Current News: New Standards for Sex Ed.

Recently I happened upon this article (http://cnsnews.com/news/article/begin-sex-ed-kindergarten-says-new-national-standards-report) that discusses new recommendations for the national standards of sexual education. These standards include children being able to identify different family structures and know how to show respect to these different types of families, use the proper names for body parts, provide examples about how the media and various institutions affect gender roles, and being able to define sexual orientation, all by the time they finish elementary school. By the time they complete middle school, children should be able to think about gender and sexuality in the context of society, communicate respectfully with people different from them, and understand various types of contraception. And upon completion of high school students would be expected to be knowledgeable about emergency contraception and understand the skills and resources that are required to be a parent.

I personally think this is a great plan. If students learn about and become comfortable discussing things such as different family structures, sexual orientations, and gender identities from a very young age then they will be much more likely to be accepting of these things when they are older. I think this could potentially reduce the amount of bullying in schools, and possibly make it easier for LGBTQ students to accept themselves. In my opinion the availability of this type of information in schools is especially important considering the opinions of many parents who are opposed to this type of sex ed. (These opinions are stated very strongly in the comments at the end of the article; however, use caution in reading them as doing so may cause a complete loss of faith in humanity).  While I do recognize the fact that many people feel that sex education should be left up to parents, I believe that little progress will ever be made towards a more accepting society if a sex ed. program similar to this is not implemented because that would mean that children of parents who are intolerant of things like LGBTQ identities will continue to only receive negative, hateful messages about these topics. However, if a program like this is implemented then these children will have an opportunity to learn about these subjects in a positive and truthful light and will hopefully grow up to be more accepting than their parents.

Music Review: Body Love by Mary Lambert

I love, love, LOVE this song. It is so brutally honest about how society’s objectification of women affects women’s perceptions of their bodies – “I only know how to exist when I am wanted!” Mary Lambert sings about how women internalize these messages and spend so much time and effort “trying to fit into the social norm,” because they receive the message everyday that their worth lies in their body and whether or not men find their body “fuckable and attractive.”

Along with exposing the negative societal views on women’s bodies and sexualities, Mary Lambert delivers a beautiful message about how girls need to learn to embrace their body and sexuality:

“Take your hands over your bumpy love body naked

and remember the first time you touched someone

with the sole purpose of learning all of them

touched them because the light was pretty on them

and the dust in the sunlight danced the way your heart did

touch yourself with a purpose

your body is the most beautiful royal …                                                                                                                                                                  

you are worth more than who you fuck

you are worth more than a waistline

you are worth more than any naked body could proclaim

in the shadows, more than a man’s whim

or your father’s mistake”

This tells girls that they need to love and respect their body, and that their worth does not lie in how they are perceived by men. It also tells them that there is more to their sex and sexuality than “a man’s whim.” It sends the message that girls should express their sexuality however and with whomever they want to for their own pleasure and happiness.

About this blog

Sex-positivity: “It’s the cultural philosophy that understands sexuality as a potentially positive force in one’s life, and it can, of course, be contrasted with sex-negativity, which sees sex as problematic, disruptive, dangerous. Sex-positivity allows for and in fact celebrates sexual diversity, differing desires and relationships structures, and individual choices based on consent.” –Carol Queen

Considering all of the highly sexualized images and messages that are so prominent in today’s media, many people believe that we have moved far beyond the sex-negative views that our grandparents grew up with. However, while views about sex and sexuality have changed a lot in the past several decades, our culture is still far from sex-positive – especially for women.

In this blog I will explore the ways that our society and typical sex-education affects women’s perceptions of their own sexuality and female sexuality in general, as well as the ways in which we talk about sex and sexuality.

I am writing this blog because I know that, for me personally, when I finally discovered sex-positive information about sexuality I felt able to claim my body as my own, to use however I wish and to explore freely. I hope to be able to pass this information along so that other women can share in this freedom.