For how obsessed our culture is with sex, we are pretty terrible at talking about what good sex looks like, how to have it by talking with our partners about mutual and shared pleasure, how to ask for what we want, how to say what we don’t. We are especially really terrible at teaching our…
Gender is not the only rigidly defined structure that shapes our sense of self, our relationships, and our culture. Sexuality has also been constructed in a way that limits our potential for self-realization and connection to other people. In US America, patriarchy and rape culture has mandated the sexist, transphobic, and homophobic structure of heteronormativity.…
I recently met a very sweet and compassionate 83-year old woman who took a great interest in my work. Despite our age and generational differences, her social and political outlook was not that different than mine. In a few instances where our thoughts were not aligned, we were able to have respectful dialogue, and I…
To truly revolutionize our understanding of consent in order to foster healthy relationships, and create a world free from violence, it is fundamental that we abandon any understanding in which consent is framed in competitive terms, as something that has to be “gotten,” or viewing consent as a possession that is transactional. Healthy relationships are founded with…
Positive and informed consent has become a central tenet of both discourse and policy around healthy relationships and sexual violence prevention programming. But it is much easier to talk about consent, or to reframe “no means no” ideology into “yes means yes,” than it is, in the intimate moments of a sexual interaction, either with a…
In four minutes or less, each animated Amaze video tackles a topic related to sex education such as girls or boys puberty, healthy relationships, gender identity, and “am I ready?” Most of the videos are rated as all ages (10-14), with some rated as teen, which are advised for the older side of that group.…
Besides the anonymous box where we could drop questions, I remember almost nothing of the formal “sex education” that I received through the public school system in 5th grade. I also don’t recall when or how I got “the talk” from my parents, or whether I ever did. I remember once asking my mom what…
As always, Planned Parenthood is an amazing resource for information that is easy to understand and quick to digest. In the above image, they tackle consent, and break it down for us all to grasp so that our sexual encounters are healthy, fun, and safe for all involved. – Brett Goldberg Consent is: Freely given.…