Terms like “grey zone sex,” “lukewarm sex,” or even just “bad sex” have been used to describe intimate acts that appear consensual (i.e. the word “no” was never said) but can feel deeply violating and far from pleasurable. Writer, podcaster, and educator Ashley C. Ford shared a conversation she had with a friend that rings […]
Recap: 5 Advocate-Approved Ways to Improve Sexuality Education
Comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education is one of the most important things we can do today to put a halt on rape culture tomorrow.
Recap: FMF’s 2013 Reproductive Justice Summit
This past Wednesday, July 24, our LA intern team hosted the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Reproductive Justice Summit.
Approval of New Abstinence-Only Program is Dangerous to Girls’ Health
Little attention was paid to the quietly-approved addition of 3 new programs to the Department of Health and Human Services list of “evidence-based” teen pregnancy prevention programs, a list that the current Administration has used to tout its commitment to science in public health. That is until RH Reality Check drew attention to one particular […]
World AIDS Day 2011: Can We Really Get to Zero?
The fight to end HIV/AIDS continues today December 1, 2011, World AIDS Day. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Despite victories in the years since the first diagnoses, there are many hurdles that need to be overcome in “Getting to Zero – […]
Comprehensive Sex Ed: Why It Works
As a high school senior, when it comes to political debate between advocates of comprehensive sex education versus abstinence only education, the political is personal. Having lawmakers decide whether or not students receive information on sex is a frightening reality to me. Abstinence-only education would pose American kids with the conundrum of choosing between being […]
Sex Education and Seven Billion
In 2003, I sat in my eighth grade sexual education class, listening to my teacher explain to us that abstinence was the only way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. As one could predict, later that year one of my classmates, despite having looked terrified during the discussion of STIs, became pregnant at the […]
African Women Need Contraception AND HIV Prevention
A study published last week called into question the benefits of injectable hormones, the most popular form of contraception used in Southern and Eastern Africa, and identified a link between the contraception and HIV transmission. The study appeared in a New York Times article, attracting attention to the possible implications for the women of Africa […]
One Year Later: The Women of Haiti & An American Feminist
For a while there it seemed as if most of the world had forgotten about Haiti (again). This week, by all indications from the news media, the ongoing tragedy has not been completely forgotten. Unfortunately, I can’t help but feel discouraged when nearly half of the people I speak to about Haiti are sure that […]
Recent Trends in Teenage Pregnancy
A few days ago, the Guttmacher Institute came out with a report stating that teenage pregnancy rates have been increasing since 2005. This information comes as an unpleasant surprise to the public because the rates had been steadily decreasing since the early 90s.