Why do we have SEX the way we do

(This is taken from MSNBC)

Dr. Leonard Shlain, a San Francisco surgeon and author of “Sex, Time and Power: How Women’s Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution,” speculates that ovulation had to be concealed because women wised up and realized sex led to pregnancy, which led to childbirth, which often led to death for the woman. “Once women understood they could die as a result of having sex, why wouldn’t they abstain from sex?”
But if women did not know when they ovulated, they wouldn’t know when they had to abstain in order not to risk dying nine months later (a theory that assumes they had a choice about whether to have sex).

Why do women orgasm? Why do they have prominent breasts even when they aren’t nursing a baby? Why can’t people tell when a woman is ovulating? Why would anybody even ask these questions?

Most people don’t, but evolutionary psychologists, biologists and anthropologists make a living doing so, and the possible answers give us some interesting clues to why we have sex the way we do today.

Men just don't seem to have the same number of unanswered questions about our biology. Male primates — male mammals in general — all have penises and testicles and sperm. We use them whenever we can. Unless we are sick or injured, we can make babies. And if anybody wants to know if we're interested, all they have to do is look to see if we're at attention To read more click here.

IDAHO

Here is the latest update for those of you in South Australia: This was passed on to me in an e-mail.

1 WEEK TO GO BEFORE
The INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA!

Hi there everyone!
We are the IDAHO Working Party and we are inviting you to help us celebrate diverse sexuality by saying NO to homophobia on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia. This relatively new event is slowly growing around the world, and we invite you and your service/organisation to get involved on May 17 by making your service a visibly safe space for GLBTIQ communities, putting up an information display or by educating other people in your service or your community about the issues facing GLBTIQ people. Put up a rainbow flag, attach a pride sticker or wear an anti-homophobia badge!

May 17, 1990 is the date that the World Health Organisation decided to legitimise homosexuality as a valid form of sexuality and lifetstyle by removing it from its list of mental illnesses.... only 17 years ago. This is why it is still so important to recognise the struggle of queer communities and that homophobia still exists in our societies.... and to celebrate May 17 and diverse sexuality in our country!

If you are really keen to support IDAHO, then you might be interested in getting hold of some Adelaide made IDAHO posters or postcards through Gay Men’s Health at the AIDS Council of SA OR you might even like to get out there and support the IDAHO Pre-Promotion Car Convoy on Saturday, May 12 as several smart and classic cars will weave through the city spreading the No Homophobia! Message and the need to celebrate IDAHO 07… and then meet us for a post convoy bite to eat at the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Thebarton. For more information please contact the Man to Man infoline on 8334 1617.
For more information on the May 17 International Day Against Homophobia visit the IDAHomophobia website at http://www.idahomophobia.org/ or http://www.homophobiaday.org/ or even http://www.idaho-uk.org/ For more information about homophobia around the world you can also visit the ILGA website at http://www.ilga.org/ Here you can find information, resources and even posters to put up around your workplace, your office or even your home!
Alternatively, there are several projects/services that you might like to contact individually to find out a little more:

The Inside Out Project
An information and support project for same-sex attracted guys 25 and under at the Second Story Youth Health Service
Ph: 8232 0233
www.insideout.cyh.com

The Evolve Project
An information and support project for same-sex attracted young women 25 and under at The Second Story Youth Health Service
Ph: 8232 0233

Gay Men’s Health – AIDS Council of SA
Man2Man Infoline – Sexuality, Health, Info, Support.
Ph: 8334 1617
www.acsa.org.au/gmh/

Shine SA
Sexual Health, Information, Networking and Education – clinic, information, counselling, groups/projects.
Ph: 8364 0444
www.shinesa.org.au

The Northern Rainbow Grrlz
A drop-in for same-sex attracted girls 25 and under at the Shopfront Youth Health and Information Service
Ph: 8281 1775

BFriend – Uniting Care Wesley
Support project for same-sex attracted people – groups, workshops, peer volunteers.
Ph: 8202 5805/8202 5192
www.ucwesleyadelaide.org.au/bfriend/

Gay and Lesbian Community Service of SA
Phone Counselling – 7 – 10pm every day, 2 - 5pm Sat and Sun.
Ph: 8334 1623

UNIDOS @ PEACE Multicultural Services - Relationships Australia
Info and support for GLBTIQ people from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background
Ph: 8245 8100

We hope you enjoy these emails and that you will be inspired to participate on May 17 and help us stamp out Homophobia in South Australia!!!
Kind Regards,

The IDAHO 07 Working Party

Teaching Tolerance - 5 steps to safer schools re same sex attracted

I came across this on the web at a site called teaching tolerance: Here is what they say about themselves:

Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance provides educators with free educational materials that promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity in the classroom and beyond.

I quite liked some of the things that i saw and wondered if you might want to have a look as well. This particulalry struck me which they call the ABC of sexual orientation. In thier ABC is 5 steps to safer schools. What do you think?

5 STEPS TO SAFER SCHOOLS

by Carrie Kilman
How can educators and schools create learning environments free of anti-gay discrimination?
1. Provide explicit support systems for LGBTQ students.Among the most effective ways to accomplish this in middle and high schools is through gay-straight alliances (GSAs), extracurricular clubs that bring students of all sexual orientations together. Research shows that students in schools with a GSA are less likely to feel unsafe, less likely to miss school, and more likely to feel like they belong at their school than students in schools with no such clubs.
2. Serve as allies and role models.One day, middle school teacher Joann Jensen overheard a student saying, "This is so gay!" as she passed out a homework assignment. Jensen turned to him and said, "Really? Is that piece of paper homosexual?" The student didn't say it again, and the class got the message that such language wouldn't be tolerated.
"Being able to identify a supportive faculty member is a huge factor in academic success and feeling safe in school," says Eliza Byard of GLSEN. "Teachers have a crucial role to play simply by being visible allies."
3. Employ inclusive and respectful curricula."You can have one opinion personally, but deal with an issue entirely different professionally," says Bonnie Augusta, LGBTQ resource teacher for the Madison (Wisc.) school district.
Augusta shared an anecdote from a local elementary school. "We have a teacher who, from a religious perspective, thinks homosexuality is wrong," she says. "But in her unit on the definition of 'family', she includes same-sex families as an example. She says, 'If my students can't see themselves reflected in the curriculum, how are they going to learn to read?'"
Note: See our recommended resources for early grades literature selections about family diversity.
4. Include anti-gay bullying in anti-harassment policies.Identifying specific types of abuse and inappropriate behavior can provide guidance and clarity to educators when a student is being harassed and can prevent anti-gay bullying from being excused as "kids being kids."
It's not just the existence of a policy that matters, but also how accessible it is, says Augusta. For example, reporting forms should be available to students and staff, and a process should be in place to monitor for both repeat harassers and repeat victims.
5. Advocate for statewide anti-discrimination laws.Wisconsin was the first state in the country to enact a law guaranteeing equal access to curriculum and extracurricular activities to all students, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.
"Statewide policy gives principals and districts the backup they need to do the right thing, even when it's controversial," says Byard. "Because LGBT issues are controversial, … it is hard to persist without the backup that statewide policy and legislative protection provides. And when districts are not proactive, statewide legislation can get the ball rolling."


This doesnt just have to apply to schools. I can see this applying to lots of youth groups and work places as well.

Do any of you employ something similar in your place of work? or with the young people that you work with?? Please comment.

Beyond Beats and Rhymes