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As a sex educator, I’ve been advocating for both risk reduction and harm reduction. In risk reduction, the goal is to lessen the chances that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen. When it comes to driving, for example, anti-lock brakes are risk reduction because they make it less likely that you’ll get into an accident. Condoms are also a form of risk reduction since they lower the odds of passing a sexually transmitted infection along.
By comparison, harm reduction is when you take steps to lessen the harm of whatever you’re going to do. Seatbelts reduce the harm of being in a car accident, for example. And getting regular STI tests makes it possible to get treatment sooner, which can reduce or avoid the harm
Continue reading The Pope’s “Sin Reduction” Model
I got this info in my inbox today and thought I’d pass it along. See below for details and feel free to pass it along to anyone who might be interested.
They also have openings for medical assistants, clinicians, and nurses.
How would you like to make a living being a San Francisco Sex Educator!
Golden Gate Community Health is hiring and we are looking for a highly qualified sex education professional. The ideal candidate would be familiar with SF schools, has experience teaching and ideally experience teaching sex ed. The must have their own transportation and be a able to work on their own as well as with a team.
For more information about the position check out the job description for Community Educator
Continue reading Golden Gate Community Health is Looking for Sex Educators
This post first appeared on the Good Vibrations Magazine.
The Sydney Morning Herald posted an article about medical doctors downplaying the possible impact of prostate cancer treatments on erectile function. Apparently, many of them are concerned that men will avoid or discontinue treatment, rather than risk losing the ability to have an erection.
All of the current treatments for prostate cancer have the risk of sexual side effects. That’s because the nerves that cause erection run right alongside the prostate and they can get damaged really easily. Even when the nerves aren’t actually hurt, they can go into shock from the process of being moved during surgery. Fortunately, they can often recover from that, but it takes time.
According to Anne Katz, PhD, author of
Continue reading Some Doctors Downplay Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatments
The NY Times reported today that anyone working out at a gym needs to be really careful to avoid skin infections such as MRSA, impetigo, jock itch, or athlete’s foot from contact with other people’s skin or from gym equipment. These Gym Transmitted Infections (GTIs- a term I just made up) can be annoying, in the case of athlete’s foot, or life threatening, in the case of MRSA. [As an aside, a great way to avoid jock itch is to put your socks on before your underwear. When you do it the other way round, you can transmit the fungus from your feet to your genitals.]
The article offers some great tips, such as assuming that you are being exposed to skin infections, washing
Continue reading GTIs vs. STIs: Notice the Difference?
We usually hear about sexual health in very cisgender-normative language. Men need prostate exams, women need gynecological exams. But transgender people have just as much reason to get sexual health medical care as anyone else. So I’m thrilled to share these public service announcements from the amazing Buck Angel. It’s about time that someone started getting the word out that medical care is about your anatomy, not your gender.
Please pass these along and help get the word out.
Continue reading Buck Angel’s PSA: Sexual Health for Trans Folks
This post also appeared on the Good Vibrations Magazine.
For years, safer sex advocates have been saying that self-esteem has a huge effect on how much people engage in risk-reduction and harm-reduction behaviors. That’s why many of the most effective intervention programs & organizations, whether online like Scarleteen.com or in-person like the StopAIDS Project, offer counseling and support, in addition to information.
So I was really interested to read this post on ScienceDaily.com about research showing that among the 1,000 HIV-positive and negative gay and bisexual men surveyed:
Almost 10 percent of the participants reported that they had been victims of childhood sexual abuse and nearly 30 percent had experienced gay-related victimization between the ages of 12 and 14, including verbal insults, bullying, threats of
Continue reading Shame as a Public Health Issue
Sexual shame is one of the most difficult pieces of sexuality for many people. Yet in my experience, talking about it and exploring it is also one of the most rewarding. Unlike many educators, I don’t see any value in trying to create a shame-free world, any more than I see a reason to create a world without anger, sadness, joy, or pleasure. Like all of our other emotions, shame is simply part of the human experience and I prefer to explore constructive ways that we can work with it. After all, I don’t think there’s any shame in feeling shame.
I’m really pleased to announce that I’ll be offering a workshop on the topic through San Francisco Sex Information. This workshop is open to
Continue reading Upcoming Workshop: Sexuality and Shame
This showed up in my blog feed and I wanted to pass it along. The folks doing this study are amazing folks and I can definitely vouch for them. Feel free to pass this along.
Researchers from The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University are conducting an online survey regarding women’s sexual experiences and body image during the postpartum period.
For this study, we are recruiting women who have given birth for the first time in the past year (e.g., first time mothers whose baby is one year old or younger). Women who choose to participate in the survey will be asked questions about their birthing experience as well as their body image and sexual behaviors.
The online survey will take approximately 10-15
Continue reading Call for Participants: Survey on Postpartum Sexual Experiences & Body Image
I often say that whatever is going on in your life shows up in your sex life. Usually, though, I’m talking about how relationship dynamics, unspoken resentments, unresolved issues, or old emotions can affect things. It’s really common for individuals and couples to seek a therapist for help with their sex lives when the real problem is something else- arguments about money, stress about work, communication falling apart or such. Quite often, when those concerns are resolved, sex suddenly becomes much easier. While sexual difficulties may be the initial reason for getting support, they’re not always the actual challenge.
There’s more and more information coming out about how similar patters can emerge on a physical/medical level, too. According to this report on ScienceDaily.com, erectile dysfunction
Continue reading Erectile Dysfunction and Men’s Health
Please pass this along to anyone who might be interested.
Call for Participants: Sexually Able
Sexually Able aims to bring light upon sexuality and dis/ability, and create a path for peoples’ voices to be heard.
What is it? It’s a large scale survey of self identified people with disabilities and their partners. Eventually, it’ll be turned into a book for people to read, enjoy and see the rich and diverse sexuality that is within the disability community.
Why is this needed? As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, there is still a large gap in people’s minds when they think about sexuality as it relates to people with disabilities, whether cognitively or physically. While some studies have been performed regarding the potential
Continue reading Call for Participants: Sexually Able
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