Newsworthy Sex - Vol 2: Transgender

The Barrie Examiner recently published a great article which has given me hope for a more progressive and accepting view of sexual diversity. This article features 17 year old Kyle, a young transgendered individual who has been strong enough to come "out and into the mainstream high school halls in his stilettos last September". Kyle has since become involved with local politics and works to educate people and encourage acceptance and tolerance.  Kyle is a wonderful example of a strong, positive representative of the Barrie LGBT youth community.

This article is well worth reading, and you can find it at this link: Breaking Out - Transgender teen touts tolerance while serving as ‘mayor’.

Sex Myths BUSTED!

As a sexual health educator, I get asked a lot of interesting questions.  Often, the person asking the question has simply been misinformed or has misunderstood a piece of otherwise accurate information.  For example, I've had a number of young women and young men say "A girl can't get pregnant when she has her period" ... which is a myth.  Women can become pregnant at any time throughout their cycle.

The blog site Real Sex Ed posted a great post recently -- Top 10 Myths about Safe Sex and Sexual Health.  This post debunks myths about douching, the morning after pill, and the age-old "STI from a toilet seat", to name a few.

Read, learn and enjoy!

Candice :)

Glee and the "F" word

I've blogged about Glee before and after recently re-watching the Lady Gaga episode (Season 1, Episode 20), I wanted to write about it again.

This episode features one of my all-time favourite scenes from this progressive, diversity-friendly show.  I'm talking about the scene where Kurt and Finn are arguing over Kurt's remodel of their bedroom, and Finn drops the "F" word.  Burt Hummel (Kurt's father) overhears Finn's outburst.  It's what he says to Finn that really gives me goose bumps - and hope - that we can teach our young people about acceptance regardless of sexual orientation.

I've tried to find a good clip of this scene ... the one that I am posting below isn't the greatest quality, but it will do the job.



If you want to watch this or any other episode of Glee, I've got you covered!  Click here for this episode of Glee (Theatricality), and here to watch many other shows for free.

Thanks for reading,

Candice :)

DIY Paternity Tests

I just came across an interesting post on a blog site called "Real Sex Ed". I have not yet had an opportunity to fully explore this site, however I wanted to share this post with you.

It seems that the question of paternity (in Britian) can now be solved in a relatively inexpensive and convenient fashion - Do-It-Yourself Paternity Tests!  It would seem that sex education is a never-ending adventure!

The article can be found here:
Who’s Your Daddy? Do-It-Yourself Paternity Tests Hit Pharmacies Across Britain

Happy learning and thanks for reading!
Candice :)

What's in a name?

As you may be aware, I am involved with the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County.  As a result, my knowledge of what's happening in the HIV/AIDS community has increased substantially.  And since the educator in me is ... well ... pretty much all of me, I'd like to share some of my knowledge with you!



So, I want to pose a question to you ... feel free to respond by leaving a comment or sending an email.  If you don't want to respond that's fine, just give it some thought ...

What comes to mind when you hear the word AIDS?

For me, I think of an illness resulting from an incurable and fully preventable infection.  I think of the people I educate who are at risk of becoming infected, and may not even realize it.  And I think of the unfortunate and damaging stigma that has been ingrained into our subconscious minds since the early 1980's.

It's this stigma that I want to talk about in this post, and this stigma that I want you to think about while you're reading it.  There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings related to HIV and AIDS that people are hesitant to associate themselves with organizations such as the AIDS Committee of Simcoe County (ACSC).  I read an article today that really speaks to this issue, which I want to share with you.  The message of the article is that the acronym AIDS is so heavily stigmatized that some ASO's (AIDS Service Organizations) in Vancouver are considering changing their names and removing AIDS [from their names] entirely.

You can find the article here: AIDS groups remove 'AIDS' from their names

I would really like to hear your thoughts about this!  Feel free to email me or post a comment.

Thanks for reading,

Candice

Newsworthy Sex - Vol 1: Sex education in the schools

We are bombarded by sex every day.  All we have to do is turn on the tv, listen to the radio, flip through a magazine ... you get the picture.  Unfortunately, most of the sex we see and hear about is unrealistic, scandalous, or even downright ridiculous.

So, I'm on the hunt for real, newsworthy sex.

Today, I am featuring a fascinating video clip from CBC Archives, entitled "Sex education in the schools".  This Canadian clip was aired on Oct. 23, 1969.  The clip is over 26 minutes long and very informative.

I find it fascinating that so many issues we're struggling with now - what to teach kids about sex in schools, how young is too young, whether this kind of education is appropriate, and whether to even teach sex ed in schools - are the issues discussed in this clip over 40 years ago.

This clip features teachers, parents and children, voicing a number of opinions about the concept of sex education in schools.  You can find the clip here - enjoy!

*Did you know?


• Sex education in the schools became a hot topic in Canada around 1967. According to the Globe and Mail, an Ontario legislative committee on youth that year recommended a curriculum consisting of "family living; planned parenthood; morals and sex in our culture; the sex act and the reproductive process; contraception; venereal diseases; the psychological and emotional implications of sex."

• Others in the education system were vehemently opposed to teaching about sex in the schools. In 1969, the Globe and Mail reported on a Toronto trustee who appeared at a school board meeting to denounce the concept as "a Communist plot."

Source: Sex education in the schools. The CBC Digital Archives Website.  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  Last updated: July 9, 2008.  http://archives.cbc.ca/society/education/clips/15389/