media imagry of sportswomen

I have been reading, watching videos, watching you tube, looking for all sorts of information about how the media portrays our sports women. It seems to me that elite sports women ( and only some women get coverage) are portrayed as sexy, hetero, and 'almost as good as the guys'.

If we are going to talk to young people about the effects of gender and gender roles on ourselves as people then we need to look at how media portays gender in many different roles, including sports roles - not just fasionista, or working, or any other role - we need to cover ALL of them. It seems ridiculous that now that we live in an era that women are becomming professional athletes more and more; that we also have to ensure that those same women are portrayed as girlie, hetero and sex objects - come on media its time to move on!!!!!!!

I have also been joining in the discussions ( do some searches yourself - see what comes up) on the web about lighter skinned black women being given more opportunity in life than dark skinned black women - it amazes me that as human beings our capacity to denigrate and stereotype and oppress seems almost endless. We are all beautiful, and clever and special. Its time that everyone realised that- particulalrly the media



Lud

The Porn Report

I have been reading this non stop for 3 days. This book is the first comprehensive examination of the production and consumption of pornography in Australia. The authors are: Alan Mckee; Katherine Albury and Catherine Lumby - Melbourne University Press, 2008.

Here are some excerpts that might interest you. But I do urge you to get a copy of this report that debunks so many of the myths surrounding pornography in Australia.

" and even though it seems an odd thing to say. You cant tell if something is pornographic just by looking at the thing itself. It might fit into another category - it could be regarded as art, or as an illustration in a medical science textbook, or it could be material used for sex education purposes.

" The term pornography was first used in its modern sense by 19th century art historians to describe the erotic paintings and statues found by the archaeologists who uneartherd Pompeii....."

"According to a Roy Morgan survey, and similar surveys in other Western countries, about 33 per cent of adult Australians use some kind of sexually explicit materials - videos, DVDs, magazines or on the internet. Thats about 5 million people..... While millions of Australians quietly live thier lives and use pornography, the only people we hear from in public debates are church leaders, social scientists, politicians and commentators - people whose claim to expertise on the issue is the very fact that they themselves dont watch porn, arent friendly with anybody who watches porn, and don't know anything about the everyday use of porn."

" The results are interesting, mostly because they showed that consumers of pornography are like you and me: ordinary Australians from every age ,level of education, voting preference, almost every religion, and walk of life. The only thing that makes them significantly different population wise is that they're overwhelmingly male. Would you like to see some numbers? We've got numbers."

Great quotes I reckon. Please get a copy and have a read. It is available in the SHineSA library. Or even better buy yourself a copy.

Lud

Positive story on teen pregnancy

It was nice to see ( for a change) a story on 60 minutes that gives teen parents a nice rap. The story was reported by: Tara Brown Producer: Kirsty Thomson and Sandra Cleary

This is the intro promo:
"Pity the poor parents of teenagers today - how can they possibly keep up. Kids want to try everything, booze, drugs and especially sex. And, as you know, where you have teenagers and sex, you have trouble - unplanned pregnancies. That's where the good old stereotype kicks in. Young, single mums equal slackers bludging on welfare. Sure, it does happen. But hang on a minute and listen to the young people in this story. You'll discover a new breed of teenage parent, a new kind of family. Kids who really do want to give their children all the best that life can offer."

There were some things said in this clip that I dont agree with. I wonder if you can pick them??

Please watch (click here) - Id be interested to hear your comments.

Lud

Introduction

Hi Everyone!!!

I'm new to the blogging scene and just thought that i might take a moment to intoduce myself.

My name is Kellie, I work at SHine SA as a Community Health Nurse and i have a background in Midwifery. I love the work that i do here and have a particular interest in working with young people, especially around teenage pregnancy and STI prevention.

I have recently just built a new house and gotten married, (which i don't recommend doing at the same time, how exhausting!) and i'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

I have done the SE&X Course with Lud, which i highly recommend and i am hoping that i can share some of my experiences and trends of working in sexual and reproductive health clinics and hopefully some useful information.

Please feel free to say hi or ask any questions and hopefully i can find the answers for you.

Cheers
Kellie

Stand Up 4 U!

Stand Up 4 U is a free DVD for young women on the early signs of potentially abusive relationships. It demonstrates behaviour which is controlling, isolating and undermines confidence.

The DVD aims to raise awareness of the need to develop healthy relationships. It also provides details about where young women can get more information and support if they need it.

The DVD has been designed for young women to watch on their own or in a group. It is also designed to be used as a resource by teachers, youth workers and other professionals working with young women.

Watch the movie online – click here A new window will appear. Please wait a few seconds until the movie is loaded. For dialup users, this will take longer than 5 minutes.

Order the DVD online – click here On the publication webpage, under the Heading “Women and Violence” you will see “Stand Up 4 U!”. Please enter how many DVDs you wish to order. Then at the bottom of the page, please complete all fields and submit.

Request a Stand Up 4 U! DVD by phone or emailPhone the Office for Women, Department of Premier and Cabinet on (02) 9228 3141 or Email ofw@dpc.nsw.gov.au and request the “Stand Up 4 U!” DVD.

Racism

It is great to see this campaign from ACON. In previous postings on this blog we have talked about the links between racism and sexual health. I think its fantastic to see something happening in the GLBTIQ community.

Have a look below at thier blurb!!

'Many of us have been made to feel inferior because of our sexuality. Racism is as hurtful and offensive as homophobia and many of our brothers and sisters experience racism from within our own community!

Some examples of racism include:
· Making jokes centred on someone’s race.
· Making assumptions based on race.
· Making negative comments or gestures based on race.
· Excluding people based on race.

The ‘Would You Wear it?’ campaign asks us to challenge our own and others’ ideas about race so we can all enjoy a community where everyone is accepted and respected.

Some of the ways you can support our diversity and contribute to making our community strong include:

Check In – Do you pre-judge others?

Stand Up – Stand up against racism when it’s safe to do so.

'

IDAHO

The International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is on May 17 each year this a time to combine the efforts of all those involved both in fighting prejudice and in contributing to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, or same-sex attracted (GLBTIQS) people’s well-being.

What is IDAHO?

On 17 May 1990, the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. The fight for the recognition of equal rights for lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender people did not end there though. And it continues today, across the globe, in a great variety of ways.

Today around 80 countries in the world still criminalise homosexuality and condemn consensual same sex acts with imprisonment. In nine countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen), consensual same sex acts still carry the death penalty.

Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is still not recognised formally by the member states of the United Nations (even though human rights mechanisms such as the Human Rights Committee have repeatedly condemned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity).

This year’s international theme is:

“STOP! Homosexuality is not a sickness!”

Following this year’s theme, the IDAHO committee is developing a health services audit for healthcare providers. The audit is not about blaming or shaming individuals or organisations into action, it’s about learning, reflecting, celebrating achievements and finally professional development. The audit will provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on their service/practice and improve services to clients of diverse sexualities and gender.

If you or your organization is able to support IDAHO or is interested in ordering our South Australian designed and printed IDAHO posters, postcards or pamphlet please contact Gay Men’s Health at the AIDS Council of South Australia on:

what do I know about your genitals?

I enjoy reading the Sexuality Blog By Cory Silverberg, One of his latest entrys starts like this.

'Writing about sexual anatomy is one of my least favorite parts of writing about sex. Each time I sit down, as I did a few days ago, and begin to write something about the way the foreskin works or what the urethra looks like I get a shiver down my spine. It’s not that I don’t love human genitalia. I mean it might be more accurate to say I have love for genitals than to say I love genitals directly. Either way, I’m not squeamish or conflicted about these body parts. My point is not that I don’t like my own, my loved ones, or complete stranger genitals. The point is that I don’t like writing about them.
After all, what do I really know about your genitals? Aside from the most mundane large scale generalizations, what can I really say about your genitals that won’t clash with your own experience of them? This is a problem for anyone writing about the body (above or below the waist) but its one we don’t talk about much.'

If you read this blog ( which is also linked at the side bar to yourt right) you will come to a 'link' that describes a way for you to take your own guided tour of your genitals. Go on and have a try.

research

Here are some interesting bits that you may want to follow up! Go here if you do.

• An erection is not the main cue for men to know they are sexually aroused. Most of the men responded that they can experience erections without feeling aroused or interested, leading researchers to suggest that erections are not good criteria for determining sexual arousal in men.


• previous studies have explored the role demographics such as age, education and socio-economic status play in sexual functioning among women, few have explored the role differences in personality play in predicting current and lifetime sexual problems. In this study, women's sexual inhibition tendencies were more important than other factors in predicting sexual problems.

Cheesy pick up lines!

Reach Out have released 3 adverts over the last 4 months, the one below is episode 2. Possibly a fun resource to use as an introduction to exploring relationships with young people.

Reach Out! TV Summer Specials episode 2 'Summer Lovin'

It's summer..hot chips and romance are in the air. Stefan, the host of the show, hits the beach to test the waters and discovers just where cheesy pickup lines will get you....find out.