Sex Ed in the News

New Means of Disseminating Sexuality Information, Plus Other News…  Obama Cuts Abstinence-Only Sex Ed; School Districts Push Back In his proposed budget for 2017, President Barack Obama eliminated a $10 million-a-year grant from the Department of Health and Human Services that funds abstinence-only education programs. Meanwhile, there are some states that are voting to keep abstinence-based education in… Read more »

#BlackSexEdHistory Spotlight: Dr. Joycelyn Elders

Joycelyn Elders, the first person in the state of Arkansas to become board certified in pediatric endocrinology, was the sixteenth Surgeon General of the United States, the first African American and only the second woman to head the U.S. Public Health Service. Long an outspoken advocate of public health, Elders was appointed Surgeon General by… Read more »

#BlackSexEdHistory Spotlight: Tanya Bass

Tanya Bass, MS, CHES has 20 years of experience and is viewed as a subject matter expert in the field of health education, minority health, pregnancy prevention, HIV/STDs, reproductive health and sexual health. She is the lead instructor of Human Sexuality at North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC.  Tanya is committed to reducing health disparities and… Read more »

#BlackSexEdHistory Spotlight: James Wadley

James C. Wadley, Ph.D., L.P.C. (PA & NJ), ACS  (Founder/Editor)                                                        Dr. James Wadley is Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Human Services program at The Lincoln University. As a scholar-practitioner, he is a licensed professional counselor and maintains a private practice in the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is the founding editor… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

The blues-iest news around! Want to know how sex ed fails in the United States? This link provides a series of maps incorporating information like which states educate on condoms, abstinence, etc, followed by maps about which states have the lowest contraception and highest pregnancy rates. Correlation doesn’t imply causation, but wouldn’t there be some sort… Read more »

Welcome back!

My friends, the 2015 National Sex Ed Conference has been over for a month, and I’m finally back at my desk writing. Why has it taken me a month to get back into the grove of things, you may rightfully ask me? Between conference wrap-up, back-logged emails, and the holidays, well, things just got a… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

Today is World AIDS Day Welcome to the World AIDS Day edition of Sex Ed in the News. What is now known as HIV has maintained a top and center place in the world sexual health field since the early-80’s. With millions currently infected, millions dead, and the situation in sub-Saharan Africa continuing to wreck… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

Doing the news Harvard’s ‘Sex Week’ Gathering Headlines Again Harvard’s controversial Sex Week includes a wide range of workshops incorporating kink, safer sex, and interdisciplinary studies. From masturbation to 1200 bottles of lube, the week is not an official college program, but hosts its own website and infrastructure. Mississippi Teacher Suspended for Condom Demonstration After… Read more »

Karen’s Conference Musings

It’s Thanksgiving week, and predictably, between conversations about turkey (yes), turkey shaped tofu (yes), cranberry-orange chutney (yes), and that weird cranberry stuff that is shaped like a can (unfortunately yes), I’m putting in hard time on conference preparation. This is my third year working on the National Sex Ed Conference planning team, and I love… Read more »

NSEC Workshop Presenter Jenna Weintraub

NSEC Workshop Title: Body Neutrality : A Workshop on the Connections Between Body Image & Sexual Health NSEC Workshop Description: This workshop will explore how a socially constructed concept of an ‘ideal’ body impacts our work toward improving sexual health. Gain concrete tools to help you teach about body image and join the cultural shift towards creating… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

All the news!! Workshops to deliver disability-specific sex education Australia is leading the curve by providing comprehensive, disability-specific sexuality education for parents and youth. The classes use healthy sexuality as a goal, while acknowledging the difficulties of working at the intersection of sexuality and disability. Gay Dating Apps Are Leading The Way On Safer Sex Technological… Read more »

Introducing the new Unequal Partners!

(Editor’s note: Kirsten deFur, the editor of the new, soon-to-be-released edition of Unequal Partners, introduces us to her the new manual below.) I am absolutely thrilled to have had the opportunity to be the editor for the 4th Edition of Unequal Partners: Teaching About Power, Consent, and Healthy Relationships. The original manual, published in the… Read more »

NSEC Presenters Kate Randall and Bryce Komaroff

NSEC Workshop Title: The Mixed Messages of Sex Ed: Finding Harmony between Personal Values and Professional Goals NSEC Workshop Description: Teaching sexuality often requires educators to navigate mixed messages around abortion, sexual assault, teen pregnancy, and other topics. This interactive workshop will give participants the opportunity to craft their own sex education philosophy within a… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

Let’s talk news, some good, some bad Texas officials raid several Planned Parenthood offices, demand addresses of employees The Texas Office of the Inspector General sent a number of officials into Planned Parenthood offices in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, demanding thousands of pages of documents in 24 hours, including personal information of employees. ‘East Los… Read more »

NSEC Presenter Terri Clark

NSEC Workshop Title: YES YOU CAN! Teaching About Sexuality with Older Adults NSEC Workshop Description: This workshop is intended for sexuality educators who want to begin to implement programming that targets older adults and aging services staff, but may not know where to start. Educators will learn tools to deliver engaging, interactive and easily replicable workshops… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

All the news!! Women students develop app to stop sex assaults in Oxford Technology is becoming more and more deeply integrated into the sexual experience, from dating to STI results to ovulation tracking. Women at Oxford College have recently created a new app that provides support for people who have experienced sexual assault. Knowing what to… Read more »

Interview with Zupenda Davis-Shine

I had the honor of attending the Black Families, Black Relationships, Black Sexuality conference a few weeks ago, along with 140 or so other professionals and students. It was the first conference in association with The Association of Black Sexologists and Clinicians, and it was phenomenal. I was able to catch up with a few… Read more »

NSEC Workshop Presenters Shira Cahn-Lipman and Jennifer A. Hart

NSEC Workshop Title: Facilitating Role-Play in the Sex Ed Classroom NSEC Workshop Description: This workshop will present participants with useful role-play techniques and strategies. Following an expert’s modeling, participants will have a chance to try out the techniques in a safe and judgment-free space. Attendees will leave this workshop empowered to apply these skills in their… Read more »

Sex Ed in the News

The biggest news last week: California’s new sex ed law! From consent education to accurate representations of LGBTQ families, California has stepped into the role of a leader in state-based comprehensive sexuality education. You can read the bill itself here: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB329 The bill puts forth the following as it’s aims and goals: (1) To provide pupils with… Read more »