Shame as a Public Health Issue

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… Read the rest

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7 Ways to Create a Sex-Positive Critique of Porn


One of the most common responses to the anti-porn critiques of pornography is that they’re sex-negative and all too often, that ends up creating a “no we’re not/yes you are” argument. And yet, whenever I read the anti-porn side of things, I’m struck by how often sex-negativity is woven into their claims, although in all fairness, that’s not always the case.

I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was that bothered me by the… Read the rest

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Risk Reduction and Sex Positivity

This post also appeared on the Good Vibrations Magazine.

One of the most important ways to help foster positive changes in peoples’ behaviors is to use a risk reduction approach. Rather than requiring 100% compliance with an unyielding rule, this philosophy says that any movement in a more healthy or safe direction is a good thing, whether it ultimately leads to completely letting go of risky behaviors or not.


While it may… Read the rest

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