, Planned Parenthood of Austin, and Voices for Reproductive Justice to hold a rally in support of contaceptive access. Even better? Cecile Richards, the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and founder of the Texas Freedom Network, came as a guest speaker and I got to introduce her after my rally speech! I was absolutely terrified to speak in front of almost 200 people and tons of news cameras, but it was a great experience and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
The crowd beginning to gather outside of our tent. Even the rain couldn’t keep these young activitsts away! Planned Parenthood supplied the rally with cool activist signs from their Women Are Watching campaign, which many of us now have hanging up as art in our rooms!
Cecile Richards (YES!), our events coordinator Carisa Lopez, and myself after all of our rally speakers finished! Those are three very big smiles, we just couldn’t help ourselves after the heartwarming support from so many UT students!
Stand Up for Sex Ed: In-District Lobby Day
A small group of activists dedicated their Wednesday afternoon to talk to our representatives about why comprehensive sex education is important and how they can help to make comprehensive sex ed a reality for Texas students. First we gathered at the office where I facilitated a quick lobby day training, then headed to the Capitol. We met with State Senator Kirk Watson’s office and State Representative Elliott Naishtat’s office, who were both very supportive and gave us some great insight about who else we should target.
It was a windy day at the Texas Capitol, which made posing for pictures a little difficult but just even more fun! Here a few of our young lobbyists pose in front of the Capitol after a successful meeting with Senator Watson’s office!
Forty Acres Fest
Forty Acres Fest is a UT tradition where student organizations are invited to table in a carnival-like area with countless fun activities, live music, free food, games, and moonwalks! It was a great opportunity to reach out to new students we haven’t worked with before, and it was tons of fun! We set up our table with a cardboard cutout of Rick Perry, our current governor and the second largest support of failed abstinence-only-until-marriage programs (George W. Bush is still #1 though!) so that students could write him a message and stick it to him, literally, with a sticky note. In addition to our fabulous Perry cutout, we also collected petition signatures and signed up new students!
Everyone loved the Rick Perry cutout!
A student writes his message to Rick Perry, clearly further evidence that expecting abstinence until marriage is not realistic!
Leadership Development Institute
Last, but certainly not least, we tied together the semester with a civic engagement training hosted by the Texas Freedom Network to get everyone ready for voter registration and elections in the fall! We’re now full trainined in voter registration drives, voter pledge cards, phone banking, block walking, State Board of Education issues, and already have an outline of events for next semester!
Getting settled in to our seats and ready to learn! How much coffee does it take to get 35 college students to pay attention early on a Sunday morning? LOTS. OF. COFFEE!
Some hilarious block walking role play! Good for a laugh and even a few teachable moments!
The semester is over, but we’ve only begun planning for next semester! Stay tuned for updates and have a safe summer
Hi All- We just sent this action alert about the Obama administration’s decision to officially endorse an abstinence-only-until-marriage program. See the message below…if you have a minute today, click here to take action.
Want to read more about this news? Read our analysis on RH Reality Check.
—
Dear Advocate-
"Everything is just as you have seen it in a million daydreams…The flowers you spent so much time choosing fill the room like soft perfume. Your true love stands at the front. You are ready to trust him with all that you have and all that you are."
The above is not an excerpt from a cheesy romance novel. It’s from an abstinence-only-until-marriage program called Heritage Keepers.
Like most abstinence-only programs, Heritage Keepers:
And now Heritage Keepers has been included on a very short list of HHS-approved programs eligible for implementation with federal funds by Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative grantees.
Heritage Keepers has been assessed at least twice previously and found to be ineffective. Whether the data exist to support the program’s effectiveness is still in question, but the egregious content of the program is crystal clear.
President Obama has said he is working toward women’s equality and ending sexism. He has shown his support for contraception as a part of basic health care. And he has spoken out against homophobia and bullying of LGBT students. Yet the Administration has allowed Heritage Keepers onto a short list of HHS-approved programs, in direct contradiction of those principles.
The Administration’s hypocrisy must end. Students should be given information and skills they can use, not be instructed to fantasize about their dream weddings.
Sincerely,
Deb Hauser
President
Advocates for Youth
P.S. Click here to see how these lessons play out in a classroom that might include LGBT students.
Garrett Mize is the Youth Advocacy Coordinator at the Texas Freedom Network and heads up the Texas Student Leadership Council, a part of Advocates for Youth’s Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.
Summer is so close, you can almost feel it. At least you can certainly feel the heat of the summer sun here in Texas. Summer means one thing – another semester is coming to an end. It has been an amazing semester in Texas for our Cultural Advocacy Mobilization Initiative (CAMI) youth leaders. Each of them lead a Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter on their campus and they have accomplished a great deal to support comprehensive sex education and equality.
In-District Lobby Days
The Texas Legislature meets every other year. Last year we brought 75 young people to the Capitol from across the state to lobby for comprehensive sex ed. But in an off-session year, what is a statewide youth movement to do? We coordinated a statewide, in-district lobby week for our student chapters. In each city, our students set up visits and met with the legislative staff of their state representatives and state senators to convey one message: support comprehensive sex ed! We’re proud to say that 27 young people participated in in-district lobbying and we know that this will help keep the issue of comprehensive sex ed legislators’ minds until next session.
School Health Advisory Councils
While many of our CAMI leaders serve on their School Health Advisory Councils (SHAC), which are voluntary groups that advise local school districts on what approach to take regarding sex ed, one CAMI leader in particular had immense success. Olac Fuentes joined the El Paso Independent School District SHAC and eventually began serving on the teen pregnancy prevention committee. On the committee, he helped to guide his fellow members to support comprehensive sex ed curriculum and abandon ineffective abstinence-only programs currently being used by the district. The committee took the recommendation to the full SHAC, and with Olac’s help, the recommendation was approved! We are currently waiting on the EPISD board of trustees to approve the recommendation but it is likely that they will. Way to go Olac! A great example of local advocacy at its finest.
University of Houston Let’s Talk About Sex Screening
Our Student Chapter at the University of Houston (UH), led by CAMI member James Lee, recently hosted a screening of Let’s Talk About Sex on their campus with a panel discussion afterward. The event was well attended and even received coverage by the school newspaper. The students’ favorite part of the film was when the attitudes of American youth were compared to the attitudes of youth in the Netherlands.
Leadership Development Institutes
This semester we hosted three Leadership Development Institute (LDI) trainings, at the University of Texas at Brownsville, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas at El Paso. We had approximately 30 young people attended each training. They learned extensive information on grassroots organizing and civic engagement. In particular they learned tactics like voter registration, block-walking (canvassing) and phone-banking. Each of our student chapters will be using these skills through the next semester to register thousands of students across Texas to vote. In 2010, Texas ranked dead last – 50th – in voter turnout. And in most major urban areas, less than 1 out of 5 young people voted. The voice of young people needs to be heard in order to raise the issue of sex ed in political discourse. In particular, our student chapters will be educating students about the State Board of Education and their power to create curriculum standards and adopt textbooks for Texas’ nearly 4.8 million public school students. The state of sex ed is so bad in Texas that currently the word “condom” is not even mentioned a single time in any of the three major health textbooks. It’s time for that to change.
White House Young American Series
Recently some of our student chapter leaders participated in the White House Young American Series with Ronnie Cho, the President of the United States’ Liaison to Young Americans. This town hall event was meant to explore the issues that young people care about. UH CAMI leader James Lee was in attendance and brought attention to the need for comprehensive sex ed. TFN Student Chapter members from UT Austin also attended, and the TFN Student Chapter at UT San Antonio participated online.
Kiss for Equality
The fight for equal domestic partnerships for faculty and staff has been an ongoing campaign at the University of Houston for some time. Currently our Student Chapter President James Lee is leading an effort to keep this issue relevant to decisions makers on campus. James organized an awareness event with hundreds of young people on Valentine’s Day. His student organization made rally signs supporting equal domestic partner benefits and they hosted a “kiss in” – a flash mob of sorts where hundreds of diverse couples were encouraged to kiss at the same time to demonstrate their support. It received front-page attention from the campus newspaper and has helped keep the conversation about equality strong in Houston.
As you can see, it is has been a busy semester for us in Texas, but there is still plenty of work to be done!
It’s April and little known to people, which is unfortunate, is that it’s National STD Awareness Month. A time to learn about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, how to stay safe from them, and what to look out for if you think you’ve come into contact.
There are over 19 million cases a year of new STD infections with almost half of them being below the age of 26. The numbers are staggering and quite troubling if you really think about it. In fact, in a study done by the Centers for Disease Control, it was found that one in four women that were tested between the ages of 14 and 19 had one or more STDs and a lot of them didn’t even know it.
This raises questions about what we’re doing wrong. Is it the parents’ fault? Is it the education system and our government that is to blame? Or is it simply our move-fast hookup culture that we are currently living in that is the heart of the problem? I say it’s all of the above.
Abstinence-only education is definitely not a suitable way to teach our young ones how to protect themselves, although I think it is important. Parents need to be more involved that’s for sure. And they need to instill their values as well. Although I’m sure most do. That brings us to our culture that we have developed over the years. It’s fast paced and rewards risky behaviour instead of punishing it. Sometimes it’s good to just take it slow. Ya know what I mean…
So this April let’s all take it a little slower and let’s all get tested. You can learn more about testing here.
On Thursday, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, facing a re-call election set for this summer, signed a bill passed down party lines by Republicans to repeal the 2009 Equal Pay Enforcement Act. Yes- he decided to make it harder for women being paid an unequal amount to press charges against their employers. Apparently he and the Republicans in the state legislature believe that women don’t deserve to be paid as much as men. The repeal, supported by several major business associations, such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin Restaurant association, reverses an employee’s ability to “plead their cases in the less costly, more accessible state court system,” and instead forces them to go before a federal court.
Reading about this, I asked myself: “Don’t we have federal legislation protecting an employee’s right to equal pay? How does this law comply with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?” What I learned was that the Ledbetter Act deals with revising the statute of limitations on when an employee can sue for unequal pay; it doesn’t deal with the process of how they do that. What it does say is that you can sue for unequal pay within 180 days of your most recent paycheck, extending the previous limitation of 180 days from your first discriminatory paycheck.
Glenn Grothman, a Wisconsin state senator and “major driver of the repeal,” believes that “a huge number of the discrimination claims are baseless,” even though the 2009 law offered such confident protection to employees that zero lawsuits were filed against employers during the two years the law was in effect. Faced with the realities of the wage gap, though- which in Wisconsin is 78:100- Grothman explains the discrepancy as a difference in priorities and a different sense of urgency between men and women; not as discrimination.
During a recent interview, he referred to work done by Ann Coulter, which he claimed showed that the wage gap only effects married women. Even knowing this isn’t true, it’s problematic because it supports the assumption that married women, who are presumed to have children, obviously have better things to worry about than finances. This theory, however, was debunked by a 2007 study by the American Association of University Women.
“After accounting for college major, occupation, industry, sector, hours worked, workplace flexibility, experience, educational attainment, enrollment status, GPA, institution selectivity, age, race/ethnicity, region, marital status, and number of children, a 5 percent difference in the earnings of male and female college graduates one year after graduation was still unexplained,” it said. After 10 years in the workforce, there’s an unexplained 12 percent gap.
When asked for his response to such studies, Grothman dismissed the American Association of University Women as “a pretty liberal group,” and claimed that they overlooked things like “goals in life,” saying, “You could argue that money is more important for men.”
Saying that money is more important for men is like saying that paying the rent, buying food, and covering medical bills isn’t as important to women. It also plays to the stereotype that women want or need men who can fully support them financially, freeing them to do the un-paid “women’s work” like laundry, dishes, and childcare that they really wish they could do even more of.
Sarah Finger, executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, says that the new law is a “women’s health issue.”
"The salary women are paid directly affects the type and frequency of health care services they are able to access. At a time when women’s health services are becoming more expensive and harder to obtain, financial stability is essential to maintain steady access."
She makes an apt point, especially considering the long list of recent legislative attacks on Wisconsin women. This includes the defunding of Planned Parenthood, mandatory counseling sessions for those seeking an abortion, a ban on private health insurance coverage for abortion, abstinence-only programs that cannot include information on contraceptives, and a personhood amendment, each proposed or passed within the last year.
Kathleen Falk, a former Dane County executive and one of two Democratic frontrunners in the Governor’s re-call election, says that as a working mother, she understands the importance of economic stability for women.
"As a woman and as a mother who worked full-time while raising my son, I know first-hand how important pay equity and health care are to women across Wisconsin,"
According to her website, Ms. Falk “has been recognized for her three decades of public service and has received dozens of awards and recognitions” from various groups such as women’s organizations, LGBT and equality advocates, and domestic violence support groups. Her statement reminded me of another Wisconsin news story I heard about a month ago. It features our sexist friend, Glenn Grothman, co-sponsoring a bill with Rep. Donald Pridemore that would associate single parenthood with child abuse.
The bill says a child being raised by a single mother could be considered living in an abusive situation…It would mandate the state Child Abuse Prevention Board conduct public awareness campaigns emphasizing that single parenthood is a leading cause of child abuse.
While being interviewed about the validity of the bill, Grothman spoke of his own research (without citing sources) that claimed an outrageous connection to sexual abuse.
"A child is 20 times more likely to be sexually abused if they are raised by say, a mother and a boyfriend, than their mother and father," Grothman said
He also voiced a conspiracy theory last summer that single motherhood was all part of the liberal agenda.
The Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government,”
That makes no damn sense. And what a slap in the face to the single mothers of Wisconsin, who incidentally, make up one-third of parents raising children in the state. This Republican war on women is despicable. In Wisconsin, women are at a disadvantage to fight workplace discrimination, to get comprehensive sex education, to secure access to prescription medication and medical procedures, and to be given a level of respect as people and as parents, whether married or single. When will it end??
What makes it worse is that the Republicans won’t even acknowledge that what they’re doing is abusive. The Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus, recently said in an interview on “Political Capital with Al Hunt” that the war on women was as fictional as claiming we were having a “war on caterpillars.” Nice to know he’s taking this seriously.
In contrast, the Obama re-election campaign has spoken out strongly against these attacks. Responding to Chairman Priebus’ caterpillar comment, Obama’s Deputy Campaign Manager said that this was yet another example of why women can’t trust Republicans to protect their rights.
“Reince Priebus’ comparison of Republican attempts to limit women’s access to mammograms, cervical cancer screenings, and contraception to a ‘war on caterpillars’ shows how little regard leading Republicans, including Mitt Romney, have for women’s health. … Reince Priebus’ comments today only reinforce why women simply cannot trust Mitt Romney or other leading Republicans to stand up for them.”
And, in response to the repeal of the Equal Pay Enforcement Act, a campaign spokesperson called on Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who has supported Governor Scott Walker, to tell the women of Wisconsin whether he agrees with the repeal.
"As he campaigned across Wisconsin, Mitt Romney repeatedly praised Governor Scott Walker’s leadership, calling him a ‘hero’ and ‘a man of courage,’" she said. "But with his signing yesterday of a bill make it harder for women to enforce in court their right to equal pay, Walker showed how far Republicans are willing to go to undermine not only women’s health care, but also their economic security. Does Romney think women should have ability to take their bosses to court to get the same pay as their male coworkers? Or does he stand with Governor Walker against this?"
The people of Wisconsin stood up at this time last year to fight against the Republican effort to restrict the rights of unionized workers, and in doing so they inspired the entire country. Considering the extreme attacks they are now pushing through against women, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the people of Wisconsin put up another great fight.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
I am surprised. Maybe I shouldn’t be, but–no wait- I should be shocked that a Governor easily said, in the presence of other women and with a TV audience of mostly women on Tuesday‘s episode of The View, that “Women don’t care about contraception.“ When I first saw a graphic from MoveOn.org showing the quote on a picture on South Carolina’s Republican Governor, Nikki Haley, I thought it must be fake, even though the quote was cited. She’s a woman! How could she legitimately not know that other women care about being able to manage when and if they have children? It’s impossible. For some reason, she’s lying. And while it’s an obviously false lie, we’re hearing it all the time.
Near the end of the segment, Elizabeth Hasselbeck asked Gov. Haley a great question.
A lot of the time people associate women’s rights with liberals, right, and not Republican women. So how do you say, yes, I- we are here representing women, I am working right now for government. How do you put that out there in terms of Republicans versus liberals?
And considering that the question led off of Governor Haley speaking about being able to represent the needs of women and encouraging women to run…
That’s part of what happens, but it’s also why women need to get involved in office. It’s why we need real people running for office, because we need to make sure we’re getting our experiences out, and we’re telling our story, and in the book, you hear, ‘Yes, I went through a lot of challenges, but we overcame them.’ What a blessed country we are that we can now do that and that my parents can now see this happen.”
…it’s mind-boggling that her answer to Hasselbeck’s question would include something so outrageously false as “Women don’t care about contraception.“
Nikki Haley: All of my policy is not based on a label, it’s based on what I lived and what I know. Women don’t care about contraception. They care about jobs and the economy and raising their family and all those things.Joy Behar: Women care about contraception, too!
Nikki Haley: But that’s not the only thing they care about. The media wants to talk about contraception.
Joy Behar: Well, when Rick Santorum says he’s going to take it away, we care!
Nikki Haley: Well…while we care about contraception, let’s be clear. All we’re saying is we don’t want government to mandate when we have to have it and when we don’t. We want to be able to make that decision. We don’t need the government making that decision for us.
Okay now I’m really confused. I’m also amazed at how, not just out-of-touch, but all over the map her response is. Haley says that her policy positions are influenced by her experience, and, making the easy assumption that she is part of the 99% of women who have used contraception, using and needing contraception is a part of her experience. So, given her (highly likely) personal experience, how can she say that having access to contraception isn’t a big deal for women?
And then, as rote, she blames the media. She’s right that there is a lot of media coverage on reproductive health issues, but she’s acting as if it’s strange that that would be the case. The attacks on birth control and abortion are extreme measures. Creating restrictions and institutional shame around reproductive health issues cause extreme consequences for women. So why wouldn’t the media pay attention to this? Why would Gov. Haley think that the media was doing something suspicious or uncalled for by reporting on stories that greatly effect the wide majority of women and girls?
Then she tries to claim that the conversation or debate we’re having about contraception is about the government forcing women to use contraception and the government telling women that they can only use contraception at certain points in their lives. How did she even come up with that? Neither of those ideas are being questioned at all! How is it possible that she actually thinks that that’s what all the fighting is about? It just can’t be the case. She tries to say that “big government” is bad, yet, in truth, Republicans rely on expanding government into the personal lives, and uteruses, of women.
She finishes by trying to circle back to the idea that women do want to manage their fertility and that they deserve to and are capable of managing their fertility without government intrusion. And while I agree, isn’t it an empty sentiment coming from someone who thinks that “women don’t care about contraception,” that attacks on contraception aren’t newsworthy, and that the actual problem is the government trying to force more women to use contraception?
Even though Nikki Haley is a woman who has presumably used contraception, she has chosen to present herself as someone who dismisses the thought that contraception is of any priority to women. To me, this is problematic beyond the extent that it displays how out-of-touch she is. The most problematic part is that in dismissing the issue, she is dismissing the 99% of women who rely on birth control and the significant percentage of those women who have difficulty in accessing the method of birth control that will be most effective and convenient for them.
Gov. Nikki Haley may never have had a problem with accessing contraception, so for her, working through the barriers may have never been an issue that needed to be a priority. But for the women who don’t have health insurance, who don’t regularly see a gynecologist, who cannot afford the full price of their preferred method, or who are young women who don’t have experience seeking reproductive health care and may be limited by abstinence-only programs, Gov. Haley’s claim that “women don’t care about contraception” is extremely dismissive of women who are forced to prioritize how and where to get contraception.
Women care about contraception. Women obviously care about contraception. The outrage across the country against the attacks on women’s health care prove this point. I can’t believe I’m actually in a position where I have to say that women do in fact care about reproductive rights. I am done with conservatives, regardless of gender, lying about what’s important to women’s health, assuming they know better than I do about my own body.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
Editor’s Note: This blog is part of the HERvotes blog carnival.
This week is the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act and next week the Supreme Court will hear arguments from some states who are essentially trying to overturn the law for a variety of reasons.
While the Affordable Care Act is nowhere near perfect and in fact does some crappy things (sets us back on abortion and funds abstinence-only sex education programs to states for five years), there are quite a few positive advances for young people which we have listed below.
1. Young people can stay on their parent’s health insurance until their 26th birthday.
When the healthcare bill passed, young people were the largest group of the uninsured. In these economic times, not only has it been difficult for people (especially young people) to find jobs, but jobs that include health insurance. Being able to stay on your parent’s health insurance just makes sense. New data has shown that nearly one million young people have gained health insurance thanks to this provision.
2. Minors can’t be denied insurance coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Because of the new healthcare bill, minors cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. This is great news for young people who have everything from asthma to HIV.
3. No co-pays for birth control.
In the year 2012, you’d think access to birth control wouldn’t be a big deal…but it is. Not all health plans cover contraception and even if they do, sometimes co-pays are too high to make contraception accessible. In fact, one study showed that more than half of young women experienced a time when they could not afford to use their birth control consistently.
Well, this is about to get better. Starting in August, plans will be required to not only cover contraception, but cover it with no co-pay. One exemption exists for houses of worship who oppose contraception. For religious-based organizations who oppose birth control, they are able to apply for a one-year waiver from the rule, meaning they would not have to comply until August 2013 and then the health insurance company covers the actual cost of the contraception. For groups that are self-insured, those rules are still being discussed.
And as we heard on Friday, this rule also applies to student health plans (yay!), some of which currently do not cover birth control. Student activists from across the country like Sandra Fluke and you have been fighting for a LONG time for this victory. Like with the employer plans, religious-affiliated universities may apply for a one-year waiver, but by August 2013, student health plans will also have to cover contraception making access one step closer to reality for young women trying to focus on their education. Check out other protections to student health plans that were also just announced by clicking here.
Let’s face it. Birth control can be expensive. If women, including young women, want to make the responsible decision to use contraception to prevent and unintended pregnancy, they should be able to access the services they need to do so.
These are just a few gains brought to us by the new healthcare law that have been implemented or will go into effect soon, but there is more to come…
1. No one will be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions.
Whether it’s diabetes, cancer, pregnancy or domestic violence (I’m not even lying. Women have been denied coverage because they are survivors of domestic violence or are pregnant), starting in 2014, no one will be denied access to insurance coverage because of any pre-existing condition.
2. Medicaid expanded!
In order to make sure more people have access to healthcare, in 2014, Medicaid will be expanded to include all Americans who make less than 133% of the poverty level (about $14,000 for individuals and $29,000 for a family of four). This is a HUGE deal for young people and young families who previously have had a hard time accessing healthcare. I know this is especially important for women (like some of my friends) who have become pregnant, had access to Medicaid during their pregnancy, and then were kicked off weeks after delivering their baby.
3. Women can’t be charged more…for being women.
Believe it or not, there are still cases where men and women pay different prices for the same health insurance…and women are paying MORE (Equality, what?). Because of the new healthcare law, insurance companies cannot charge higher rates based on gender. While this also doesn’t come into effect until 2014, it’s a huge gain that honestly, should have happened years ago.
Like I mentioned before, there is a lot to the new healthcare law, but these are just a few of the good things we’ve gained because of it. And while it clearly isn’t perfect, it’s certainly not something to overturn and take away all these advances that benefit young people.
For those who oppose the entire law, it’s probably a good idea to ask them where they stand on these issues, and if they really want them all to go away.
As more of the law is implemented, we’ll be sure to keep you updated!
To learn more about the new healthcare law and additional benefits for women, check out the HERvotes blog carnival.
Each week, I’ll be posting a list of the most news-worthy and/or inspirational, informative, well-written, thought-provoking, and/or unique posts of the week. While every post and every contributor is valuable to our community, these are the blogs that I feel are must-reads.
March 11- March 17
Stats this week: 52 posts by 30 writers
No Te Metas Con Las Mujeres De Tejas/ Don’t Mess With Texas Women- by abril_flowers
Inside this post:
I hoped to rely on resources like Planned Parenthood but Perry decided to select few resources to fund for women’s health services. Planned Parenthood is not one of them.
My advice to activists considering public health graduate programs- by ashthom
Inside this post:
There is a big difference between working to implement policies that impact health and implementing programs that impact health. Find what you like. Both are important and have an impact on the health and lives of people, but the skills and personality needed to do each type of work are different.
Wisconsin escalates its war on sex education- by AFY_EmilyB
Inside this post:
But while the new law isn’t a surprise, it’s certainly a disappointment. The removal of instruction about contraception is bad. But calling abstinence "the only reliable" means of prevention is simply a lie.
BCSSH Sex Files #19: The One-Stop Guide to Women’s Health Care Reform- by bcssh
Inside this post:
Since it can be difficult even for us to keep up with the sudden bustle of Congressional activity, we’ve broken down the top three benchmarks in the women’s health debate, as well as a few ways that you can get involved to stand up for your rights and health.
Stupid Stuff State Legislatures Are Doing, and The Awesome Responses They Get- by nikki_liz
Inside this post:
In Arizona, SB1359 would allow doctors who personally oppose abortion to – well, not exactly lie – but withhold medical information from pregnant women if they think that information might lead to the woman considering abortion.
INTERVIEW: Rachel Lloyd, Founder of Girls Educational & Mentoring Services- by Amplify_Staff
Inside this post:
I believe that there are a handful of adult women in the commercial sex industry for whom it may be an employment choice among other employment choices. I can’t speak for them or their experiences. However for millions of girls and women, (and boys and transgender youth) around the world, it’s less about choice than it is about lack of choice.
The Violence Against Women Act; It Shouldn’t Be Controversial- by nikki_liz
Inside this post:
…many in Congress who oppose the Violence Against Women Act are saying that domestic violence in immigrant and LGBT communities is not a big deal, and these provisions are just attempts to give more rights to immigrants and to those identifying as LGBT. However, these expansions are responses to the National Coalition of Anti Violence Programs’ 2010 report,…
BREAKING: Utah governor vetoes abstinence-only bill- by AFY_EmilyB
Inside this post:
The new bill would have taken Utah from "sex education which discusses condoms and contraception but emphasizes abstinence" to "sex education which may not even broach the topic of contraception." It would be a change from "lots of moralizing with your info" to "no info."
Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!
~ Samantha
Community Editor
In unexpected good news, Utah governor Gary Herbert has vetoed the abstinence-only bill recently passed by the state’s legislature.
Herbert has said he vetoed the bill because it requires that parents be given fewer options for their children’s education, and because most Utah parents currently allow their children to take sex education classes:
"If HB 363 were to become law, parents would no longer have the option the overwhelming majority is currently choosing for their children. I am unwilling to conclude that the state knows better than Utah’s parents as to what is best for their children," he said.
"In order for parents to take on more responsibility, they need more information, more involvement, and more choice—not less. I cannot sign a bill that deprives parents of their choice," he added.
This is good news out of Utah, whose state law around sex ed already contains restrictions and moral prescriptions. The new bill would have taken Utah from "sex education which discusses condoms and contraception but emphasizes abstinence" to "sex education which may not even broach the topic of contraception." It would be a change from "lots of moralizing with your info" to "no info."
Yet truly comprehensive sex education, which includes information about abstinence as well as contraception, isn’t inconsistent with conservative values and need not be mischaracterized as such: it does not advocate for students to engage in sexual activity, but rather provides factual information about various methods of protection from unintended pregnancy and STIs. Vetoing this bill was a good step for Utah. States should move toward sex education which recognizes young people’s rights and protects their health by providing non-biased, comprehensive, accurate information about sex, sexuality, and relationships.
Each week, I’ll be posting a list of the most news-worthy and/or inspirational, informative, well-written, thought-provoking, and/or unique posts of the week. While every post and every contributor is valuable to our community, these are the blogs that I feel are must-reads.
March 4- March 10
Stats this week: 40 posts by 29 writers
Obama’s Ex-Nanny A Transgender Woman- by Jordan
Inside this post:
The story of how Evie came into contact with the future president was that she had met his mother at a cocktail party, and was invited for work for the family, helping raise Obama and his younger sister Maya. While neighbors knew that she was trans, they doubted that Obama ever knew, though Evie did try on some of his mother’s lipstick, much to his enjoyment.
Circumstance: A Cultural Prison- by KarachiYWOCLC
Inside this post:
It’s a beautifully written and directed movie, showing viewers what youth culture is like in Tehran, while exploring the issue of homosexuality in Iran. The story follows two friends, Atafeh, the teenage daughter of a wealthy Iranian family; and her friend Shireen, who is an orphan.
Virginia’s Ultrasound Laws: Young Women Must Continue To Be Heard- by nikki_liz
Inside this post:
Antichoice advocates frame the ultrasound as a harmless procedure, and use faux- feminist empowerment language to sell it. Often this language is paternalistic and has an underlying assumption that women do not know what abortion is, don’t think about it, and are not aware of what pregnancy is.[...] They underlying assumption is that women just walk into abortion clinics without really knowing what they are there for.
Humiliated, But Not Beaten. Fighting Back on Behalf of Pregnant and Parenting Teens- by ACLU
Inside this post:
After they called me away from homeroom into the assembly, the school department head made me stand up in front of my entire middle school and announced to everyone that I was pregnant. Until that moment, the only other student at school who knew was my sister.
Useful Media for National Women and Girls HIV AIDS Awareness Day- by Media_Justice
Inside this post:
I’d like to highlight some of the forms of media available that discusses and represents people who identify as women and how HIV and AIDS impacts our lives. Below are two main forms of media: Public Service Announcements that range from 45 seconds to 5 minutes long and music videos.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage returns to Utah- by nikki_liz
Inside this post:
The policy prohibits teachers from talking about sex outside of marriage (be it pre-marital or extra-marital), homosexuality, and methods of preventing pregnancy or spreading STD’s even when asked directly by students.
Since when is planning promiscuous?- by ColoradoJamie
Inside this post:
Maybe the pools of men discussing the issue are confused because they’ve never had to seek out birth control, but I ensure you it’s not exactly a quick, easy process. It takes work. It takes planning. It takes thought. I think that’s something we can all agree on — that sex should be preceded by thought. Promiscuity, by definition, is all about a dearth of deliberation.
Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!
~ Samantha
Community Editor
—————————————-
My posts this week;
When "Bad Romance" Meets Women’s Suffrage
Recommended Reading for Women’s History Month, Part 1: Non-Fiction
Recommended Reading for Women’s History Month, Part 2: Fiction
Written by: Nicole Murray, Advocates for Youth Intern
A sarcastic twist on an old tactic – the poison pill amendment – is making rounds in state legislatures as opposition mounts to the ongoing assault on reproductive and sexual rights. The poison pill amendment, or the wrecking amendment, is an amendment proposed to a bill by someone who opposes the bill. This amendment is usually not something the legislator proposing the amendment would want in reality, but is proposed to give more room for debate, to post pone a vote on a bill, or, in cases where the amendment does get attached to the bill, ensure that no one would vote for the bill with the attached amendment.
Todays poison pills are aimed at exposing the sexism inherent in attempting to restrict women’s reproductive rights and freedoms, while still allowing men complete sexual freedom and control over their own bodies.
In addition to the ultrasound bill signed into law in Virginia, and the very possible return to abstinence-only education in Utah, here are some of the most recent stupid laws legislatures are considering.
Wisconsin: A Bill Making Non-Marital Parenthood Tantamount To Abuse
Senate bill 507, introduced by Senator Glenn Grothman, would update the states current Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention law to emphasize “non marital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.” According to Grothman, “Whether that leads to more people paying attention and having children after they’re married or whether that leads to some other making a choice for adoptions,” he wanted to bring up this “politically incorrect” legislation, as he calls it.
In the past, Grotham has campaigned against programs that would make contraception and other health services that would lead to fewer unintended pregnancies. He recently wrote “How the United States and The State of Wisconsin Are Working to Encourage Single Motherhood and Discouraging Children in 2 Parent Families,” where he claims that the government tells women not to get married so they can receive low-income housing assistance, school choice, WIC, and food stamps.
The bill would create a public awareness campaign aimed at promoting the idea that raising a child out of wedlock (either as co-habitators, as a single parent, or as a committed LGBT couple) is abusive and neglectful to children. This public education campaign would specifically emphasis (read: demonize) single mothers, as it is supposed to underscore “the role of fathers in the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.” According to these legislators, without a man around, a woman will just abuse her children. (Never mind that there are many women who are single mothers due to fleeing abusive partners and spouses.)
According to Representative Chris Taylor:
“This bill is going to do nothing to help children avoid abuse. It’s going to do nothing to help families. What this bill does is call out and chastise women who have babies who are unmarried.”
The most recent numbers show that a third of all parents in Wisconsin are single parents, with the majority being single mothers. 90% of teen parents were unmarried at the birth of the child. In 2010 there were 25,228 non-marital teen births. Those mothers would all be demonized by this bill.
A side note: at 1:00 AM Wednesday March 14th, 2012, the Legislature passed AB337, which will repeal the Healthy Youth Act. The Healthy Youth Act was the gold standard in sex education. Now teens will be denied accurate medical information about preventing teen pregnancy and STIs. Will this lead to an increase in teen mothers? And therefore, according to this bill, an increase in neglectful and abusive non-marital parents? The legislature also passed AB154, which bans private insurance from covering abortion. If teens do find themselves pregnant, they will be forced to pay for an abortion out of pocked now. On Thursday they will be voting on AB371, which will ban telemedice abortion, meaning teens who choose abortion will not only have to pay for it out of pocket, rather than have it covered by their parents private insurance, but they will have to travel possibly hours to get to a clinic that can perform it. (Telemedicine is a way that residents of rural communities can get access to specialists and doctors without traveling out of their community. They talk to the doctor via video conference, like Skype, and then the doctor can determine if the patient can get the medicine. The doctor will hit a button, and unlock a drawer the patient has access to, and the patient will then take the pills in front of a nurse. This is a common way of administering many medicines, including RU-486, or Mifepristone, for a medical abortion).
Arizona: A Bill Making it Legal For A Doctor To Withhold Medical Information Concerning A Pregnancy If That Information Might Lead To The Woman Considering Abortion
In Arizona, SB1359 would allow doctors who personally oppose abortion to – well, not exactly lie – but withhold medical information from pregnant women if they think that information might lead to the woman considering abortion.
What information would this be? Information on possible birth defects the fetus may have, or does have; information on medical conditions that may lead to the woman’s death if an abortion is not obtained; and information on medical conditions the fetus may have that might lead to either a short and agonizing life after birth, or other quality of life conditions.
For women who may choose not to abort, withholding this information means that the family has no time to prepare to give birth to and raise a child with birth defects, and no time to attempt to find out if they have the financial resources to provide all the medical care the child might need.
Lesson to be learned: If a woman is seeking abortion, you must give her ALL the information by means of forcing her to have an ultrasound. If a woman is carrying a wanted pregnancy, make sure she has NO information that might cause her to change her mind about giving birth.
Side note of another bill in Arizona: HB2625, a bill to allow any religious employer to refuse to have insurance which covers contraception. In an earlier version of the bill, religious employer was defined as: ,
(a) The entity primarily employs persons who share the religious tenets of the entity.
(b) The entity primarily serves persons who share the religious tenets of the entity.
(c) The entity is a nonprofit organization as described in section 6033(a)(2)(A) (i) or (iii) of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended.
however, this definition was removed, leaving it undefined. Further, an earlier bill contained clause stating that “a religious employer shall not discriminate against an employee who independently chooses to obtain insurance coverage or prescriptions for contraceptives from another source.” This was also removed, giving the green light to religious employers to fire employees who use contraception.
Georgia: A Bill That Would Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks
In Georgia, HB 954 would ban abortion in the state after 20 weeks, based on the idea that at 20 weeks fetuses become “pain capable.” Most research states, however, that a fetus does not have the neurological systems in place to experience tough, and cannot distinguish between touch and pain (which is an emotional response) until much later in the third trimester, which is the time right before a woman would normally give birth.
Most abortions occur in the first trimester, so while this bill will not affect the majority of women seeking abortion, it will affect the women who find out about severe birth defects, complications, or that the fetus has died. Medical complications are usually not detectable until around the 18th to 19th week. At this point, further tests need to be done to confirm certain defects. With the new law, a woman who receives a bad indication would have just a few days to decide whether she wants to hope for the best, go forth with more testing, and chance that she might in fact be carrying a fetus incompatible with life, or should she abort while it is still legal, and try again? Women who have fetuses that have died would not be allowed to induce labor and deliver a stillbirth past 20 weeks, as this procedure would technically still be an abortion. Instead, if a fetus is stillborn, and it is 21 weeks, she will be forced to carry a stillborn fetus to term, rather than induce labor, mourn, and try again.
In a moment of extreme insensitivity, one Representative compared women carrying stillborn fetuses to cows he used to work with who delivered dead calves.
And here are some of the sarcastic responses:
Delaware: In Wilmingont, Delware, a bill was passed to grant every sperm and every egg personhood, and deem them equal under law.
Virginia: In Virginia, Senator Janet Howell proposed an amendment to the ultrasound bill which would have required rectal exams and cardiac stress tests for men wishing obtain medications for erectile dysfunction. The amendment was just two votes shy of passing.
Georgia: Female lawmakers in Georgia have proposed a bill that would ban men from obtaining vasectomies. The author of the bill, Yasmin Neal, said:
“"It is patently unfair that men can avoid unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgment over such matters is more valid than the judgment of the General Assembly, while women’s ability to decide is constantly up for debate throughout the United States."”
Ohio: A bill (SB307) proposed in Ohio by Senator Nina Turner would require men to receive a psychological screening performed by a sex therapist, receive a cardiac stress test and present a notarized affidavit signed by a current sexual partner stating that the man is in fact impotent. It further states that the man must be notified in writing of the potential risks and complications of taking erectile dysfunction medications, and for a physician to include non-pharmaceutical treatments for erectile dysfunction, including resources for celibacy.
Illinois: Representative Kelly Cassidy proposed an amendment that would require a man seeking erectile dysfunction medications to watch a graphic video detailing the complications and treatments for complications that could arise from taking medication for erectile dysfunction.
Oklahoma: An amendment was proposed to a personhood bill that would make it illegal to ejaculate anywhere outside of a woman’s vagina, and another amendment that would require that any man who impregnates a woman without her consent pay a large fine, be required to obtain a vasectomy, and be financially responsible for the resulting offspring until he/she reaches 21 years of age.
Texas: While this bill (HB15) was passed last year and went into effect recently, there were still a number of amendments that women legislators attempted to tag on to the bill to show their displeasure. This specific bill does require a transvaginal ultrasound for women seeking abortion care. Several amendments were attached (all failed) to the ultrasound bill, including an amendment that would require the state to pay for college tuition for any child born as a result of a pregnant woman viewing the ultrasound and changing her mind, an amendment of the state to pay health care costs for the resulting child until 18 years of age, (later amended to age 6), as well as a failed common sense amendment to provide the woman with medically accurate information on contraception, and an amendment to make the Department of Health pay for the mandatory ultrasounds, and later this amendment was re-written to require the state to pay for the ultrasound if the woman did not live within 45 minutes of the provider.
Wisconsin’s state legislature has passed a "sex education" bill that undoes many of the tenets in the more progressive 2010 bill, and it now moves on to Governor Scott Walker, who is likely to sign it. The new sex education law:
1) Transforms sex education "requirements" into "recommendations"
2) Removes the following topics from sex ed curriculum recommendations
"pregnancy; parenting; body image; gender stereotypes; and the health benefits, side effects, and proper use of contraceptives and barrier methods approved by the federal Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to prevent pregnancy and barrier methods approved by the
FDA to prevent sexually transmitted infections"
3) Requires that students be taught that abstinence is the "preferred choice of behavior for unmarried pupils" and "the only reliable way to present pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections."
4) Requires the promotion of the socioeconomic benefits of marriage and the connection between marriage and good parenting.
In short, the bill takes Wisconsin’s requirement that sex education programs teach about contraception, and turns it into a requirement that they teach about abstinence.
Conservatives in Wisconsin have never liked 2010′s Healthy Youth Act. In fact, one county’s district attorney sent a letter to teachers of the district threatening to prosecute them if they taught comprehensive sex ed.
But while the new law isn’t a surprise, it’s certainly a disappointment. The removal of instruction about contraception is bad. But calling abstinence "the only reliable" means of prevention is simply a lie. Firstly, many methods of protection work and work well. The IUD is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy, while condoms are "highly effective" at preventing the transmission of HIV, according to the CDC.
Secondly, reliability is largely dependent on the user. The user must RELIABLY USE a method. Abstinence is very reliable if you remain abstinent. Condoms are very reliable if you use them consistently and correctly. By removing information about other methods, and by implying that they are unreliable, the legislators are doing young people a severe disservice: they are endangering young people’s health and violating their rights.
Further, as we tried to communicate in this video, abstinence-only-until-marriage lessons at best exclude LGBT youth and at worst vilify them. Wisconsin has a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, yet students will be taught that abstinence is the "preferred behavior" for unmarried students. Just….forever, Wisconsin? So it’s basically just a program of shaming for LGBT students - "stay abstinent" or "do wrong." That seems contrary to the section of the bill that cautions against bias against students on the basis of sexual orientation. And not to mention, almost half of high school students have already had sex, so it’s a program of shame for them too.
Finally, a "promotion of marriage" tenet is profoundly offensive and presumptuous. Why should that value be forced on students? In a nation where 50% of marriages fail and 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, how many of Wisconsin’s students will be taught that their families are subpar, inferior to the married-heterosexual parents their sex education teacher is so keen on? And why is promoting a particular type of relationship even an aspect of learning about sex and sexuality?
Students shouldn’t be misled, lied to, and stigmatized. They shouldn’t be denied information that could save their lives. This shame-based bill is shameful.
During undergrad I loved being a peer health educator and activist with Advocates for Youth. That love and passion for health promotion and advocacy led me to Ohio State to study public health. My specialization was Health Behavior and Health Promotion. I have had many friends and fellow Advocates for Youth organizers ask me about MPH programs and graduate school.
Well — here you have it folks! Here are my thoughts and advice on going to graduate school for public health!
Sexual health education is complicated, and prevention is hard work!
I came to graduate school knowing abstinence-only sex education did not improve student health outcomes. It violated the rights of students by promoting one set of pseudo-values while withholding life-saving information. In other words, comp sex ed good, ab-only bad.
Then I embarked on my graduate thesis, and boy did I learn the devil is in the details.
First off, these programs tend to be less discrete than abstinence-only-until-marriage and comprehensive sexual health education. Sexual health education programs have very specific goals, and are tailored for a specific population. For example, one program that a friend of my mine implements in Cleveland is called “Be Sex Smart.” It is targeted to LGBTQ youth with a high risk of HIV infection. The goal of the program is to improve self-esteem and decision-making. The operating theory here is that improving self-esteem and decision-making will decrease youths’ risk for HIV/AIDS.
This leads to another important point that I learned in graduate school. There is not strong evidence that sexual health education programs directly impact health outcomes such as teen pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted infection rates. Instead, programs aim to improve factors that impact health outcomes, such as knowledge and self-efficacy. These factors in turn are chosen and prioritized because behavior change theories postulate that altering them will lead to improved health outcomes and behaviors.
For example, when I taught sexual health education in Cleveland schools, we tested the teens’ pre- and post-program sexual health knowledge. Our program was shown to improve student knowledge — therefore, based on behavior change theory, improvements in student knowledge resulted in improved student health outcomes. All of this also underscores the importance of program evaluation. To prove that a program is effective, it must be evaluated.
Even when programs are evidence- and theory-based, there can still be barrier to implementing your program effectively. Do you have a reliable and quiet space to hold your program? How much time do you have each week or day to implement the curriculum? How are you going to recruit participants? Does your organization have a sustainable funding model for your program? How will you recruit and train educators? The list goes on.
Working in prevention is tough yet highly rewarding. It takes courage, personality, and passion. While I found it frustrating that there was not more research on the impact of sexual health education, it was also exciting to realize there is still much work to be done. We could be the future researchers and program staff to develop new programs and implement them in communities across the country!
Social determinants of health matter, a lot
If you haven’t watched the PBS special “Unnatural Causes,” you will within the first week of your MPH program. Hell, you might even watch it twice. The series does a great job of introducing students to the concept of social determinants of health. As someone interested in health promotion and social justice, I was instantly drawn to studying social determinants of health. It is important to understand the huge impact social inequalities have on health outcomes. This is not a concept that comes naturally to all in the public health field. But to those of us with an interest in health promotion and social justice, this is where you might find an intersection in topics that excites and intrigues you.
Determine if you are a direct-service person or policy person
There is a big difference between working to implement policies that impact health and implementing programs that impact health. Find what you like. Both are important and have an impact on the health and lives of people, but the skills and personality needed to do each type of work are different. Graduate school is a time to explore and learn what you love to do. Try different things and push your boundaries. You might be surprised what work suites you best.
Internships rule
To get the biggest bang for your buck while studying public health, you need to find stellar sites for your internship and/or final project. Not only will the site agency create a space for you to get practical experience, but also the staff you work with at your site can be your best mentors. My internship supervisor taught me everything, and helped me land my dream job! Shoot for the moon when it comes to finding a good internship. Finding a good internship experience is the most important part of your graduate school professional development.
Professionally, follow your passion and always be true to yourself
Do what you love, not what sounds impressive. During graduate school I was offered a position as a research assistant on a colon cancer project. The position paid my tuition and I was part of a large research project funded by the CDC through a prestigious hospital. In public health speak that seemed glamorous. I ended up hating it. It wasn’t my passion. Then I started interning with Planned Parenthood and felt at home. While there is much to learn at school, at the end of the day you know why you came in the first place. Stick to your heart, and you will end up in the right place.
If you have any questions about graduate school, please feel free to reach out to me via Facebook message.
On Tuesday, March 7th, the Utah State Senate voted to remove abstinence-plus education from school curriculum, and replace it with abstinence-only-until-marriage. The bill, HR363, sponsored by Senator Margaret Dayton, passed 19-10, and is currently sitting on Governor Gary Herbert’s desk. This bills is worded in such a way that school districts do not have to offer sex education, but if they do, it must not mention contraception, homosexuality, or pre-marital sex.
According to Rebecca Wind, a spokeswoman for the Guttmacher Institute;
"Utah is by far the most restrictive policy out there. There are no other states that … don’t allow birth control discussion at all, in the way that the Utah legislation does. So it is unique in that respect."
The policy prohibits teachers from talking about sex outside of marriage (be it pre-marital or extra-marital), homosexuality, and methods of preventing pregnancy or spreading STD’s even when asked directly by students.
Supporters laud the passage of the bill as a crucial component of the ongoing culture wars in the country;
"It is important for us to go a step further from abstinence-plus to abstinence-only so that the state Office of Education can remove the endorsement of Planned Parenthood from their website," Sen. Margaret Dayton
(Note: Sen. Dayton is opposed to abortion, and as a result, Planned Parenthood. There are nine Planned Parenthood health centers in the state of Utah. One of them provides abortion services.)
According to Rep. Francis Gibson, unintended teen pregnancy is still a problem in the district he represents, and the curriculum in the district, which is abstinence-only, is not working.
"I would hope as we make this decision, that we won’t think if we say abstinence only, that fairy dust will have been sprinkled and that teen pregnancy will no longer be a problem," –Rep Francis Gibson
Opponents of the bill pointed out that this could lead to higher rates of teen pregnancy, and therefore, higher rates of abortion. Supporters opined that the only way to prevent teen pregnancy was with abstinence. Comprehensive sex education (or abstinence-plus) arms teens and students with the information they need in order to ensure that when they do engage in sex, they are protected against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections.
Supporters of this bill seem to think that teens are not having sex, and often promote harmful and damaging stereotypes that teen mothers. Young people have sex, and this is not something new. It wasn’t too long ago that women were married by sixteen, and pregnant by seventeen. The difference between those teen moms, and todays, is the marital status of the women. The teen mothers of today are not married. Current research has found that the median age for first sexual experience for both sexes is 17 years old, while the current average age of first marriage for women is roughly 25 years old, and for men around 27 years old. The gap between first sex and marriage is roughly 10 years. Today, premarital sex is a near ubiqutous practice. Therefore, we need education that reflects this reality. That education should include discussion of contraception, sexuality, and healthy relationships both in and out of marriage, orientation and gender identity.
Young people of today need to be trusted. Adults do not need to withhold information from students. Trust young people to take that information and do with it what they feel is most appropriate for themselves.
Research shows that when you teach comprehensive sex education, teens actually delay the onset of first sexual experiences, and are more likely to take steps to make sure that the sex they are engaging in, when they do, is healthy and safe.
Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are framed around upholding a standard that is unfairly harmful to women, and to teens who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, genderqueer, or are questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation.
In these classes women are told their value is lost with virginity, and that they must hold themselves up to a standard of purity. Rarely do these classes mention the necessity of sexual purity for men. Many of these courses include lessons aimed at making sure women know they are the gatekeepers of sexuality, that they are the ones who have to hold off the advances of men. Some of these courses include books that portray women as damsels in distress, and men as knights. These books warn that if a woman gives too much advice or has too many opinions, the knight will feel unneeded, and leave.
LGBTQ students find the messages of abstinence-only-until-marriage programs to be filled with heteronormative messages of male providers and women care takers, with no room for relationships where these “norms” are absent, and no mention the validity of same sex households and marriages. Utah is not one of the few states where marriage equality is legal, and these students are being told to remain abstinent if they do not plan on marrying a person of the opposite gender. They are told their relationships and their own sexual health needs are less than.
In a strange coincidence, a study released yesterday, finds “that formal sex education
that includes instruction about both waiting to have sex and methods of birth control can improve the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults” The study further found that respondents who were instructed in both abstinence and contraceptive methods were more likely to be older at their first sexual experience than those who had received no formal instruction at all (which this bill would allow schools to have no instruction at all). Those receiving both information about abstinence and contraceptive education were also more likely to have healthier relationships. Condom use at first sexual experience was highest among respondents who had instruction in both, too.
This study proves that when you give the tools to young people, they will make the best decisions for themselves. Being honest and open about sexuality is the best approach. Preaching about abstinence will not stop anyone from having sex if they want to. If someone wants to have sex, they should have all the knowledge they need to make a healthy decision about the sex for both their own health, and their partners health. It is detrimental to the health of young people to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that if we with hold valuable information about contraception and condoms, then young people will not have sex.
As many of you may have heard by now, ultra-conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh has come under harsh criticism for his especially misogynist, inaccurate, and creepy comments about Sandra Fluke, the graduate student from Georgetown University who was denied a seat on the all-male panel at last month’s congressional hearing on birth control. Fortunately, she did eventually get her day to speak, though not as an official part of the hearing. House Democrats on the committee (not being able to call their own hearing because they are in the minority) organized a forum for her to share her testimony. She provided poignant information on why access to cost-free birth control is such an important and necessary part of women’s health, and shared stories to personalize her message, showing that policy decisions are not abstract but fundamentally effect real women, their partners, and their families.
Rush Limbaugh’s response included the following:
What does it say about the college co-ed Susan [Sandra] Fluke…who goes before a congressional committee and says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? Makes her a prostitute.
He also said that her parents should be embarrassed of her, and should disconnect their phone line and hide from the neighbors to avoid the shame. These comments prompted President Obama to call Sandra Fluke to thank her for speaking out on such an important issue and to say that her parents should be very proud of her.
There were two comments though that stunned me even more than a misogynist calling sexually active women sluts. One absolutely grossed me out, and the complete ignorance of the other shocked me most of all. So let’s get to it.
I should warn you that this is excessively creepy.
Ms. Fluke and the rest of you femi-Nazis, here’s the deal. If we are going to ay for your contraceptives, and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it. And I’ll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch.
*cringe*
I know.
Limbaugh tried to defend himself by claiming that he has no power to control female sexuality, yet he is suggesting here that the only way to legitimize a woman making the personal decision to have sex is to do so for the public entertainment of strangers. If men she doesn’t know can’t benefit from her sexuality, then she shouldn’t be allowed to act on it. The purpose of her sexuality becomes something she has no control over. She acts for others instead of for herself. Her own pleasure become irrelevant.
The problem with Limbaugh’s statement isn’t just the epic perviness- it is the complete disregard for female sexual pleasure and the inability to grasp that women make valid sexual decisions solely for the purposes of their own pleasure. He can’t understand that women make sexual decisions that have nothing to do with men. Female sexuality does not exist FOR men. It exists for women. Women own their sexuality just as men own male sexuality, and whoever you have sex with it should be for no one else but you, no matter who your partner is.
While there’s no denying the outrage that such a misogynist comment rightly deserves, I was actually more stunned by the following comments, which make it clear that people who have absolutely no idea how birth control and pregnancy work should not in any way be involved in policy decisions regarding women’s health.
Your daughter goes up to a congressional hearing…and testifies she’s having so much sex she can’t afford her own birth control pills.
It’s no different than if someone knocked on my door, that I don’t know, and said, “You know, I’m out of money. I can’t afford birth control pills and I’m supposed to have sex with 3 guys tonight.”
I’m sure you see the problem here. MSNBC news host Rachel Maddow put it most simply and accurately on her show this week:
You don’t need more birth control to keep you not pregnant from more sex.
I am legitimately stunned. How the hell are their grown people ignorant enough to believe that you have to take a birth control pill before each time you have sex? Not only is this a stunning example of the consequences of abstinence-only programs, this is embarrassing! Birth control pills don’t work that way!
So I’ve decided to make this a teachable moment. Listen up kids; this is how birth control pills work!
Birth control pills are a prescription medication that most women get from their gynecologist. Most women use birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. However, many women use them for non-pregnancy related health issues and can get a prescription from their regular doctor. To be effective, you have to take the pill once a day every day, regardless of the primary reason you take it and regardless of if you anticipate having sex that day. To prevent pregnancy, birth control pills work in three ways.
1) They thicken the mucus around the cervix (the opening to the uterus at the top of the vagina). This makes it harder for sperm to reach the egg.
2) They delay the release of an egg from the ovary, reducing the amount of time that an egg is waiting in the fallopian tube.
3) They lessen the monthly build-up of tissue along the uterine walls, making it harder for an egg to attach to it. Menstruation is the process of the uterus emptying itself of the unused extra tissue- which is why getting your period means you’re not pregnant.
Taking the pill once a day every day protects you from pregnancy. How often you have sex is irrelevant. It works the same way every day no matter what you do.
Limbaugh’s absolute ignorance of this is especially dangerous because it coincides with his instance that (largely) old, white, privileged males in public office (who have also proudly proven their ignorance of women’s health a hundred times over) should be in charge of making medical decisions for women, dictating which women have access to medial care, and outlining what doctors are allowed to tell their patients and how visits are to be conducted.
If you don’t understand how birth control and pregnancy work then shut your mouth and pick up a book. Seriously. How can we move forward as a country if most of our elected officials don’t even know the most basic aspects of women’s health care? Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is extremely dangerous.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
At a Target store in California, a shopper browsing the greeting card aisle was intrigued by a card that read, “Heard you’re pregnant,” but was shocked when inside the card all it said was, “Whore.”
In the handful of articles I found on this story, I couldn’t believe that the consensus was that either the card was funny or that it didn’t matter and anyone who was offended should chill out and get a sense of humor. Really? Shaming and bullying young, sexually active girls and young women about an unplanned pregnancy is funny? It’s no big deal that a girl was called a whore? Do you think she deserves it because she dared to make a choice of having sex without your approval?
Because let’s be clear here: this is targeting young, unmarried women and girls. Who would even think to call a married woman a whore for getting pregnant? Who assumes that a married woman getting pregnant is automatically a bad thing that she should be called names for? And who would call an older, single woman a whore for getting pregnant? Married women and older, single women are socially allowed to have sex. The fact that they have sexual desires and act upon those desires is understood and accepted. The same respect for female sexuality is unfortunately not nearly as common for young women.
When a young woman becomes pregnant, it’s as if she has done something horribly wrong. Calling her a whore signifies the stereotypes that she has slept with several men (which is also seen as something horribly wrong for a young woman) and that she must have low self-esteem because it is presumed that she lets men use her (which, though it hardly stops anyone from slinging this insult, also unfairly makes men out to be animals who only want instant-gratification sex and then discard the girl without further thought).
Calling a girl a whore for the fact that she had sex and accidentally got pregnant devalues the choice that girl made to have sex and devalues her ability to make a positive sexual decision. When someone is called a whore, they are being told that the way they have chosen to express and practice their sexuality is wrong. Teenage sexuality is not inherently wrong. But when we have a culture that believes that it is, then the girls who get outed for having sex by becoming pregnant face much harsher torment and ridicule than all the other sexually active girls. They somehow get more blame and are more publicly shunned.
But why? With the prevalence of abstinence-only programs in this country, (along with the unfortunate social stigma) is it any wonder that many teenagers don’t know about all of their birth control options, how to use them correctly, and lack access to them? And when they do have all the information, why does no one seem to accept that accidents do happen? Nothing is 100% percent effective at preventing pregnancy for people who are sexually active. So why does she still deserve to be called a whore?
And then there’s the possibility that the reason she got pregnant is because she was raped. Is she still a whore if someone raped her? And if this young woman was raped, if she had to endure something as terrifying and demeaning as rape, does she really need to hear that you think she’s the one who should be called names for what happened? Calling her a whore after she was raped further demeans and disrespects her, but more significantly, it blames her for what happened. Blaming a survivor of rape for becoming pregnant because of that rape is it’s own level of cruel. We should be ashamed that we let our society treat our young women this way. Having sex doesn’t make you a whore no matter how old you are, no matter who you had sex with, and no matter whether or not you became pregnant.
The fact that many people think this card is funny shows how little the public realizes that they are shaming young women and that doing so is wrong. We have to become more aware of how our vocabulary affects others. While most people agree that bullying is wrong, too many people participate in and condone bullying everyday. Not seeing the problem when pregnant girls are called whores IS the problem. Now you know.
Even though Rick Santorum’s recent comments about abstinence lessons in education have been roundly denounced as false, even by the head of one of the programs he was referring to, he’s still sticking to that whole "Obama hates abstinence" line.
As ThinkProgress and Jezebel report, last night Santorum upped the ante, observing that Obama hates abstinence because he hates poor people.
I’ve addressed before how profoundly untrue it is the claim that comprehensive sex education doesn’t teach abstinence. (The new National Sexuality Education Standards name it as an necessary component of the lesson at 17 different points of a child’s education!).
I don’t particularly understand the comment that not having abstinence-only programs leads people into poverty, not just because I don’t think sex automatically leads to poverty, but because abstinence-only programs don’t work, not even at helping teens remain abstinent. As to the President hating poor people, well, I’m not in his head, but it seems unlikely.
I’m still not sure where Santorum is trying to go with all these claims, but rest assured that it comes down to a deep fear of sexuality. Some people on the far right would simply rather have teens receive programs that don’t help them at all, than have them receive programs that do work and also empower them to control their own sexuality.
A new study from the CDC examined unintended pregnancies among teens, and found that half of teens who were sexually active but didn’t want to become pregnant, were not using contraception.
Why weren’t they using contraception? Some of the findings are troubling:
- Thirty percent believed they could not become pregnant at the time (even though about 90 percent of sexually active teens using no method become pregnant within a year of having sex)
- 25 percent didn’t use contraception because they believed their partner didn’t want to use contraception.
- 13 percent reported lack of access to contraception.
Furthermore, 45% of the teens who became pregnanct were using hormonal birth control or condoms. Since with proper use, pills are over 90% effective and condoms are 80% effective, this points to irregular or incorrect use of the method.
Misunderstanding of the possibility of pregnancy, lack of access to contraception, an inability to negotiate contraceptive use, and a tendency to use contraception sporadically or incorrectly: all symptoms of the mixed messages and embarrassed silence teens absorb about sexuality, both from sex education still dominated by abstinence-only funding and its legacy, and from a culture that both glorifies and vilifies teen sexuality.
A comparison to European rates of teen pregnancy, sexual behavior, and contraception use is especially revealing: teens in France, Germany, and the Netherlands aren’t less likely to have sex, but they are far less likely to become pregnant and far more likely to be using hormonal contraception. That’s the result of both public policy, and a cultural committment to honest communication around sexuality.
Most teens do not want to become pregnant. Society should be empowering them to keep those intentions, not throwing up roadblocks.
My name is Holly Kerr and I’m the president of a new organization promoting safesex awareness
at the Univeristy of Texas at Austin. I’m very excited for our second semester on campus. Our goal is to help inform others on campus, and even others beyond the campus, of the dangers of abstinence-only programs. I’m also excited to hand out more condoms from the GACC this semester. I had such a great time with my friends in the organization last semester. We received many different reactions from people when asking if they would like a condom. But what made it memorable, were the ones who would stay and talk with us about our shared passion to include more sexual education classes in public shcools.
Here are my condoms from last semester I can’t wait to do it again!!
Thanks to Rick Santorum’s comments about contraception, and his subsequent attempts to dial back those comments, one of the weekend’s two Republican presidential debates contained a lengthy interlude about contraception. As soon as Romney was done minimizing the importance of something which over 98% of sexually active women have used, he managed to force out "Contraception, it’s working just fine, just leave it alone.”
That would be an adequate contraception philosophy if it truly reflected Republican, or even Romney’s philosophy, but we know it doesn’t. In the last year we have seen many attacks on contraception – from the Mississippi personhood bill, which Romney wouldn’t say whether he supported or opposed, to attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of birth control to young and low income women, which attempts Romney supports.
An even sillier lie in the weekend’s debates came when Rick Santorum made this claim:
"In fact, he (Obama) has required programs not to talk about marriage, not to talk about abstinence, if — in order to get federal funds."
This is laughably untrue. First of all, no federally-funded sex education program leaves abstinence out of the discussion. Funds from the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative must go to medically accurate and scientifically proven programs – all of which discuss abstinence as a 100% effective method of birth control and as a great choice for teens. Funds from the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (health care reform) must teach about both abstinence and contraception. No one wants to leave abstinence out of a discussion of sexual health, and certainly not the President.
But even if Santorum were referring to abstinence-only programs, which discuss contraception only in terms of failure rates (if at all) and have repeatedly been proven ineffective, he’d still be wrong, because as CNN notes, "the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $110 million in grants in September 2010 for a range of groups, including more than $33 million for abstinence-focused programs in 29 states and Puerto Rico." That’s right, another $33 million added to the well over $1.5 billion spent on drink-the-spit style programs.
Ah, but who expects Santorum not to be muddled. This is the same man who literally said that gay couples only live in certain states. It is going to be a long year.
A good reminder from Andy Kopsa on the Ms. Magazine blog on why we should worry about Congress’ newest attempt to revive abstinence-only-until-marriage funding (read our recent press release for more info):
…This should worry Americans. In addition to their ineffectiveness, abstinence-only programs have also come under fire for questionable instructional methods and regressive curricula. Periodic in-depth reviews of abstinence-only programs by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) regularly find that the programs often rely on messages of fear and shame—directed almost entirely toward girls—and promote biased views of gender, marriage and pregnancy options.
Take the Denver, Colo.-based WAIT (Why Am I Tempted?) Training, now known as The Center for Relationship Education, an abstinence-only group that has received over $8 million in federal funds since 2005. During an assembly in a Colorado high school, a WAIT/CRE motivational speaker told her audience:
- "This (holding up a waffle) is (like) a high school boy’s brain…we use waffles because waffles have all these little compartments…You guys have very cool brains. You can stick stuff away in your thinking…Guys can tuck stuff away. Girls aren’t like that."
- "Girls’ brains are like spaghetti noodles. If I pull these noodles up, what do the noodles touch? Everything. So girls, when you have sex with a guy what does it affect? Everything."
- "As soon as a guy gets an erection you have viable sperm at the end of your penis. You do not have to have intercourse to get her pregnant, you just have to get that viable sperm close to her vagina and she turns on the little Hoover vacuum, because girls are very, very fertile."
This is what you get when you don’t have science and common sense on your side: horrible metaphors (brains = noodles and waffles?) and dangerous mistruths.
La historia de una activista.
Even though I did not host many events like I would have liked to, I feel like I did a great job this semester in bringing the cause into light. Many people were unaware of the statistics and the policies that are in place. Now, I have all the confidence in my acitivist work. Texas, like most of the United States, is making a disservice to youth by not providing them with medically accurate sexual health education. Ultimately, it is up to us to make a change.
Today the House passed an appropriations bill that brought back abstinence-only-until-marriage funding that study after study has shown just doesn’t work! (Pissed? Take action and tell us what YOU would spend $5 million on #InsteadOfAbOnly) Check out sex education champion Rep. Barbara Lee speaking about why she voted against this bill.
Please take a minute to call her office and say THANK YOU for being a sex education champion! Her office number is: 202.225.2661.
And here’s another great video from today where she speaks more in depth about the other problematic issues in the bill including a federal funding ban for needle exchange programs and a ban on DC using its OWN money to provide abortion care to low-income women in the District.
In 2011 I was honored to become an intern with the Texas Freedom Network as part of the Cultural Advocacy Mobilization Initiative (CAMI)and was able to attend the Urban Retreat in Washington, DC with Advocates for Youth. Over a few months I was able to bcome part of grassroots organizing and was made aware and a part of issues that deal with young people and their well-being. I feel liberated to be able to work on many issues such as supporting comprehensive sex ed, fighting for a HIV/AIDS free generation, and LGBTQ rights.
During my first semester as co-president of the Texas Freedom Network student chapter at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) my fellow members and I have been part of many events that have raised awareness of health wellness and supporting the fight against HIV/AIDS. In October El Paso held its annual AIDS WALK event which is an event to raise awareness and funds for medications, food pantries, doctors, transportation and everyday items needed for patients and their families. The experience was warming and had very positive energy within the park. The TFN student chapter tabled at this event and handed out our condoms from the Great American Condom Campaign and those were a big hit! It was being a part of this event that made me feel responsible for raising the awareness of community that wants to see an AIDS free generation.
We also tabled during “Love Your Body” week at my university and this was a great event to promote safe sex as a way of loving your body. TFN handed out condoms and gave statistics on teen pregnancy and STI rates in Texas. These events are very good for us because the TFN Student Chapter gets to hear actual voices from students who agree that abstinence-only programs don’t work. Young people need to hear about ways to protect themselves and have access to health clinics and accessories like condoms and birth control.
Our TFN student chapter tabled on a weekly basis and informed students of the current statistics from the effects of abstinence-only programs that are being thought in Texas. We have heard many students agree with us and this is possible through tabling and signing petitions, (and of course handing out our Trojan condoms!) We now can see that a majority of people who have came up to our table agree with teaching young people comprehensive sex-ed because it befits their well-being and promotes health along with a start to a bright and fulfilling life.
Starting in the spring semester, TFN plans on being part of many more events that have to deal with youth’s issues and defending civil liberties like LGBTQ equality. I feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful opportunity and feel part of the solution. Even though there is much work needed still, I am willing to devote my time and positive energy to help raise awareness of the dangers of abstinence-only programs, advocate for the separation of church and state and proudly defend civil liberties!
Please become a fan of our TFN University of Texas at El Paso Student Chapter Facebook Page!
So, Congress introduced its appropriations bill late last night to fund the federal government through the end of the 2012 fiscal year. There’s good news and bad news.
GOOD: Your calls to Congress made a difference! Even though new abstinence-only-until-marriage funding was reintroduced, they will only receive $5 million. That’s a step in the right direction.
BAD: We’ve seen this before. The Community Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) fund was launched with only $20 million, but its annual funding was scaled up to more than $110 million in just a few years. $5 million is just the beginning.
By now we all know that the majority of Americans oppose an abstinence-only approach to sex education. What makes this worse is that Congress has been raging for months about slashing unnecessary spending and cutting the deficit. $5 million for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs is like taking a match to taxpayers’ money and simply lighting it on fire. (Actually, it’s even worse than that. Research has shown that these programs have no impact on teen behavior – and they also forbid students from learning about contraception and condoms.)
Our elected officials are fond of saying that "the people" know how to spend their own tax dollars better than politicians in Washington do, and for once we couldn’t agree more. So let’s turn it over to you.
TELL US: WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH $5 MILLION?
Click here to join the conversation on Facebook.
"Like" us on Facebook, and post comments, photos, or videos on the Amplify Facebook Page explaining how you’d help people with $5 million — rather than fund failed abstinence-only programs. Download a template HERE!
Click here to join the conversation on Twitter.
Let us know by tweeting @AmplifyTweets and using the #InsteadOfAbOnly and #5mil hashtags.
I can’t wait to see all of your amazing ideas – and don’t worry, we’ll make sure to pass them along leaders on Capitol Hill!
Garrett Mize is the Youth Advocacy Coordinator at the Texas Freedom Network and heads up the Texas Student Leadership Council, a part of Advocates for Youth’s Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.
In just the past few months, comprehensive sex ed has made huge strides in Texas. With the announcement of Texas Freedom Network’s latest report, our Houston Leadership Development Institute and World AIDS Day there is plenty of good news to go around.
Texas Freedom Network Education Fund Report
TFNEF’s latest report on sex ed in Texas is much different than our original 2009 report Just Say Don’t Know. In the first report, we asked each public school district in Texas to tell us what type of sex ed they taught. Of the 1,031 independent school districts in Texas, 990 responded. We found that 94 percent of school districts taught abstinence-only, 3.6 percent taught abstinence-plus and 2.3 percent taught nothing at all. The numbers were startling to say the least.
Our newest report, Sex Education in Texas Public Schools: Progress in the Lone Star State, found that abstinence-only is now taught in 74.6 percent of school districts, and abstinence-plus is taught in 25.4 percent of school districts. This major improvement in the quality of sex ed taught in Texas is thanks in large part to grassroots activists who have served on a local School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) and to organizations like the Texas Freedom Network and Advocates for Youth. While abstinence-only remains the clear majority, it is losing its grip in Texas. The latest report’s findings were featured in The Dallas Morning News.
University of Houston Leadership Development Institute
Recently, the Texas Freedom Network Student Chapter at UH hosted its first-ever Leadership Development Institute. This grassroots training focused on civic engagement and skills to organize students on campus to support comprehensive sex ed in a non-partisan manner during the election cycle. With 50 people in attendance, this training was a popular Saturday event.
James Lee, president of the TFN student chapter at UH, organized the event and introduced the presenters, which included Dr. Susan Tortolero, director of the Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center; Meryl Cohen, vice president of Education at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast; Resha Thomas, campaign coordinator for the Texas Organizing Project; and Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network.
I’m expecting a lot of great work to come out of this student chapter next semester!
World AIDS Day 2011
Despite the fact that it was finals week, our youth activists managed to put on great events to highlight World AIDS Day on their campuses. In particular, Mackenzie Massey, president of the TFN student chapter at UT, organized the entire World AIDS Day fair at her school. She created a coalition of 13 student organizations, led by the TFN student chapter, to put on this day of action. The coalition had free HIV testing, a T-shirt awareness campaign with 250 t-shirts, an expert discussion panel, a student organization tabling fair, a banner signing campaign and a petition signing effort to support comprehensive sex ed in Texas. Mackenzie worked closely with Ana Laura Rivera, another fantastic Advocates for Youth activist, to put this event on.
Their efforts were featured in numerous media outlets, including Spanish-language Univision, The Daily Texan, Austin NPR affiliate KUT 90.5 FM and other student news sources. Other youth activists also took action by tabling on their campuses to mark World AIDS Day, including Spencer Allers at UT San Antonio and April Flores at UT Brownsville.
There has been a lot of progress in Texas this past semester, but we still have a lot of work to do. We have much to look forward to in 2012!
In these economic times when all we hear from Congress is budget woes, we have received word that Congress is trying to bring back dedicated funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that Congress’ own studies show just don’t work. We need to take action NOW to ensure that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs do not receive dedicated federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2012 budget.
Please take a couple of minutes to CALL the White House and the House and Senate Leadership:
Senate Majority Leader Reid – 202-224-3542
House Minority Leader Pelosi – 202-225-0100
President Obama – 202-456-1111
Script you can use for calls:
“My name is _______ and I’m from ______, __ (city, state). I’m calling to make sure there is no dedicated funding for abstinence-only programs in the final Labor-HHS bill. These ineffective programs have no place in a bill that should focus our limited dollars on evidence-based and cost-effective programs. Please do not provide any dedicated funding to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in the Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations negotiations. Thank you.”
Once you’ve made these calls, please also click here to sign our petition. We don’t have a lot of time on this, so please act now!
We have worked hard to eliminate two-thirds of federal abstinence-only funding. We have to fight hard to keep from backsliding. Over $1.5 billion dollars have already been wasted on these ineffective programs. Young people deserve better.
In solidarity,
Sarah Audelo
Senior Domestic Policy Manager
Advocates for Youth
P.S. Please call now – share this with your friends. We absolutely need President Obama and the Senate and House Leadership to hear from you that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are a waste of taxpayer dollars and have no place in the appropriations bill.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced House Resolution 3324, or the “Real Education for Healthy Youth Act” into both chambers of Congress earlier this month.
This new bill is a great achievement towards strengthening public schools and by addressing not only heterosexual but LGBTQ students in comprehensive sex education in public schools this would help students to broaden their perspective and help them to accept LGBTQ individuals.
If LGBTQ-inclusive comprehensive sex ed is taught, LGBTQ targeted bulling can go down. I believe in getting the schools involved will get students to understand that homosexuality is a natural feeling that shouldn’t be taunted. What better way to do this than to include it into the sexual education forum. A lot of schools teach abstinence only programs but they have be proven to not to be effective. So by teaching teens comprehensive sex education that’s doesn’t leave out LGBTQ students than everyone can get a better understanding of sexual health of others.
We need to advocate that sexual health is a big part of every teen’s life and by opposing it to abstinence only programs we ignore the teen’s concerns. We need to promote equality within the public spheres’ and provide truthful information on contracpetive and sexual idenity. There will be many challenges to face along the way for this issue such as conservative parents who feel teaching LGBTQ issues in schools is an outrage and would also require a great deal of advocacy to reach the schools boards. But with the proper advocacy and a positive outreach we can live in a society that no longer shames people for natural sexual urgues.
www.americanindependent.com/202803/new-federal-bill-would-defund-abstinence-only-programs-include-lgbt-youth-in-sex-ed-discussion
Are you ready to help make history?
Today, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) are introducing the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, a new bill that lays out a comprehensive, age-appropriate, and holistic vision for sex education policy in the United States.
Among its many highlights, the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act:
• Recognizes young people’s right to sexual health information – the first time federal legislation has ever done so
• Prepares young people to make informed, responsible and healthy decisions about relationships and sexual health by including a comprehensive range of topics such as communication and decision-making skills; promoting safe and healthy relationships; and preventing unintended pregnancy, HIV, other STDs, dating violence, sexual assault, bullying, and harassment
• Includes grants for comprehensive sex education programs for adolescents and young adults in institutions of higher education
• Requires all funded programs to be inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and heterosexual youth and meet the needs of young people who are and are not sexually active
• Highlights the importance of, and provides resources for, teacher training to ensure that our nation’s sex educators have the tools they need to provide the highest quality comprehensive sex education possible to our nation’s youth.
We could never have reached this point without your help. Together, we advocated for years for the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act. Because of your hard work, the REAL Act passed "in spirit" with the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) that came out of the new health care law.
The Real Education for Healthy Youth Act is the next step in our work together to advance the sexual health of young people in the United States. Our allies in Congress heard you loud and clear when you spoke up about what’s missing in other federal programs (teacher training, programs for college youth, LGBT-inclusive programs, healthy relationships, etc.). Thanks to your efforts and their leadership, this bill has become a reality.
But our work to pass the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act is only beginning. Will you join us?
Despite having some of the worst sexual health outcomes in the developed world, thousands of young people across the U.S. are denied their right to comprehensive information and services. The continuation of ineffective and harmful abstinence-only-until-marriage programs simply cannot be tolerated, not now and not ever. Let’s work together to provide young people with the real education they need to make healthy, responsible decisions about their lives.
In solidarity,
Debra Hauser
Executive Vice President
Advocates for Youth
There is a turning tide in Texas and it’s in the direction of comprehensive sex ed according to The Texas Tribune, a leading news source covering state politics.
Of course, this significant improvement in sex ed policies across the state didn’t happen by accident. These changes are the product of a concerted effort by the Texas Freedom Network, Advocates for Youth and many other dedicated groups and individuals.
Folks like Susan Tortolero, the director of the University of Texas’ Prevention Research Center in Houston, have even created comprehensive sex ed curriculum that is being adopted and implemented in some of the most unlikely of places. Better sex ed is beginning to be found in the suburbs of Houston and as far west as Midland, a typically conservative area. According to Tortolero:
“It’s like we’re beyond this argument of abstinence, abstinence plus. Districts want something that works.”While many people still believe that talking about contraception gives children permission to have sex, or even encourages them to do so, Tortolero says research shows that teaching them about condoms and birth control actually delays sexual initiation.
“The more you know about your body, how to make better decisions and choices, the better decisions that adolescents make,” she said, adding, “The more we demystify it, the more we talk about it, the better.”
The Texas Freedom Network’s School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) initiative has been a significant part of this growing success. TFN is working with local activists across the state who serve on SHACs to advocate for comprehensive sex ed at the district level. As a result, sex education has been dramatically improved for 250,000 public school students in Texas. A number of our Texas CAMI youth participants are also serving on their SHACs and making a difference in places like Brownsville, Houston, Austin and El Paso.
Even the editorial board of The Houston Chronicle has caught on to this recent success to reform sex ed policy in Texas and recommends that the state continue to move in this direction.
There remain obstacles at the statewide level, despite this grassroots success. The Dallas Observer reports that Texas has declined to apply for Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding for the second year in a row. With the 3rd highest rate of teen births, and the 2nd highest percentage of repeat teen births, Texas sorely needs this federal funding for evidence-based programs.
Our expanded network of Texas Freedom Network Student Chapters, led by our CAMI youth members, has been an integral part of this movement for comprehensive sex ed. Some of the things they have accomplished so far include:
• Getting hundreds of Education Works petition signatures at petitions drives
• Hosting "Let’s Talk About Sex" film screenings on their campuses
• Tabling at various health fairs to grow membership and raise awareness
• Successfully lobbying Student Government Association at the University of Houston to pass a resolution in support of equal domestic partner benefits for faculty and staff
• Presenting as the only youth presenter on engaging young people in sex ed advocacy at the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy 2nd Annual Conference
And they have much more planned for the rest of the semester! I’ll update you again on the progress happening in Texas near the end of the year.
by Tim Allen
In September, Tell Them’s SWARM Council flew to Washington DC to attend the 11th annual Urban Retreat sponsored by Advocates for Youth, a national group that champions efforts that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Along with the South Carolina SWARM Council, 11 other organizations, domestic and international, gathered for the seminar and lobby day. In all there were 118 young people representing the youth of America, Jamaica, Nepal, Namibia and Nigeria.
The Council’s days were packed from breakfast at 7am till late into the evening. Council members analyzed how abstinence-only-until-marriage programs fail and how science-based education is the leading deterrent of unintended pregnancy, learned state and national policy and government structure, and even the ins and outs of lobbying. On September 12th we all broke up into our respective states and districts to lobby our Senators and Congressmen for continued funding for sex education and access to birth control.
The council reported having a great time sharing experiences and ideas with other young people from across the country. Many were surprised with the amount of information that was covered in such a short period of time. The council has made it back to their campuses and have begun to implement many of the techniques that they learned from the “Urban Retreat.” Be sure to follow their activity on the Buzz as we highlight their hard work!
This post was written by Tim Allen (pictured above) the Youth Activist Coordinator for Tell Them SWARM Council and cross posted from the following: blog.tellthemsc.org/2011/10/swarm-council-attends-urban-retreat-in-dc/
I watched a movie last night called “Christopher and His Kind,” a film based on the book by Christopher Isherwood about his time in Berlin, Germany in the 1930s. Before the Nazis came to power, Berlin was actually a pretty liberal place. In his time there, Isherwood was able to explore and express his sexuality in a relatively free manner. He lived in a boarding house and, while each of the tenants knew he was gay, no one treated him any differently.
I was interesting, and a little chilling, though, as the film moved further into the decade to witness the ever increasing rise of oppression as the Nazis gained prominence. The film showed this in sometimes subtle yet always powerful ways- Berlin was changing, and as it did you could feel the new sense of danger that Isherwood and the other characters faced.
One scene that was particularly striking for me was the book burning. It reached me on so many levels. I love to read- I read fiction and non-fiction in a variety of genres and I hate to think that any of the books I’ve read may have been deemed dangerous. I love to read because it’s an opportunity for me to learn, whether from intellectual curiosity or by experiencing the world from another point of view. Limiting horizons is always dangerous, and not allowing people the full scope of literature limits that person’s ability to understand the variety of human experience. Having access to books was especially important during the setting of the film because this was before television and decades before the internet could be used as a source of information.
It was also difficult to watch the book burning because you were experiencing it through the eyes of a writer. Not only that, but you could feel the fear that the burning represented. Berlin was no longer an open-minded place where Isherwood and his boyfriend were free to go about their lives. As the fire burned the books, it also tore away the sense that anything was going to remain the same.
But third, and more generally, the book burning made me think about how we value knowledge and why we sometimes set up parameters to the access of it. I see this most clearly in our country’s approach to sex education. Abstinence-only programs, which, aside from being proved to not delay sexual experiences or to lower rates of STIs and unplanned pregnancy, have been roved to give misleading and inaccurate information, enforce dangerous gender stereotypes, and ignore the needs of LGB and gender-variant youth.
Why does this happen? Why has over $1 billion of federal funds (generated by tax payers) gone toward these at best inadequate and at worse harmful programs? Why is scientifically accurate information about sexual health viewed as dangerous knowledge for young people to have? Why is a curriculum that is inclusive of LGBT youth and youth with disabilities deemed inappropriate? Why are we afraid of the truth and why are we afraid to face the realities of teen sexuality and a young person’s interest and need to learn about their body and health ways to navigate sexual relationships?
Isn’t it better to give people the tools, resources, and support to make healthy decisions than to keep this knowledge from them or limit the information they are given in an attempt to make them act according to someone else’s moral code? Knowledge isn’t about morals. And shouldn’t a point of sexuality education be about making and following your own rules?
Today we realize that burning books is a bad thing. People still try to get them banned, but generally the larger population realizes how backwards, small-minded, and fearful such attempts are. Yet too many people in decision-making positions still insist that restricting knowledge on something as relevant as sexuality is the preferred way to go. Maybe if they read a few books about it they would start to feel differently.
~ Samantha
Community Editor
OMG I’m still excited!! ^_^. This is my second year making NCAT a SafeSite (my first year being my freshman year and nowhere near as successful as this year!)
I received my box yesterday, and by 3:00 p.m. today, they were gone! As soon as I picked up my box, I wrote "Free Condoms!" on the sides of the box which turned out to be great marketing lol.
Then I headed straight for the cafe to eat. Our cafeteria has high chairs with a buffet so I sat down to eat my food and sat my box on the buffet…my grand marketing scheme worked like a charm! A bunch of young men came to pick up some condoms. I became disappointed in my fellow ladies because although they were looking, they seemed ashamed to come take some condoms for themselves )=. Before I left the cafe, though, I did have a few brave women comen and help themselves to the contraceptives.
(As I was leaving the cafe, it was hard getting people to accept the condoms…until I told them they were TROJANS! =D)
I had a rehearsal after I left the cafeteria, and my organization tried to take the whole box!! I took some of the condoms and placed them in the lobby of my major’s building, in a basket that just so conveniently happened to already be there (with the permission of our program’s director).
Today, I took my box to my French class and was able to convince some of my classmates to get some. My professor even took some! Around 2 p.m., I had about 50 left and I gave them to a friend to distribute to the band.
Making NC A&T a SafeSite was a GREAT social experiment. Based on the reactions I got, these are the things that I assume/witnessed:
1. Females, for the most part, are ashamed to be seen in public with condoms. One girl told me to "slide them across the table in my hand." In the cafe, I had to write on the side of the box "Ladies, you can have some too!" There were, however, some ladies who had no shame in their safe sex game! And I commend them for that.
2. You’ll receive a better/quicker response if you tell people that the condoms you are giving away are Trojan. People are used to the health departments giving out LifeStyles condoms and while I have never used one, apparently they break easily. You’ll receive an even quicker response if you say that you have Magnums.
3. When you run across people who are virgins, abstinent, or celibate (or CLAIM to be one of the three), reel them in by telling them that they can give them away to their friends/roommates/suitemates who have sex. Now, I have friends who are for the abstinence-only campaign so they weren’t down for my cause. While that was highly irritating, I was completely fine with that. As long as they didn’t try to debate why what I was doing was wrong (because I am THE debate queen), we were fine.
4. People are reluctant to take the leaflets because "they already know how to put on a condom." Once I told them that STDs can still be transferred if the condom is put on the wrong way, then flipped over, they changed their minds…even though that tidbit wasn’t on the leaflet.
All in all, this was a GREAT experience and I plan to participate every chance I get.
Operation Make North Carolina A&T State University a SafeSite: Success.
Garrett Mize is the Youth Advocacy Coordinator at the Texas Freedom Network and heads up the Texas Youth Leadership Council, the Texas portion of Advocates for Youth’s Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been sliding in the polls and his debate performances have hit a brick wall. It seems that after an initial flurry of excitement when he entered the race, primary voters are becoming increasingly disinterested with the “Texas miracle” governor. Just last night, Perry flubbed again when discussing basic facts about our country’s founding:
“Our Founding Fathers never meant for Washington, D.C. to be the fount of all wisdom. As a matter of fact they were very much afraid of that because they’d just had this experience with this far-away government that had centralized thought process and planning and what have you, and then it was actually the reason that we fought the revolution in the 16th century was to get away from that kind of onerous crown if you will.”
Not only is Perry off by a couple of hundred years when it comes to what century the American Revolutionary War took place but his sex ed policies are also incredibly outdated. His insistence on abstinence-only-until-marriage as the best approach for sex ed is beyond just being old-fashioned; it’s almost medieval!
Sex ed in the 21st-century should be medically-accurate, evidence-based, fully inclusive of LGBTQ youth and comprehensive. A true comprehensive sex ed program should also include information about abstinence as the only 100 percent effective method of birth control and STI prevention, but it should go further to include information about contraceptives and skills on having healthy relationships.
Despite the pleas of medical professionals, educators and public health leaders to shift toward comprehensive sex ed in Texas, Perry seems to prefer the sex ed policies of the 16th-century Puritans over 21st-century science.
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