Worry about penis size

I often have young men ( and older men) wonder about thier penis, the size of thier penis and their anxiety around penis size and performance. Click here to listen to a nice mp3 from the Kinsey Confidential blog that addresses this issue.

Awesome message from Chelsea Lewis YWCA

Thanks to Lucy Cirocco, Manager Women's Health Statewide for passing this on

"My emails often draw attention to the things we lament when it comes to the advancement of women’s rights, women’s leadership and women’s safety. So I thought it is appropriate to end the year with some positive reflections on the good things we have seen happen in 2011.

Rebecca Richards at the age of 23 became Australia’s first Indigenous Rhodes Scholar. She arrived at Oxford University in September.

Brazil has its first female President in Dilma Rousseff, and closer to home Lara Giddings became Tasmania’s first female Premier.

Patricia Waria-Read was the inaugural winner of the new Australia Day Council of South Australia award to recognise outstanding women, the Women Hold Up half the Sky Award. And at the same Australia Day awards at the start of the year Anne Levy, the fourth woman ever elected to South Australia’s Parliament, became an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her life-long fight for equality.

Christine Lagarde became the first woman to be Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and IBM appointed its first-ever female CEO – Virginia Rometty.

Eleni Glouftsis made amateur football league history in August as the first woman field umpire to officiate a division one game. And the sports pages in the newspaper had one woman on its back page … that was Sam Stosur when she won the US Open.

Legacy – the organisation that assists war widows – appointed the first ever woman to its Board. You go Dianne Fairhead.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard appointed Penny Williams as Australia’s first Global Ambassador for Women and Girls, making Australia one of only a small group of countries to have a special women's ambassador. The Prime Minister also announced the Federal Government will fund the outcomes of the Equal Pay Test Case; and then ended the year with a Cabinet with more women Australia has ever seen and the announcement that Nicola Roxon will become the nation's first female attorney-general.

Here in South Australia the revised State Strategic Plan featured – for the very first time – a Target to reduce violence against women. And the new A Right to Safety Strategy was launched; and on 9 December, the new Intervention Orders (Prevention of Abuse) Act came in to effect.

The ASX has seen the highest level of percentage increase of female appointments across the Boardroom Diversity Index. From a low base of 8.3 per cent in 2008 the percentage of ASX200 board positions held by women had grown to 10.9 per cent by March 2011.

Here at the Y some of our 2011 highlights included the launch of our Aboriginal Young Women’s Leadership Program; and the launch of women@work – an intensive arts based education program for long term unemployed women.

Award winning local filmmaker Sophie Hyde was our inaugural Conversation 1:5:1 guest; and thousands saw our powerful positive self image projection project in Rundle Street.
YWCA’s Go Girls! Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds program reached more than a hundred girls and here is what three participants from Enfield Primary School had to say at the end of the 8 week group mentoring program: “I learnt how to look at life from a different perspective, learn to be more assertive and confident, learn new physical activities and other activities. Go Girls! is AWESOME!”
“In Go Girls! I learnt that you have to be yourself no matter what and you also have to be careful with the friends you have, and you should always feel safe anywhere you go.”
“I don’t know where to start from because I’ve learnt so much but the best ones are to be proud of myself and feel confident by not caring what other people think. I’ve learnt a lot of balanced eating, and what healthy foods are. I’ve learnt how to be a good friend and open up myself with friends. I’ve had more self-esteem.”

The Y was quoted in the media 33 times advocating on behalf of young women; and our inaugural WordUp Advocacy Workshop inspired young women to advocate for themselves.
And that’s just scratching the surface really.

In 2012 we look forward to further expansion among our programs, reaching even more girls and young women, and in particular we are quite excited about our first Young Women’s Leadership Conference - SHE Leads.
We will be releasing our SHE Speaks survey results on International Women’s Day; holding another WordUp workshop; developing our next Policy Platform; and supporting hundreds of young women on their leadership pathways.

We look forward to seeing you along that pathway, and we wish all of our members, volunteers, stakeholders, supporters and friends a festive season marked by a true sense of safety, contentment, pride and love.


Chelsea Lewis Communications ManagerYWCA of Adelaide
17 Hutt Street Adelaide, South Australia +61 8 8203 9412 direct+61 425 286 064 mobile+61 8 8203 9498 fax http://www.ywca.com.au/"

Researchers Find That Abstinence-Only Education Does Not Lead To Abstinent Behavior

Researchers Find That Abstinence-Only Education Does Not Lead To Abstinent Behavior

New Study Says Men Are Not Sex Crazed After All

New Study Says Men Are Not Sex Crazed After All

Orgasm brain scan

The movie animation - consisting of a series of snapshots taken two seconds apart - shows how 80 different brain regions (40 on each laterality) respond. It uses colors to represent oxygen utilization levels in the brain, displayed on a spectrum from dark red, progressing to orange, yellow and finally white (highest level of activity). When orgasm is reached, nearly the entire brain becomes an illuminated yellow/white. Go HERE to read more.

Tough Guise

If you like Jackson Katz the author of 'The Macho paradox' and one of my hero's, anti sexism advocate, anti violence advocate and social activist; then you may wish to watch his 1999 film 'tough guise' which can be located here at The Good Men Project.

The phrase “tough guise” implies that the tough guy act is just that: an act. In real life, toughness is not necessarily masculine, and masculinity is not necessarily tough, but if you ask American culture, it will tell you the two are the practically synonyms. The Marlboro Man. The Terminator. Rambo. Real men. Gandhi? You pussy.

Go have a look

Remember Ruby.

THANKS TO ADIOS BARBIE FOR THE FOLLOWING

The late Anita Roddick (1942-2007), the founder of The Body Shop, wanted to do something about false representation of women. In 1997, the socially-conscious international cosmetics franchise and Host Universal created Ruby: a chubby-cheeked, chestnut-haired, computer-generated figurine. Ruby was the brainchild of The Body Shop’s self-esteem campaign, “Love Your Body.” Her size 16 image was accompanied by the caption, “There are 3 billion women who don’t look like supermodels and only 8 who do.” She sent the message that you should love what you’ve got, not loathe it.

If you’re familiar with Ruby, you know that she’s not easy to locate. So, where’s this confident and curvaceous character been hiding? You can find her here, alongside other rejected and banned ads. We can thank Mattel for Ruby’s label of “Banned.” The U.S. toy manufacturer thwarted the innovative campaign in its early days by serving The Body Shop with a cease-and-desist order; all posters had to be removed from American shops. Click here to read more.....

Great Website

I have had this described as 'A website that ticks all the boxes' Go here to have a look. The website is 'The Consensual Project'. Here is what they say about themselves:

The Consensual Project

The Consensual Project partners with schools and universities to bring students a fresh understanding of consent. The innovative curriculum, workshops, and website empower young people to incorporate consent into their daily lives. The Consensual Project is committed to helping students connect through consent.

The Consensual Project Has Game

Sex and sexual communication is an art. For many in our generation, it’s called Game. Everybody’s got Game but not everyone’s Game is that good. This is where consent comes in.

Before we start, let’s be clear, Game can be Good, Bad and Ugly.

Go on: Explore this website. It seems to have a really new innovative approach.

Great Picture

Fantastic poster passed on to me by Craig Murray ( from the Southern ShineSA) who passed it on from one of the Y@s that he works with. Thought you might like this.

Sexual Health Awareness Grants

It's time to start planning for next years SHAW event. All you need to do is apply to shine for a grant and then host an event.

The theme for 2012 is Chlamydia ... It's Easy! Easy to get. Easy to test. Easy to treat. The aim is to encourage young adults to get tested.

ShineSA suggests the following ideas for events.:

Suggestions for activities

Each year agencies and community groups participate in Sexual Health Awareness Week in a variety of ways.

Examples of activities could include:

• hosting a workshop or forum with a guest speaker
• devoting a regular drop in/program session to SHAW
• running arts-focused workshops around the theme of SHAW
• organising a competition with a SHAW theme
• hosting a movie night
• organising an excursion to a health clinic for testing

We encourage you to think outside the square and plan events that use a creative approach to health promotion.

In the above picture is 'Paper Tiger' playing at the 2011 SHAW event at Victor Harbor

I have been part of several events and they can be great fun. So go on.......do it.

Numbers of under 15 males in Oz.

According to the Australian Institute of health and welfare 'The health of Australia's Males' June 2011
there are 11.1 million males living in Australia. 20% of these are under the age of 15 ( app 2.2 million). Thats a lot of young fellas.( Go here to get the report).
I hope they all have love and safety.

Youth more than happy to help out for free

I often hear a view that young people do not join in their community, are lazy and will not help out or volunteer. Well...... According to Volunteering SA. YOUNGER generations prefer volunteer roles with flexible hours rather than regular weekly commitments. Approximately 25% of young people volunteer regularly (only 5% less than adults).


If you want to read more go here


In addition There is something different about the 3.6 billion or so people - more than half the world's population - who are aged under 30 today. But it is not, as it is so often charged, that they are a politically apathetic group.

To read more go here

Some of my thoughts.

As a person who works in Sexual Health and is a sexologist I want to share a few things with you.

 1. I don't find it funny when people joke about my work such as " (smutty laugh) So... do you teach practical" This is offensive and indicates the persons ignorance of the range of relationships and sexual health education that is often more important than 'sex' itself.

 2. I sometimes get discouraged when I continue to hear stories of sexual violence and sexual abuse perpetrated by men. Yet.... it is this continuous bombardment of stories that also motivate me to get out there and do something about it. If you are a man and want to do something to stop mens violence DO SOMETHING. A good way to start is joining in on this years 'White Ribbon Day' activities. Go here to see what is happening near you.

3. Young people that are struggling, young people that live on the streets, young people that live every day under conditions that many in our society BLAME them for ARE HERO'S. Anybody that can survive, and learn to thrive; anybody that can survive - and then suddenly can't; any young person that lives today under stressors and pressures that I can't really get a hold on - Are hero's and should be treated as such.

4. You can't tell by looking at someone if they are gay - and WHO CARES?? Stop joining in the culture of homophobia. You don't need to say 'my gay' friends. If they are your friends then that is enough of a discriptor.

5. Condoms are the best protection against STIs. But..... people often say they dont like them or want to use them. So why isn't there a better substitute. ( Don't ask me what it is - I'm just writing thoughts).

6. I once heard a speaker talk about ways to lessen the incidence of youth violence, youth suicide, youth anti social activities. This guy said " If each adult in this town learned the name of 6 young people ( outside of thier family) and spoke to these young people by name every time they saw them then the incidence of antisocial behaviour would decline. This would work better than any programme ( anti bullying, anger management, etcetc).Do you know the names of 6 young people that you see about  your neighbourhood?
 Do you say high to them? Engage with them.


7. Being sex positive is better than being sex negative.

YWCA ONLINE FORUM for young rural women

Domestic violence? Poor access to sexual health services? Financial stress? YWCA Australia invites young women in rural, regional and remote areas of Australia to participate in an online forum to tell us about the issues that are important to you. The forum will take place on Tuesday 25 October, between 8pm-9.30pm AEDT. We’ll take your views to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York early next year, which will focus on the empowerment of rural women. More information All you need to participate is an email address. Simply go to www.ywca.org.au on the night and follow the links to the live discussion.

watch what you watch

Speaking of gender roles

Thought you might enjoy this picture from the Adios barbie FB page: Go here to have a look

Issues We Notice

Here are some of the issues we notice when working with young people at risk around sexual health:

• Homophobia
• Hyper Gender Behaviour
• Coercion
• Lack of knowledge of sex/bodies
• No opportunities to talk about pleasure
• Communication about sexuality
• Isolation
• High Rates of STIs
• Depression
• Medications and how they effect sexual health
• Abuse 
• Unplanned Pregnancy
• Sex for favours
• Violence
• Abuse
• Not Accessing Services
• WORKERS ATTITUDES
• CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT THIS STUFF WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS

Positive Sex and Relationships are a skill

Positive Sexual Health and Relationships require  knowledge

Maintaining Positive Sexual Health is an Attitude

I was always taught in my VET training that skills+knowledge+attitude= competency.

Well how about we as a country start looking at Sexual health in the same way we look at other skills and fields of knowledge. Lets provide opportunities for young people to develop competencies in these areas, lets teach the skills, lets extend the knowledge. Maybe if we do this we wont have to make such a long negative list of issues. Wouldn't it be nice to have the following as our list of issues:

Good orgasms

Happy relationships

Great communication around sex and sexuality

Acceptance of Diversity

Feelings of inclusiveness

Challenging damaging gender roles

I'm not dreaming here: This IS possible

Number of partners??

This is one of those things that is talked about in so many situations. School rumours and workplace reputations are built around this. Gendered ideas of love and fidelity come in to play. Couples and jealousies, religion and poltitics. Its all there. Cory Silverberg in his post 'Number of Sex Partners' has a great discussion about this. It may give you some really good conversation points with the young people that you work with when they bring this stuff up. Go here to see Cory's post on about.com.sexuality.

Hey There Chlamydia

sexy Ever After - Intimacy Post Cancer

I have just been reading this e book from goodinbed; Sexy Ever After Intimacy Post Cancer. I haven't finished yet (190 pages).
The book seems pretty comprehensive and covers topics such as : ( This book is currently free to download)


Part 1: What Does Your Cancer Diagnosis
Mean For You and Your Partner?
Chapter 1: The Most Common Cancers
For Men and Women
Chapter 2: How You and Your Partner
Can Deal with a Cancer Diagnosis

Part 2: Men and Women — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 3: Fatigue
Chapter 4: Shortness of Breath
Chapter 5: Urinary Incontinence
Chapter 6: Infertility
Chapter 7: Low Libido
Chapter 8: Low Self-Esteem
Chapter 9: Low Body Image Due to Presence of
Tracheostomy, Stoma, or Colostomy
Sexy Ever After: Intimacy Post-Cancer

Part 3: Women — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 10: Breast Removal
Chapter 11: Issues with Arousal and Orgasm
Chapter 12: Hot Flashes
Chapter 13: Vaginal Tightness
Chapter 14: Vaginal Dryness

Part 4: Men — How Can Your
Cancer Diagnosis Affect Your Sex Life?
Chapter 15: Dry Orgasms and
Retrograde Ejaculation
Chapter 16: Erectile Dysfunction
Chapter 17: Premature Ejaculation
Part 5: Best Practices for Your Love Life
Chapter 18: Top 10 Rules for Your Best Sex Life
Chapter 19: Top 10 Rules for Your Best Love Life

If you think this book may support you in your work or daily life have a read. Let me know what you think of it. Is it something we could recommend to others?

Men? Women? Who is most likely to go in for an STI test

I was just looking through the clinic 275 statistics for 2010 in one of the  quarterly surveillance reports in 2010. what really struck me was that males only accounted for 30% of the people that go in for testing. This means that women account for 70% of those being tested. Of course we are going to continue to have spiraling numbers of young people with an STI if this trend does not reverse. We ( workers/parents/friends) need to support young men to go in and get tested. Stay tuned for a short mp4 of a young Adelaide man telling his stiry of getting tested.

Men and HPV vaccination

Reading in mens health on msnbc;  according to a new study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Between 1988 and 2004, head, neck and throat cancers that tested positive in men  for the human papilloma virus rose an astounding 225 percent. 
The suggestion is that these are almost always from male to female oral sex. Furthermore this study predicts that that within the next decade this type of cancer in men will surpass rates of cervical cancer in women.
What seems crazy about this is that maybe all it would take to protect men is to have the same vaccination for HPV that women do. For many of us working in the sexual health field we have been suggesting this since the vaccination became available. Not necessarily for this reason tho. Because both men and women can carry the virus it always seemed sensible to vaccinate the whole population. Now it makes even more sense.

Go on: Support our young men and boys to get the HPV vaccination

Condoms?

Condoms?

Several things about condoms. We know that they are the best protection from STIs IF USED ALL THE TIME AND CORRECTLY. Unfortunately this doesn’t happen: In the 2008 Australian Reseach Centre in Sex Health and Society ‘Seconday Students and Sexual Health’ only 70% of year 12s discuss condom use ‘at most recent sex’. Not only that but 25% of year 10s and almost 50% of year 12s did not use a condom at most recent sex. This may not include oral sex or anal sex or sharing sex toys etc etc because it doesnt define ‘sex’

In addition some recent research into sexual practice in women found that often women who are using hormonal contraceptive (oral contraceptive pill, implanon, depo ralavera/provera) may be twice as likely to contract HIV. The assumption being that women feel that one form of protection against pregnancy is enough for safety. ( but of course hormonal contraceptives don’t protect against STIs). In Australia 1 out of every two sexually active people WILL contract Chlamydia. 

So… condoms CAN work but they are not being used enough. If condoms aren’t the answer what is. I am not sure but maybe it is time to reinvest in research into something that will be easier and more broadly accepted.

In the meantime have a look at these new packaging ideas for condoms http://newcondoms.tumblr.com/

21 years old with erection difficulty

Listen to the Kinsey institute sexologist answer a question from a 21 year old man. Click here to listen

Post weekend scare

A new study which will come out soon  in an upcoming issue of the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior  identifys that calls to STI information/support lines hit a peak on Mondays ( surprise surprise). But .... the reason is not necessarily what you may assume. Go here to read more about the upcoming study.

According to the The "Clueless or Clued Up: Your Right to be informed about contraception" study prepared for World Contraception Day (WCD) reports that the number of young people having unsafe sex with a new partner increased by 111 percent in France, 39 percent in the USA and 19 percent in Britain in the last three years. 


HHHmmmmm what a surprise. I wonder why this might be? Could it be the way we teach? Could it be that information isn't enough, that people need support as well. Could it be that people just don't like condoms? What do you think?


Go here to read more: 

Prenatal exposure to stress linked to accelerated cell aging

Prenatal exposure to stress linked to accelerated cell aging

IUD reduces the risk of cervical cancer, study suggests

IUD reduces the risk of cervical cancer, study suggests

Impact of Sexualised Lyrics

Do sexualized lyrics in popular music have an impact on the sexual behavior and attitudes of adolescents? Researchers Cougar Hall, Joshua H. West, and Shane Hill from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, look at the trend of increasing use of sexually explicit lyrics in music. Their findings, published online in Springer's journalSexuality & Culture, provide food for thought for educators whose focus is to promote healthy sexual development.

Go here to have a look

FEAST Safe Schools Workshop

The AEU is bringing Roz Ward from Melbourne to speak about the Safe Schools Coalition Victoria, a statewide anti-homophobia in schools initiative.

Work is beginning in SA to create a similar initiative and structure, SO GET ONBOARD

Here is the blurb about the FEAST WORKSHOP -  "Safe schools for a sexually diverse all: Allies, advocates and activists". This workshop is being run as part of the Feast Festival and is open to all.

Homophobia is a serious issue for GLBTI students, parents, community support agencies and teachers. This workshop will provide a forum for those affected to openly discuss the issues and develop strategies to create acceptance of gender and sexual diversity in the SA.

2011 Youth Speak Out Survey

The 2011 SpeakOut Youth Survey will provide a snapshot of how young people aged between 12 and 25 years living in South Australia felt at a particular point in time. 

 

One of the key issues of concern for young people identified from the 2010 SpeakNow Youth Survey was body image. As a result of this on 14 April 2011, the Office for Youth held a Body Image Summit for young people at Parliament House. Young people were able to share their thoughts and develop ideas that could assist young people to feel more positive about their body image.

 

To ensure that a diverse range of young people are able to participate in the 2011 SpeakOut  Youth Survey, it will be available in hard copy in the Education Now section of the Advertiser on Tuesday 13 September 2011. Hard copies of the survey can be returned to The Advertiser  by Tuesday 27 September 2011.

The survey can also be completed  online through The Adelaide Now website www.adelaidenow.com.au/youthsurvey until Wednesday 5 October 2011.

 

The  survey can also be accessed  through the Office for Youth website  www.officeforyouth.sa.gov.au and the Office for Youth facebook page www.facebook.com.au/officeforyouthsa .

WHO SHOULD TEACH SHARE WORK?

Not long ago we saw research from Lagus KA, et al. (2010) Parental perspectives on sources of sex information for young people. J Adol Health online, 2011 which identified that  yes kids learn a great deal about sexuality from friends and from the media, but both  parents and teens agree: Parents should be the most important providers of information about sex and sexuality.(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/213143.php)

So....... while most parents and young people agree that parents should be the primary source of information, according to a recent survey (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/234330.php), half of parents in the UK do not enlighten their children about puberty, relationships and sex, because they are unsure what to say, are embarrassed, or lack confidence and knowledge about sexual health. From 9,000 young people participating in the study, 46% revealed that they received 'nothing' or 'not a lot' of information on sex and relationships from their parents. 


This seems a bit wierd to me. BOTH want to engage with each other about sexual health YET neither does so. Maybe our sexual health and relationships education needs to change. Maybe it should be about how to get parents and children to engage on this issue.Maybe workers should start targeting parents in HOW to teach about this stuff instead of depending on teachers and youth workers. Hmmmm What do YOU think?

Great Danish Website

This website is fantastic. It is full of such resources for you to download as :

• pussypedia
• dicktionary
• masturbation: a hands on guide
• young men as equal partners

and many many more.

Click here to have a look: Highly recommended

Good resource - LoveSexLife booklet

If you are struggling to find and use a good resource with young people here is one that you can download free from www.fpa.org.uk

Here is a blub from them about this booklet:

This booklet is about love, sex, sexuality and relationships. The highs - the lows the ins and outs....this booklet gives you clear information to help you enjoy love, sex, relationships and life - safely.

I reckon this is pretty good. Click here to have a look

What is an Orgasm

I was asked recently by a teenager " What is an Orgasm"

Even as a sexologist this stumped me a bit... I thought well.... do I describe the sexual response cycle; if so which one should I describe? Should I describe what happens in the body and genitals, do I describe what happens with the release of dopamine, do I describe the neurophysioloogy of orgasm, do I describe the emotional state and build up/release of tension, ejaculation, vaso constriction, ejaculation, transudation - or do I embark on a cultural sociological discourse of orgasm from an anthopological perspective etc etc etc?

As an example: I could say something like this......

All of the genitalia contain a huge number of nerve endings (the clitoris alone has more than 8,000 of them), which are, in turn, connected to large nerves that run up through the body to the spinal cord. (The exception is the vagus nerve, which bypasses the spinal cord.) They perform many other functions in the body in addition to providing the nerve supply, and therefore feedback to the brain, during sexual stimulation. Here are the nerves and their corresponding genital areas

· hypogastric nerve - transmits from the uterus and the cervix in women and from the prostate in men

· pelvic nerve - transmits from the vagina and cervix in women and from the rectum in both sexes

· pudendal nerve - transmits from the clitoris in women and from the scrotum and penis in men

· vagus nerve - transmits from the cervix, uterus and vagina

The role of the vagus nerve in orgasms is a new discovery and there's still much that's unknown about it; until recently, researchers didn't know that it passed through the pelvic region at all.

So.....What would YOU say if somebody asked you???????

Working with Transgender people

There are a series of workshops coming up in the Northern territory delivered by Samuel Lurie that will be very informative for many workers. If you dont know much about the transgender experience then these might be for you. The first of the workshops is explained below. If you want more information for these email info@ntahc.org.au

Demystifying the Transgender Experience:
A Full-Day Interactive Workshop for Mental Health and Social Service Providers, Community Members and Allies

As the visibility and activism of transgender and gender-variant people has grown, providers are seeking ways to increase their understanding of the
diversity of transgender experiences. This workshop will provide basic information and present strategies, standards of care, best practices, and resources for incorporating appropriate and effective support to your transgender and gender diverse clients. Our presenter is a member of the transgender community as well as a seasoned trainer who offers a dynamic, engaging and powerful training experience.

Learning Objectives
At the end of the workshop, participants will:
Understand basic terminology, language and concepts of gender variant experiences including gender transition process and the role of mental health and social service providers.
Distinguish between biological sex, gender identity and sexual orientation and ways in which care for transgender populations specifically differs from care for gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities.
Identify current standards of care and approaches to supporting transgender clients and members of the client’s support system.
Be able to incorporate a basic knowledge of gender identity into their current professional work, including resources for supervision and educational materials.


Samuel Lurie is recognized as an expert in transgender health in North America and is visiting Australia for an intensive skills-sharing training series. Samuel is the director of Transgender Training and Advocacy (www.tgtrain.org) and has trained over 26,000 health care providers at community agencies, health centers and hospitals. Samuel is a member of the transgender community and has been active in community health for over 20 years, focusing on HIV/AIDS activism, harm reduction, and empowerment in marginalized communities. He is a member of the Primary Care Committee of the World Professional Association on Transgender Health (WPATH) and has served on numerous advisory panels regarding transgender people, HIV and access to care. He also maintains a private practice in Body-Mind Health.

Catering will be supplied.

Places are limited. NTAHC will advise successfuls asap. You must organize your own accommodation and travel. Payment will be by Bank Transfer.
WHEN: DARWIN-MON 22 AUG; ALICE SPRINGS TUES 30 AUG
TIME: 8.30am-4.30pm
WHERE:
DARWIN- Stokes Hill Wharf Precint Function Centre
ALICE SPRINGS- Chifley Resort on Scott Terrance
COST: $100 (neg. please let us know if the cost is an issue for you)

Fantastic new South Australian book

If you are working with young people and want a good book to access that is easy to read and factual then you might want to try this book. 'Sexpectations'. This book was co authored by Craig Murray (with Leissa Pitts). He is an awesome SHineSA community health worker. I have seen Craig work over many years and he really connects with young people and has been instrumental in getting 'sex positive' on the agenda in South Australia.

Here is what Craig said recently on the booktopia blog.

Sexpectations aims to fill a few gaps in sexual health education. For too long sex ed has started & finished in contraception and sexually transmitted infections, if you were lucky you’d get some info on puberty but so much is still left out. Having said that there are a heap of amazing programs that address all these and more but there’s a lot of folks, young & old, that have missed out on some of the vital info. We hope to talk about sex in a healthy positive way, acknowledging the risks but also celebrating the pleasures of relationships, sex & sexuality.

I know that SHineSA has Sexpextations in the library, so if you are in Woodville anytime soon come in and borrow it. Otherwise get on to the booktopia site and get your own copy.

Drama based respect workshops

I recently heard Christian Cifuentes from the Legal Services Commission of South Australia give a talk on the law and respectful relationships. This guy was fantastic. Below is an ABC clip of one of thier workshops.

legal aspects, relationships,law

I recently heard Christian Cifuentes from The Legal Services Commission of Adelaide. This guy is great and runs a range of programs that can help young people get their head around relationship law etc etc. You can go to their website to view the types of innovative programs that they run. Go here to have a look.

The talk that I attended was full of facts such as:

Under the new law it explicitly says that sexual activity is not consensual if:---
obtained by force or threats;
the victim is asleep or unconscious;
the victim is too intoxicated to agree;
the victim was unable to understand the nature of sexual activity;
the victim was mistaken about the identity of the person they were having sex with; or
the victim was being unlawfully detained.

Christian's talk was full of the legalese necessary to identify exactly what is going on , BUT.... It was also full of scenarios to help us nmake sense of the legalese.

The important things covered in the talk were:

the Criminal Law Consolidation Act

Summary Offenses aCT

Criminal Code Act

Consent to Sexual Activity

Sexual Assault

Unlawful Sexual Intercourse

Indecent Assault

Rape

Online Grooming

Compelled Sexual Manipulation

Sexting

Recieving pornography via mobile devices etc

This information was easy to understand and gave me a greater insight in how to deal with all of the weird and varied scenarios that many of us face in our day to day work

Spinal cord injury/no feeling/erection

This is pretty awesome.

If you have not read 'The Brain That Changes Itself' Norman Doige (2007) then it is worth a read.

Here is one of the things that the book talks about " Bachy-y-Rita continued to invent sensory substitution devices ....he even has a project for a condom that he hopes will allow spinal cord injury victims who have no feeling in their penisis to have orgasms. It is based on the premise that sexual excitement, like other sensory experiences, is "in the brain" so the sensations of sexual movement, picked up by sensors on the condom, can be translated to electrical impulses that can then be transmitted to the part of the brain that processes sexual excitement.

This is pretty far our stuff and may seem far fetched. But after reading this book it certainly seems within our grasp.

GMH : Gay Mens Health

When is the last time you checked out the GMH Newsletter from ACSA ( AIDs COuncil of South Australia)?. This newlsetter is full of great stuff including local and international news of interest. I just pulled this article from GMH:

SBS has sex on the brain...

SBS began it's series Sex: An Unnatural History last Friday, at 10pm. Hosted by Former High Court Justice Michael Kirby and Julia Zemiro, the show will be covering topics like what is ‘unnatural’? How has sex changed in Australia over the last 50 years? What sex will be like in 2060 - will they finally invent something better than a condom for protection?

NEXT WEEK’s episode is quoted as being of particular interest to readers of Blaze… called ‘Taboo’. Later episodes are entitled ‘fashion’, ‘Religion’, ‘Love’ and ‘the Future’

The website has some interesting graphs about sex and comparisons about sexual practices and attitudes, and how they vary between the differeing sexualities of Australians. Check it out here.

Sex: An Unnatural History airs on SBS HD and SBS1 Fridays, at 10pm.

But this isn't the only article of interest. Go on and click here to read more.

Airbrused Advertisements Banned

You may have heard or seen the recent discussion of British MP Jo Swinson and the British Advertising Standards Agency which has banned two ads by L’Oreal (owner of Maybelline and Lancome) showing Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington. The ads were banned for being misleading and unreal. To me this is a goos decision, but why stop here?

To see the aboutface discussion of this issue go here

Meth use and unsafe sex

In a recent issue of medicalnewstoday.com an article on Meth use and HIV infection showed that researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and elsewhere found that methamphetamine use can fuel HIV infection risk among teenage boys and young men who have sex with men (MSM), a group that includes openly gay and bisexual men, as well as those who have sex with men but do not identify themselves as gay or bisexual.

In this study the researchers said that nearly one-third (20) of the 64 participants who reported recent meth use also reported sex with an HIV-infected person, while half reported sex with an injection drug user. More than half, 34, said they have had unprotected sex.

Go here to read more

life time effect of violence

We know that violence against women and children is harmful, cost lives and ruins relationships.

A study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights, revealed that women who suffered gender-based violence, such as rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking, had a higher associated lifetime ratio of mental health disorders, dysfunction and disability. The article's background information states that violence against women is a major public health concern, contributing to high levels of illness and death worldwide.

Go here to read more

Great chance to hear a great speaker

If you don't know whats happening with our young SSA people, or you want to find out the latest on the health of young SSA people in Australia this is a must attend opportunity.

Associate Professor Lynne Hillier

Australian Research Centre in Sex,

Health and Society

La Trobe University, Melbourne

‘Same sex attracted and gender diverse young people –

what is going well and

what is not in 2011’

Lynne is the leading author of Writing Themselves In 3 (2010), the third Australian,internationally pioneering national study of the health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people. (She also lead the research team for the two earlier studies,Writing Themselves In (1998) and Writing Themselves In Again (2004).

Thursday 8 September 2011

6.00pm

Flinders in the City

Room 1, Level 1, 182 Victoria Square

(south-east corner of Flinders St and Victoria Square)

http://www.flinders.edu.au/victoriasquare/victoriasquare_home.cfm

For further information contact Associate Professor Barbara Baird

Email: Barbara.baird@flinders.edu.au or Tel: 8201 3437