Puberty Resource

Here is a link to an educational resource created for parents and young people an autism spectrum disorder.
However it is a really great guide for ANYBODY. The language is very clear and unambiguous, there are step by step instructions for things like changing pads or masturbating.

All of us can make use of this in some way I reckon.

Thanks to Sharon the SHineSA resource guru for passing this on.

CLICK HERE

Gender Ads

Thanks to Amy, one of ShineSAs brilliant school coordinators for passing on this great site. If you are doing work with young people around understanding the way media is controlling us around gender sterotyping etcetc this site will come in very useful for you. Have a look HERE

Article from JEZEBEL about periods

I really like the way this article is put together BUT.... If you are offended by  SWEARING and SWEAR words don't click on this link. Periods SUCK

Duluth Model Violence/Control Wheel

If you are working with young men hat are perpetrators of violence against women  you might want to examine this power/control wheel.
Look at this site to see more

Not all women bleed at first intercourse

Here is a great Podcast from Kinsey Confidential answering this question:

A great podcast to play for young women and men to dispel the idea that you can "tell" if someone is a virgin.

QUESTION: I had sex recently and have heard that most girls bleed when they have sex, but I never bled. I'm 17 years old. I am scared that there is something wrong with me. Can you please help me? My boyfriend is always asking me why I am stressed out and I want to tell him but I need an explanation for the cause of me not bleeding after I had sex. Also, it didn't really hurt when I had sex for the first time ever in my life. I am stressing my self out to the point I am making my self sick over this simple but upsetting thing.

CLICK HERE to listen

Cosmo media effect on women's sexual attitudes

I know many of us have had these discussions lots and lots. Conversations about how mags like Cosmo focus on sex and 
relationship tips; about its seemingly constant focus on

 “pleasing your man” and “changing your body”. I find

 myself frequently left wondering why it isn’t focused on 

“pleasing yourself” and “enjoying your body for what it 

can do”.

Well... Here is a nice article about just this issue. Short and sweet and worth a read. Go HERE to read more. Warning... you might be surprised at the findings.

FRESH Course dates for 2013

SHINE COURSES ARE READY FOR YOU!!!

If you haven't had a look yet at next years course dates CLICK HERE to have a look. Next year we are offering a range of options from full on 3 day courses to brief special interest workshops. Go have a look and enroll now.

Partners Response to Vestibulodynia

Wow I was just reading a great post from the Centre For Sexual Pleasure and Health about how a partners response to a woman experiencing Vestibulodynia can make a BIG difference tio how (and if) she experiences pain.

WHAT IS VESTIBULODYNIA?: EXPERIENCE OF SEVERE PAIN OR DISCOMFORT  in the vestibule part of the vagina which is is where the vulva (area of the skin on the outside) meets with the vagina. It is an extremely sensitive part of your body and contains the Bartholin's gland (which produces vaginal lubrication), the urethra (where you pass urine) and a number of the small minor vestibule glands which also produce vaginal discharge.

Well some new research shows that how a woman’s partner responds to her pain plays a role in increasing or decreasing it.  On one hand, a solicitous response—when a partner expresses sympathy, anxiety, or concern—may prolong the pain by reinforcing avoidance of the painful activity (in this case sex), encouraging catastrophizing, and increasing the attention she pays to the pain.  However, on the other hand, a facilitative response—such as expressing happiness that one’s partner is engaging in sexual activity—may reduce pain by decreasing negative thoughts, distressing emotions, and one’s avoidance of painful activities. The goal of the current study was to determine if the latter response was associated with “better outcomes both for [PVD pain intensity] and sexual satisfaction.”

CLICK HERE to read more

SE&X Network presentations

For those of you who couldn't make it to the last two sessions;

• Websites and apps and 
• Bringing up the conversation

here are the links to the online prezi presentations.

http://prezi.com/kyoammct8gjy/websites-and-apps/

http://prezi.com/b_lj_3l85x9s/bringing-up-the-conversation/

Resources for Trans Women and Men

Click on the links below to see these sexual health resources that were passed on to me by the fabulous Nat Giffney. They were created by the Terrence Higgins Trust

http://www.tht.org.uk/~/media/4653AA766E3F4C1286FC515F17146F32.ashx

http://www.tht.org.uk/~/media/8F7D70D8C3B643109351E3D9A633529A.ashx

AFL and addressing homophobia

Hopefully you watched some of these at the footy finals. Can't wait to see what the response is on GRAND FINAL day.

How to talk sexuality with young people

You might think from the title that this would be a long post. Well... the recipee that I use is short and sweet. Talking about sexual health with clients is actually easy. These steps might help.

1. Recognise that your client is a 'sexual being'. This means that they have a legitimate right to learn about themselves - including their sexual self.
2. Give permission for clients to talk about sex, sexuality and sexual health. This doesn't take much but it is one of the things that many workers find difficult.
3. Bring up the subject yourself. If you haven't seen anything around you in the past week that would make a good topic then I reckon you have been sleeping. For example here are a few headlines from ninemsn today.

• Dress zip snaps: Vergara posts pics of Emmys mishap
• Kims Australian Diet Regime
• Two Kanye West Sex Tapes On The Loose

• R-Pattz & K-Stew: The fauxmance of the century?

These are just four headlines from 20 seconds searching. There are HEAPS of topics out there. Sometimes we see so many that we become blind to them.

Classic Photoshopping

Celebrate Bisexuality

Kate's breasts, Pussy Riot, virginity tests and our attitude on women's bodies

Thanks to miss representation via adios barbie for the following post.

"In a hypersexualized culture, in which porn is available 24-7, it is not female nudity that is scandalous...Rather, what is still scandalous to our culture is when women take ownership of their own bodies. Staging a strip performance is no

t disruptive to social order in Moscow, but three punk poets using their sexuality to make a satirical comment about Russian leader Vladimir Putin is destabilizing and must be punished." - Naomi Wolf 

Go here to read more

Rule of Law -Say No Unite To End Violence Against Women

Make it Your Rule of Law Week: September 24 - 29

The rule of law often rules women out. At the 67th UN General Assembly world leaders will focus on strengthening women's access to justice. Stay tuned for news and updates here. Take action by sharing them with your friends and networks.

A Message From SHineSA

World Contraception Day is celebrated on the 26th  of September 2012



World Contraception Day is a worldwide campaign with a vision for a world where every pregnancy is wanted. Its mission is to improve awareness of contraception to enable young people to make informed decisions on sexual and reproductive health.

SHine SA is marking World Contraception Day this year with a reminder to agencies and individuals to encourage young people to exercise their right to search for accurate, unbiased information about contraception - to prevent an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection (STI).

We can provide you with a sample of the range of resources that we produce which are available to support the work with your clients and communities to help inform choices in contraception. Please contact jessica.tubman@health.sa.gov.au  if you would like a pack sent to you.  Jess can also provide you with information about other resources you can order from SHine SA.

A new resource, recently launched by the Minister for Health & Ageing, the Honourable John Hill, consists of 4 short videos which address contraceptive myths. They can be used for educational purposes and are available on You Tube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsGL6890RaM&feature=plcp

An A5 poster and wallet card have been developed to accompany this new resource and they can also be ordered from SHine SA.

Please visit our website for further information and resources.  www.shinesa.org.au

Free Online Sexual Health Articles

As part of their contribution to World Sexual Health Day ( September 4) the Taylor and Francis online publishers are making over 35 sexual health articles available FREE until the end of September.

CLICK HERE to access their website and start reading.

Murraylands Headspace Invitation

An invitation from Murraylands Headspace

Murraylands headspace invites you to join us for a preview screening of the new movie
‘Bully’

Wallis Cinema, Mt Barker
Thursday the 20th of September at 7:30pm
$10 per head
Please extend this invitation to anyone working with young people, parents and friends.
You are welcome to join us for coffee in the
Auchendarroch Tavern after the movie

Please RSVP to Rachel/Frauke on 8531 2122 or to rachela@mmgpn.org.au


*Please note this film contains content of a graphic nature and is not appropriate viewing for children. Please invite young people at your discretion taking into consideration the ‘M’ rating of the film.

youthwork ethics: Dilemma: Touch sensitive?

This is a recent discussion that has been going on at the youthworks ethics website.

youthwork ethics: Dilemma: Touch sensitive?: This dilemma is about physical contact between youth workers and young people, in a variety of situations: ...

Racism/body image/culture

Really good article by Noel Duan on the pressures to look thin' like the asian girls are' is tied up with all sorts of our own body image issues and cultural myths and expectations. have a read CLICK HERE

next SE&X network meeting

Next SE&X Network meeting: (Please register your attendance prior to coming).
Wednesday 26 September -  Starting the Conversation


Many of us have trouble knowing where to start the conversation around sexual health. Come and see the latest research about what young people want us to say. Hear directly from a panel of young people.


Where: SHine SA, 64c Woodville Road, Woodville
Parking off Bower Street
When: 11.00 am – 1.00 pm
Enquiries & registration
Tel: 8300 5317
Email: SHineSACourses@health.sa.gov

TSS Inside Out project

A SERIES OF GROUP SESSIONS ARE PLANNED FOR SAME SEX ATTRACTED YOUNG MEN AGED 18-25 YEARS

Come along to an information night about the group, meet other people, and have your say about how we can assist you to better manage your health and wellbeing

WHERE:  The Second Story Youth Health Service
               57 Hyde Street, Adelaide
WHEN:    Thursday 13 September 2012, 6pm – 8pm
(Refreshments will be provided)

For more information and to register, contact:
Peter Reuter on (tel) 8232 0233 or (email) peter.reuter@health.sa.gov.au

RSVP: By Monday 10 September 2012

The aim of the information night is to discuss the proposed series of sessions that TSS will be running for this group and, most importantly, to enable them to have input into that process.


Once TSS has consulted with participants, it will be developing a more detailed program of group sessions that will be distributed to you for your information and dissemination to your networks.


TSS would appreciate your support in promoting the information night to those clients who you consider would benefit from participating in such a group.


If you have any queries, please feel free to contact either Peter Reuter or Tina Karanastasis on (tel) 8232 0233

SheHeroes

Have a look at this FB page challenging gendered stereotypes:

http://www.facebook.com/SheHeroes

AFL tackles homophobia

AFL League chief Andrew Demetriou, Olympic flag bearer Lauren Jackson and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire will lead the charge to change attitudes in sport and the workplace.

The campaign will begin just weeks after St Kilda's Stephen Milne used a homophobic slur against Magpie Harry O'Brien.

Can the AFL win the war on homophobia? CLICK HERE TO HAVE YOUR SAY

A year-long TV and social media campaign will encourage people to stand up and help make a difference.

In a letter pushing the initiative, Mr Demetriou said discrimination should not be tolerated and everybody had a responsibility to tackle negative attitudes and behaviour. 

Particiapte in GLBTIQ survey

ANOTHER EMAIL TO PASS ON TO YOU....

Dear Shine


I was wondering if you would mind forwarding the upcoming Consumer Consultation to your networks. Input from outside of Sydney will need to be via email.


We are seeking LGBTI consumer views for a consultation on mental health and suicide prevention services.


The Alliance is the national peak health organisation for a range of organisations and individuals from across Australia that work together to improve the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans/transgender, intersex and other sexuality, sex and gender diverse (LGBTI) people and communities. Formed in 2007, the Alliance includes the major providers of specialist community-based services for LGBTI people in Australia, with Members drawn from each State and Territory.


A key area of work for the Alliance is the improvement of mental health and suicide prevention outcomes in LGBTI populations.  The Alliance has been funded by the Department of Health and Ageing for a two year project called MindOUT! which has a focus on working with mainstream mental health and suicide prevention organisations to assist them to be more responsive to the needs of LGBTI persons and communities.


We have placed the attached advertisement in some LGBTI magazines, and would appreciate it if you could forward the information below to your network.


Your input is sought to improve mental health services for LGBTI  people.

If you have used a mental health service recently, we need your input.


The Alliance is interested in hearing your views on:



-              What makes a service LGBTI friendly or unfriendly?

-            

-              What services have been helpful and why?



-              Do you think services should ask about your sexuality, sex or gender identity?



-              What kinds of support do you think mental health services should offer?



There are two ways to participate:

1. Come to a one hour Consultation Meeting on Saturday 15th September 2012 at Level 1, 222 King Street Newtown, at 2pm.

2. Email becky.walker@lgbtihealth.org.au to provide email input by the 15th of September 2012

More information on the MindOUT! project  is available online http://www.lgbthealth.org.au/mindout

New Rainbow YOUTH Collective

An exciting new grassroots group, run by young people, has been created in Adelaide to combat homophobia in high schools, universities and the broader community.

We would like to invite you to attend our launch party this Friday night and please extend the invitation to all your networks.



Kind regards,



Gemma

On behalf of the Rainbow Youth Collective

----------

* Please forward to your friends, networks and groups :)





Rainbow Youth Collective

             Official Launch Party!
I have passed on this great information: Sounds like a really good initiative.


Friday 7th September

5:00 - 8:00pm

Adelaide Activist Centre, Level 2, 95 Currie St

Entry by donation, food & drinks available


Come one, come all to The Rainbow Youth Collective's Coming Out Soiree!

The Rainbow Youth Collective is an Adelaide based collective of queer and straight youth. This newly found group is banding together with the aim of ending homophobia in high schools, universities, the workplace and in wider society.

So if you are interested in helping us ending homophobia throughout our youth or just wish to make connections and share your experiences then come on down.


The event also coincides with Wear It Purple Day, a national youth anti-homophobia day, so please wear purple to show your support!

So whether you are Gay, Straight or a little in between but want to help make this world an equal and fair society then we will see you there, for food, drinks and a good time :)

* A small donation on entry is appreciated - this is a fundraiser event for the Collective *


For more info contact Tina on 0406 814 219 or Gemma on 0437 714 786

Virtual Sex

Do we all know what is going on out there with new ideas, virtual hook ups and a whole range of things that are happening. Robert Weiss has a great article titled 'Who Needs a Live Person For Sex'. Very interesting.
Just cause we think we may know it all doesn't mean we do. Does this effect the work we do with young people? have a read. CLICK HERE. Below is an excerpt

So how does a teenager develop the social and dating skills needed to build intimate relationships when all (or nearly all) of his or her romantic and sexual experiences are conducted online? If a young person’s interpersonal sexual and relationship experiences have mostly occurred in contrived, impersonal settings on the computer that offer him or her complete control over the experience (as is the case with many forms of online sex), then how is that individual to learn about engaging real people? Clearly, thanks to online porn and virtual sex, many young people are being left behind socially, developing few dating and mating skills.

Kaiser Foundation Information

A whole range of information regarding adolescents (in the USA) is available at The kaiser Foundation Website.
Things like:
Confidentiality of care is a primary concern for many adolescents. Research has found that teenagers will go without care, withhold information about themselves, delay, or not seek help in order to keep their parents from finding out about a health issue.[5]  Confidentiality is interconnected with consent to care, through state laws dictating whether a minor can receive or access a health service without parental consent or notification and whether a doctor can tell parents about an adolescent’s health at their discretion. Insurance companies may contribute to a lack of confidentiality by sending an “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) to the primary insurance holder, usually a parent, when a teenager seeks a healthcare service. This may deter teens from seeking important care for sensitive health concerns.[6]  States have a range of laws regarding consent for sensitive services such as reproductive and mental health care.[7]

Substantial efforts and funding in adolescent health are focused on reproductive health services to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy and STIs.  Federal programs for sexual education include the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program, the Abstinence-Only program which supports the promotion and education of abstinence until marriage.  Access to family planning services is another important component of adolescent reproductive health.  For low-income families, Medicaid covers the majority (71%) of public funding of reproductive health services.[8]  It operates in parallel with the federal Title X Family planning program, which is the only federal grant program specifically dedicated to providing community-based reproductive health and family planning services to teens and low-income women.  Community clinics and family planning providers such as Planned Parenthood are often a primary site of care for low-income teens in need of reproductive health or counseling, family planning, contraceptive, and STI services for a number of reasons.[9]  

GO HERE to read lots more.

Women telling us like it is

What Training Do Youth Workers Want?

If you want to have a say about the types of training that you want in the future. Have a go at this survey I had passed on to me by The Youth Health Services Network. They are compiling information on training for staff in the youth health sector.

.

Not In My House - Domestic Violence

Thanks to Sharon Pawelski (SHineSA awesome resource centre librarian) for putting me on to this Domestic Violence campaign from Baptist Community Services:
Have a look at this trailer youtube clip and then look at the Not In My House website here.

Great TED talk from Tony Porter: A call to Men

Under 25 - Need a FREE Sexual Health Service

FREE SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC  & COUNSELLING FOR YOUNG MEN & WOMEN 

·         Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Testing & Treatment



·         Condoms & Safer Sex Information



·         Sexual Difficulties



·         Sexuality & Gender Identity



·         Emergency Contraception



·         Pregnancy Testing & Options



If you are under the age of 25, all services are FREE



 GP Plus Building: 64C Woodville Road, Woodville.





Bus route 100 or 300, Stop 221 Woodville Road


or a short walk from Woodville Train Station





Clinic phone: 8300 5301





Just drop in (no appointment needed)





Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm.

Wear It Purple is BACK!!

This is a great way to support young GLBTIQ students. Have a look and get involved.
http://wearitpurple.org/

Upcoming Course in the Riverland

The FRESH course is coming to the Riverland (Take 2).

For all youthworkers, community health workers or others interested in addressing the sexual health needs of their client group the SHineSA sexual health course for workers is coming to you soon.

This three day course will cover such topics as:

• Sexuality & Sexual Health
• Sex & the Law
• Gender & Power
• Sexual Diversity
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Contraception
• Assessment option available.
• Pregnancy Options
• Sexual Violence
• Sexual Pleasure
• Safer Sex & Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Porn and young people

and  will be held at the Riverland Division of General Practice
3 Vaughan Court, Berri on 22–24 October (Mon–Wed)


Time: 9am – 5pm
Cost: $350

If you are working with young people at risk. If you are wondering how to support them as they make their way through adolescence. If you want to give yourself the skills and knowledge to address sexual health issues. This course will challenge your assumptions about the best way to do this.

For more information and to book your place contact:

Sharon Formosa on:

Tel: 8300 5317
Email: SHineSACourses@health.sa.gov.au
Webpage for enrolment info:
www.shinesa.org.au/go/workforce-development/the-fresh-course

Another from softnthefckup

Another great clip from Softnthefckup:

Frank Oceans come out letter of love

Do you listen to rap or R&B? Have you read Frank Oceans coming out letter? Go HERE to about this and to see why someone was inspired to write the following :

Your letter is revolutionary not least of all because it is about love. It is about falling in love and feeling rejected and carrying both that love and rejection with you through life. The male pronoun of the object of your desire is practically incidental. We have all been in a love that felt 'malignant...hopeless' from which 'there was no escaping, no negotiating.' Your promise to your first love, that you won't forget him, that you'll remember how you changed each other, is so full of love and grace.

Can you 'break' a penis?

While we know that there are no bones in a penis. It is possible to break one. Here is a very good description of what happens.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-you-really-break-your

Explicit condom demonstration

Anybody who has ever tried to teach how to put a condom on has had to struggle with 'how explicit' should they be.

This is particularly true if working with people that have an intellectual disability or cognitive impairment that may make the leap from using a 'bananna penis' to the real thing a bit difficult.

If you are working with people who need VERY EXPLICIT visuals this site may help.

If you click here you will go to a brilliant site that has a film clip with instructions of a man putting a condom on himself. WARNING: This is a real film and is very explicit.

Internet Porn and Young Mens Brain. A Danger?

Watch this brilliant talk from Gary Wilson on TEDx

Great short film on Chlamydia testing

Thanks to ShineSA and the Northern Sound System for helping these cool young fellas make this short film.

Responding to difficult questions

Have a listen to this podcast from the Kinsey confidential podcast. Shows a great response to a pretty typical question. " My girlfriend doesn't like to go down on me"

Sex and the Law - Know what you tell people

I have recently been having an email conversation with a colleague. The conversations has been around what and how we teach people about the age of consent and the penalties for breaching the law.

I just want to remind people that even though we might say " It's no big deal if an 18 year old and a 16 year old are having consensual intercourse - heaps of young people are. ( In fact statistics tell us that approximately 50% of year 12s are having intercourse). IT CAN BE A BIG DEAL. Even though as an individual we might believe that consensual intercourse is okay between people under the legal age of consent (17 in South Australia). The ramifications can be huge.

Here is what part of the law says:

section 49 of the Crime Consolidation Act states


49—Unlawful sexual intercourse 


        (1)         A person who has sexual intercourse with any person under the age of 14 years shall be guilty of an offence and liable to be imprisoned forlife. 


        (3)         A person who has sexual intercourse with a person under the age of seventeen years is guilty of an offence. 


Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years. 

So... I know there is much more to the law and convictions than what I have put before you but to as responsible educators we should not dilute the very real (but rare) possibility that the young people we support may be putting their future at great risk.


Sure ....be sex positve but remember just like we should be teaching young people about the possible joys and pleasures of sexual relationships, we should also be teaching young people about the legal risks that they may be facing.

ONE FINAL THING:::

In terms of the role or those trying to empower youth to make the right choices (they also happen to be mandatory reporters in a good number of cases)  discussion about the law and sex has to take a constructive form...This discussion should simply not be approached from a legal perspective...there is too many issues that need to be spelled out and clarified. What young people need to know is that the law punishes violent, arbitrary, cohesive, repressive sex abusive sexual activity; that the law will punish those who take sexual advantage of others because of their immaturity or age (e.g. a 15 year old wants to have sex with a 10 year old); that sex is a natural part of human development that needs to be experienced with the outmost respect for the other. They should also know that there is an age of consent and that the law deems certain behaviour as evidence a person is not consenting. If the question of the legality/illegality of sex is framed in this way, I think it may have a much better effect on young people. Surely, service providers need to know the law in more depth, but legal explanations are best to those working in the area. 


   

New clinic for young women with period pain

If you are in South Australia keep this information handy.: Teenage Dysmenorrhoea Clinic

Dr Clare Fairweather, is providing a GP run teenage dysmenorrhoea and pelvic pain clinic at the rooms of Dr Susan Evans, as part of the clinic's multidisciplinary approach to pelvic pain. She hopes to address the major community health issue of young women's dysmenorrhoea that has such devastating effects on their wellbeing, education and opportunities. The young women's clinic offers long appointments, substantial resources, short waiting times and an holistic approach to young women's wellbeing. No referral is required and gap payments are $75 for a first visit and $50 for reviews.

Good book

I have been reading a book called ' Young People and Sexuality Education - Rethinking Key Debates' by Louisa Allen who is the Associate Professor of The University of Auckland and the University of Cambridge. She has taught at both of these universities in the area of educational sociology, the sociology of youth, research methodologies, feminist post-structural theories and theories of gender. Her research interests lie in the area of sexualities, sexuality education, youth, gender and schooling. 


Louisa has been guiding me for many years in my quest to better prepare myself for sexual health and relationships education. She is very good at getting people to think about 'why' they are using the terms, the structure and the reasons for their pedagogy.


I urge anyone who is interested in sexuality education for young people to at least have a flick through this book( which is available through the SHineSA library).


These are the 3 chapters I particularly enjoyed:

• Pleasurable Pedogogy: Young peoples thoughts about including 'pleasure' in sexuality education:
• It's not who they are: It's what their like - Re-conceptualising the best educator debate
• Sexuality Education Re - Imagined ; Relinquishing the disease and pregnancy prevention focus.

don't say the V word.

We all know that politics and sexuality is a potent mix. In the USA recently a state representative was banned from making further speeches on the floor (speakers box) when she said the word vagina.
While we might laugh at this and think "how petty" or "Only in America" I urge you to reconsider.

Cast your mind back several years when Kirstie Marshall was ejected from Victorian parliment for breastfeeding. For some reason, sex, sexuality, sexual health is considered bad form to mention in the politcal decision making centres of our worlds.

I reckon its time for this to change. Sometimes it's as if the vagina monologues never happened.

Exploring Gender Resource

I found this video from one of the linkedin groups that I am a member of.
I have since used this as a way to explore gender with young people. We play the clip and then ask the group to come up with a dialogue to go with it.

Great fun.

ACSA survey

The Aids Council of South Australia is looking into how they are meeting the needs of their communities.

Click here to go to the survey

Using condoms: still feels good

I was reading a link in an  article from the Centre For Sexual Pleasure and Health that struck a chord with me.
Many times in my work with young people (particularly young men) I hear that "using a condom takes away from my pleasure." Well there actually isn't much research around about this aspect of pleasure at all. So this latest article from the  Journal of Sexual Medicine, which looked at how heterosexual-identified men experienced sexual pleasure during condom-protected vaginal sex.


Researchers from the Section of Adolescent Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University noticed that there was a void in the current sexual health literature on condom usage with regards to sexual pleasure. In general, studies tend to just compare the pleasure reported by men who either do or do not use condoms, and often wind up with results claiming that condom usage is not compatible with male sexual enjoyment. However, these studies ignore the other components of sexual pleasure or the various other characteristics and behaviors of men who use condoms, such as what sex acts they engage in, how they feel about the sex that they have, or their demographic characteristics. To combat this deficiency in data, the investigators of this study proposed this research to examine the association between condom use and sexual pleasure when all participants use condoms consistently, correctly, and completely, allowing for an understanding of the range of factors that affect sexual pleasure and enjoyment.


Go HERE to read more

SHineSA Y@ win award

1. 

   Congratulations to our SHine SA Youth Action Team (Y@) who have just won the Group Award in the City of Charles Sturt Youth & Schools Achievement Awards!

   
   

   Youth Action Teams are essential for ShineSA work. These people give a face to one of ShineSAs communities of interest. Not only that but they act as sources of knowledge, sources of ideas, sources of points of cross over between so many sexual health issues.

   
   

   Well done to the ShineSA Y@s!!

   
   

   Thanks to the SHineSA FB team for posting this.

Walking Home

Video produced about the 24/7 struggles that young women face in a gendered world.

My Beautiful Cervix.

If you haven't yes seen this site it is a must. You will see a photo of a womans cervix for every day of her cycle. This 25 year old woman has never given birth and has no history of STIs. Each photo was taken at approximately 10:00 pm every day starting the first day of her menstrual cycle. For the duration of this project, she used condoms as her birth control method so as not to introduce semenal fluid into the photoshoot. She did not use tampons or mooncups during her menstruation either.

This is a brilliant resource for showing young women how changeable the cervix and environs are during her cycle. The woman also identifies how she is feeling on most days eg: Sexy/tired/bloated etc.

Well worth a look.

Click Here to go to the site

Great comedy clip on media and gender stereotyping

Thanks to Adios Barbie for posting this

Breastfeeding is okay

National Youth Survey On Sex and Sexual Health Education

If you are a young person aged 15-29 & living in Australia 

YEAH (Youth Empowerment Against HIV/AIDS) and AYAC (Australian Youth Affairs Coalition) invite you to take part in this national survey. Voice your opinions and help us lobby the Government to shape the type of sexual health information you would like available in your schools and the wider community.

PS: The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is anonymous.

Go here to take the survey

Support for Same Sex marriage growing in ALL communities

Have a look at these graphs put together by Lisa Wade from 'The Society Pages'. It shows that in the USA the majority of people support same sex marriage. Click on the link above to see these statistics broken down by age, gender, political affiliation etc. Very interesting reading.

Young men as victims of relationship violence

This is a pretty hard discussion to have.

We know that overwhelmingly women are the victims of male perpetrators of violence; however hat should not stop us from looking at young men as victims as well.

In some of my recent work I was talking to a group of 15 to 16 year old young men. In a group of 9 people,  6 of these young men had been slapped by their girlfriends at some stage in their relationship, they also spoke of being kicked and punched in the arm. NOT ONE of these young men believed that this was relationship violence. They believed it was a perfectly normal way for young girls to treat young  men. Not only that but each of these young men believed that to retaliate would have been un-manly and weak. They believed that it was their duty to put up with this. By having this discussion I know that some will think that by looking in to this we diminish the impact that relationship violence has on women. That by having this conversation we disregard the women's experience of relationship violence. My thought is that men and women experience relationship violence differently - It is not a competetion to see who suffers most. This is an attempt to bring ALL dark things into the light for better examination.

In a paper published by the Australian Domestic Violence Clearing House Titled 'Men as Victims Of Domestic Violence' they said this:


Responding to domestic violence effectively requires an analysis of domestic  violence that incorporates gender.  This has been essential to naming violence and  being clear about the causes of violence and who is responsible for abuse largely  targeted at women and their children.  Much data have been collected that confirms  that women, in the overwhelming majority of cases, are the victims of violence from a  partner (Egger 1995).  An emerging question raised within the field is, “What about  the men who are also victims of domestic violence?”  To date there is little statistical  data recording men as victims, either within Australia or overseas.  This paper  examines the available data about male victims of domestic violence.  It also discusses what is known about men’s experiences of domestic violence and the implications for service providers. GO HERE TO READ MORE

It is time for all of us to look at relationship violence in all of its forms. Address it and work on eradicating any violence from the relationships that we all deserve.

Oral sex is the new goodnight kiss? For whom?

Here is some research  from Kinsey Confidential to back up what we already know.

Gender Inequality And Hooking Up

Today’s young adults benefit from the greater acceptance of casual sex outside of marriage or even a committed relationship.  But, that freedom may not be afforded to women as much as it is for men.  For example, researchers have found that men are much more likely than women to achieve orgasm in heterosexual hookups, referring to this phenomenon as the “orgasm gap.”  Like other forms of gender inequality, women may be losing out in the bedroom, as well.  A new study suggests that women may also be missing out on receiving oral sex in hookups.

Maybe we should start talking to our young clients and reminding them pleasure should be a give and take. Not just a TAKE. Go here to read more.

Celebrity shows us the power of gender and ownership

This is a really good article from the blog sexbodygender that discusses the way the celebrity chasing, representation, media portrayal actually shows us many times assault, sexual assault and abuse of power but.... becuase it is celebrity we ignore it. By ignoring it all we are doing is maintaining the status quo: Below is a quote from the blog: Thanks to The Sociological Cinema for sharing this link.

Celebrity is possibly the closest analogue that blurs the lines of race and gender, and approximates the level of entitlement society feels about women’s choices, bodies, and sexuality, all the time. The invasive glare of the spotlight and the way people demand access to those who are famous, is comparable to the objectification women are subjected to on a daily basis. 

Bicycle riding and genital sensations

I have just been reading some research entitled : The Bar Sinister: Does Handlebar


 Level Damage the Pelvic Floor in Female Cyclists? Sarah N. Partin MSPH^1,†, Kathleen A. Connell MD^2,†, Steven Schrader PhD³, Julie LaCombe MD⁴, Brian Lowe PhD³, Anne Sweeney PhD¹, Susan Reutman PhD³,Andrea Wang MD⁵, Christine Toennis BS³,Arnold Melman MD⁶, Madgy Mikhail MD⁷,Marsha K. Guess MD^2,*Article first published online: 5 MAR 2012 published in The Journal Of Sexual Medicine.

This research found that women that ride bicycles with  handlebars positioned lower than the saddle were significantly associated with increased perineum saddle pressures and decreased genital sensation . Modifying bicycle setup may help alleviate neuropathies in females. Additional research is warranted to further assess the extent of the associations