It's All About Sex

It's no secret that 2012 was a bit of a struggle for me. One of the difficulties I continually ran into was a lack of content for my blog. I simply didn't want to write, and when I did want to write, I didn't know what to write about. It wasn't "flowing" the way writing always has for me. This quickly became a debilitating and frustrating cycle, and eventually, I pushed posting to the back of my mind.

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Since then I've realized that one of the key issues was that I was holding myself back -- telling myself that everything I wrote had to be about sex, sex ed, sexuality ... and I felt very limited and uninspired. I mean, sex is a fantastic topic, but I'll be the first to admit that there's more to life!

The more I engaged in reflection and redefining my goals, however, the more I realized that sexuality is as much a part of day-to-day life as eating and breathing. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that our entire day-to-day lives are (or should be) consumed by sex ... we'd never get anything done! And I'm also not saying that every person is/should be highly sexual.

What I mean is that sexuality - our sexual energy / sexual self - is ingrained into how we interact with and see ourselves, others and the world in general.

Does that make sense?

I'll use myself as an example. Through my self-reflection have realized that, among other things, my energy / essence is very sensual and flirtatious. I thrive off of positive interactions with others, no matter who the other person is. This doesn't mean that I'm having sex with every person I meet (wow, that would be exhausting, not to mention dangerous!). It does, however, mean that my energy - my essence - is part of every interaction with others. And sex is a major part of my energy. This helps explain why people have always been drawn to me and why I've never had trouble finding a lover, should I want one. I'm not saying that's all there is to it, but I definitely feel that my energy has had a lot to do with my interpersonal interactions.

The point of this post is to say that I will be writing about more than overtly obvious sex this year. I believe that, if you look closely enough, you will see the energies of life behind every experience. And quite often there will be a sexual component to those energies.

So in the end, it's all about sex. ;)

Innocence and Corruption

One of the (many!) fun and interesting aspects of my chosen path is coming across people who have differing opinions from my own. Having earned a BA in Philosophy, I have learned a great deal about critical thinking and logical arguments. I've learned the importance of listening to and learning from others ... as well as having the ability to let things go and, at times, agree to disagree.

Another interesting component of my work is that I sometimes receive interesting messages. While most of the people who contact me are interested in knowledge or want to ask me a question, that's not always the case. What follows is an email conversation I've recently had with someone (we'll call him "T") who found me via my website:

[box] Does the Orillia Youth Centre promote sex education or counsel teens to have an abortion?[/box]

[box] Hi T,

When I was affiliated with the OYC, they promoted education. My role at the OYC was to offer sex education.

Comprehensive education includes knowing about all options. But no, they do not counsel teens to have abortions. That is a personal choice.

I suggest talking to someone at the OYC if you have further questions or concerns.

Candice[/box]

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Candice,

I do not agree with sex education, including the use of contraception.  You
are helping to destroy the innocence of young ones.  Please stop.

T

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What do you think happens when kids don't learn the realities of their own bodies? They experiment and - whoops! - 14 and pregnant.

I am empowering youth to make decisions and protect themselves from pregnancy and potentially fatal infections. I'm teaching them how to be healthy, productive and responsible members of society. If anything, I am helping to preserve their innocence -- how innocent is a 15 year old mother?

Perhaps you should educate yourself. I have a lot of accurate and easy to understand information on my website.

Thanks for your feedback,

Candice

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Abstinence is the only way.  Sex is reserved between a husband and wife for the primary purpose of having children.  This is what was taught in the past and history is the proof that the teenage problems we have today were virtually non-existent.  Your method only encourages them to have sex which leads to all these problems.

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Sorry, I don't wish to waste my time on a senseless argument that will get
us nowhere. Think what you may, but you are out of touch with the realities
of the world if you seriously believe what you're saying.

You are fighting a losing battle. Good luck.

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God will win the battle for us.  You are fighting a hopeless fight and
endangering your soul to eternal damnation.  Turn around while you still
can.

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Thanks for the heads up. I will take my chances.

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Cheers to 2013

Well hello there!

It's been a while - over four months actually - since my last post. While I didn't want to neglect Sex Ed Central, I did need to take some time for me, and I've made some significant changes in that time.

I'm now feeling ready to be back and to continue building on the foundation of sexuality and sex education that I've been establishing for a few years now. I'm happy to be back!

I spent much of 2012 trying to establish what "being healthy" and "taking care of myself" means to me. Since my last post, I've joined the gym, worked with a personal trainer each week, revamped my diet (gluten-free and loving it!) and lost over 20 lbs. I make an effort to take my vitamins and stretch every day. AND I've taken on a new, exciting venture by becoming an Arbonne Independent Consultant.

So, what's in store for 2013?

Simply put, this is going to be an AMAZING year! Sex Ed Central workshops are up and running, the blog posts are being written and there's plenty of Newsworthy Sex to share. There's also love, laughter and incredible friendships to enjoy and write about. What more could I possibly ask for?!

Life is amazing, I'm happier than I have ever been, and things continue to get better every day.  I'm looking forward to sharing and growing with you throughout 2013 and beyond.

Happy 2013 everyone!

Candice :)

For the sake of passion

Why do you - or people in general, for that matter - have sex?

Some may argue that the only reason we do - or should - have sex is to make babies. You've heard the reasoning ... sex without the possibility of procreation is a sin (or whatever negative label that particular person/group feels is appropriate) and blah, blah, blah.

I'm not even going to bother with that argument because most of us are reasonable enough to know that it's a big pile of BS. In reality, we often have sex / engage in sexual activity for the pleasure of it. It's fun, it's a great way to connect to yourself and/or your partner(s), and it feels good.

Up until this point I've focused on many aspects of sex ed -- birth control, sexually transmitted infections, and sexual diversity -- to name a few. I haven't spent much time talking about pleasure and things we can do to enhance the fun that can be sex.

Things are changing, starting now. After much consideration, I've decided to branch into a new venture. I am now officially a Passion Parties Consultant!

What does this mean? It means new offerings -- in the form of Passion Parties! It means talking about lots of fun stuff -- toys, lubes, creams and oils, to name a few. It means educating others -- particularly women -- about these products. And it also means I'm now selling lots of goodies!

AND it means contests! One is in the works now and I will be posting more information in the next few days.

I hope you're as excited about this as I am ... Stay tuned!

Candice :)

Not If It's Legitimate Rape

Today's post is my commentary on an article published by The Telegraph today, entitled "Republican congressman: 'legitimate rape' does not cause pregnancies".

According to US Representative Todd Akin, "the female body has ways of trying to shut that whole thing down" if a woman has become pregnant following a "legitimate rape". Although he does not explain how a woman's body can tell the difference, he does claim to have gleaned this understanding of the female body from "doctors".

So there you have it folks, from a man who knows all about these things thanks to "doctors". Our bodies can just "shut the whole thing down" if we females become pregnant via "legitimate rape".

PHEW!

I guess we don't need access to safe, legal abortion after all. Who would've thought it could be so easy?

*Post-publishing addition: Still confused about what "legitimate" rape is? This article on Jezebel.com should help clear things up for you, and also highlight the ongoing idiocy of some (sadly) powerful and influential people. To me, this statement says it all:

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Excerpt from The Official Guide to Legitimate Rape:

Let's stop differentiating between different types of rape as if they were different flavors at an ice cream shop. Politicians need to get over the pervasive fear that adopting a zero-tolerance attitude towards rape means that people will be able to disingenuously "cry rape" if they're having a bad day. That's not going to happen. You know what's way more dangerous? Allowing legislators like Akin to make declarative statements that are unarguably false. If you don't know how basic biology works, you shouldn't be able to hold a government position that gives you real power over the bodies of millions of women.

Sure, it would be a hell of a lot easier if uteri were able to define rape for us. But they can't, and it's insane to pretend otherwise.
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And there's also this great post, from PsychCentral.com, which talks about the actual statistics surrounding rape and pregnancy: Rep. Todd Akin, Abortion and Rape

Thank You

This flyer arrived in my inbox today and I wanted my blog to be the first place I share it. After all, my nomination for an Ontario College's Premier's Award is thanks to Sex Ed Central's ongoing growth and success.

It is an honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award and I am grateful to many special family members and friends for their never-ending love, encouragement and support. Of course, thank you to my readers, followers and supporters for being part of this awesome journey. And thank you to Georgian College for this wonderful recognition!

Wish me luck at the Gala in November!

Candice :)

P.S. Thank you to Analyzed Marketing Solutions for taking care of all of my web needs!

 

The Benefits of Contraception

I'm a big-time advocate for contraception. There's been study after study and article after article demonstrating the positive effects birth control has on the lives of both women and men. But rather than make you read about all the facts and statistics around birth control, I'm opting to share a video with you instead.

This video from the Guttmacher Institute arrived in my inbox not so long ago, and I was so impressed that I wanted to share it with the world! So world, here's your opportunity to learn about how awesome birth control really is. Although this video uses American statistics, the benefits are the same for women everywhere.

Enjoy!
Candice



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Related Links:

Hormonal Birth Control Options

Non-Hormonal Birth Control Options

Birth Control: You Have Options - 1

Birth Control: You Have Options - 2

Pregnancy & Contraception

Declines in US Teen Births

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