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It’s Week 6 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe.
How can you get involved?
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The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policy makers, opinion leaders, social movements, public opinion, the media etc. to this issue and to promote a world of tolerance, respect and freedom, diversity and acceptance regardless of people’s sexual orientation and gender identity. As much as it is a day against violence and oppression, it is a day of freedom, diversity and acceptance. The day of May 17 was chosen to commemorate the decision taken by the World Health Organization …
In this week’s Time Magazine, Joel Stein took a look at the Millennial generation – and said that Millennials are “inactive” and “lack passion.” Advocates’ President Debra Hauser wrote this open letter to Joel informing him otherwise!
Regarding your cover story, “The Me, Me, Me Generation”: We’re thrilled that Joel Stein took some time to get to know the Millennial generation, and that he recognizes their potential for greatness. But we were surprised and saddened by his assessment that Millennials are inactive and lack passion. We work with …
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Pregnancy and Parenting
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(Note: Katia Gomez is the Founder and Executive Director of Educate2Envision, an international NGO working with the children and young people of Honduras. Recently, her organization was recognized by the WomenDeliver as one of the 25 finalists for the WomenDeliver 25, an online competition to determine the top social enterprises that benefit girls and women around the world. More than 13,500 votes were cast online to select Teen Revolt, New Incentives, Wedu, and the other winners. Each finalist will receive a scholarship to WomenDeliver 2013, where they …
When a teenager or young woman looks in the mirror to consider her appearance, the chances are good that she will not be happy with what she sees.
To help battle that misconception, the second annual True Beauty Fashion Show was held Sunday at St. Mary Catholic Central High School. The event was meant to encourage girls, teens and young women to celebrate and appreciate their own beauty rather than compare themselves to unrealistic standards that are pervasive in advertising and popular culture.
Paxton Kreps of LaSalle, a junior …
Planning events are a great way to advocate for issues that matter to you and your community. For me, the biggest thing was to giving myself plenty of time to plan everything out, and make sure that it would go smoothly, and as planned.
If you’re working with your council and you want your coordinator to work with you or attend the event, let that person know in advance! They need to know ahead of time, because their schedules can get very busy. You might need to come up …
“You don’t have kids, do you?”
Have ever met someone and really hit it off? You start asking the basic initial questions, like, “where do you live?” “How old are you?” “Where is your family from” and so on.
Then you ask, Or you are asked, “You don’t have kids. Do you?” As if having a kid is going to make or break this potential relationship. If you are the one being asked the question, what should you answer? What should you say? Feel? Or think?
Should you …
Dear Sex Ed Teachers,
Let me start by thanking all the sex educators out there. You are helping us become better human beings.
We might not show it, but we truly appreciate you and all you do.
We (as in your students) know more than anyone that talking about sex can be a bit uncomfortable, but you, being the great sex teacher you are, maneuver us around the initial awkwardness and get us to a place where we are all comfortable enough to ask questions.
Yes, yes, we know …
Colorado Youth Testify in Support of HB 1081
I strictly assumed that by this time period humans would not be arguing over equality, inclusion, and sexual health. Apparently, some Americans don’t want their children learning about “the gays”, “the lesbians”, “the immigrants” or “cultures.” Some are even outraged because “white heterosexuals” are “no longer represented.” These are authentic words spoken from citizens present in the committee for HB 1081 or “The Sex Ed Bill”, on Thursday February 7th. I went into committee humming “I’m just a Bill” …
Respect. I think the word that best describes what I’m trying to get at with this blog. I feel like there’s this notion in society today that a women’s self-respect and self-worth lie completely between her legs, and because of this notion a lot of other social issues arise. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard some variation of the phrase have some respect for yourself ladies and keep your legs closed. Statements like this pigeonhole women and keep society in that outdated mindset …
In honor of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Susan Rice–US Representative to the United Nations–released this statement and video expressing support for equal rights for all individuals and communities, particularly LGBT youth.
Today, as we commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, we rededicate ourselves to a basic but essential truth – that human rights are universal and must be protected for all. Homophobia, sadly, is present in every corner of our world. And, it is a problem we continue to face here in the United States.
At the United Nations,
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We’ve been hearing stories this month of students in high school who have not been permitted to pose in yearbook photos or attend graduation with their babies. But this one takes the cake:
“A Michigan school district has barred two pregnant students from showing their baby bumps in the high school yearbook — a decision made to keep with the state’s abstinence-based approach to sex education, according to the superintendent.”
What? So, showing any evidence of pregnancy in a young person’s yearbook picture is a violation of a …
http://reproductiverightsunsw.tumblr.com/post/50247350365…
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, celebrated on May 17th is used to commemorate the decision taken by the World Health Organization in 1990 to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders. Though Quality of Citizenship Jamaica will not be doing an actual event this year, this statement is an expression of our solidarity with organisations, groups, and individuals around the world who will be celebrating.
The last report on State Sponsored Homophobia, produced by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA) and released …
Being Jamaican means so many things, it means I am strong, I’m bi-racial, I have great taste in music, I have great rhythm, I can bust a move on any dance floor, I have a very rich history filled with events that changed the way the Caribbean is seen today, But unfortunately being Jamaican should also mean you hate people who are gay and treat them like garbage and think i have the authority to take their lives ( that’s what they say).
Though we have a laid-back image of reggae and Rastas, sun …
Melissa Harris-Perry’s Panel looks at Elizabeth Smart’s recent comments on abstinence-only sex education and whether the policy is effective.
WATCH IT HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_MA_mrow8
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It’s Week 5 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe.
This week we’re focused on improving the health of women and girls.
How can you get involved?
…
Today when I heard that Angelina Jolie had recently undergone a double masectomy, I just KNEW that somewhere on teh interwebs, there were some really dumb men completely missing the point and making ignorant comments about her.
Angelina made her decision after doctors told her she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer, and a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Her mother died of cancer at 56 and she decided she would rather begin to minimize the risk than have her children have to deal with her …
Why Nothing has Changed…Yet.
Along with epidemic rates of sexual assault, a large part of the US military’s problem with these crimes is the rape culture that the structure of the military, under current rules, holds in place. We’ve known for a long time that the military had this problem, but things may have a chance of changing in the near future. Recent scandals have come to light over the past few months (and days) that demonstrate the structural failings that make this situation so dire. We’ve always been …
In early May, the Justice Department announced that it would appeal District Court Judge Edward Korman’s April decision on emergency contraception being available over the counter with no age restrictions. Judge Korman was not happy, calling the appeal, among other things, “nonsense,” “baloney,” and “a charade” – especially since his order had granted the FDA what they asked for in 2011. (See the word cloud above for some more of the Judge’s choice words!) Judge Korman followed up his comments on the case by denying the Obama Administration’s …
Why is it important to continue the fight for sex education in southern states like Texas and Mississippi?
I joined the Texas Freedom Network and Advocate for Youth’s CAMI program about two years ago. Through training and advocacy work for health and sexual reproductive rights, I became empowered. I began to …
We join Strong Families in their Mama’s Day celebration, highlighting the real lives and experiences of the mamas in our lives. The following is a blog from Kirbie who’s fantastic art work is featured in a Mama’s Day e-card.
I wanted to interpret my feelings of becoming a young parent at the age of 17, and learning to identify myself or, in a sense, figure out how I identify with my culture in relation to the challenges of sexual violence on the reservation. I realized that being a victim …
“Sadly, real or perceived controversy keeps schools from providing young people with the information and skills they need to become sexually healthy adults. Just like other topics taught in school, sexuality education should be developmentally appropriate, sequential and complete.
Irrational fear – the cultural belief that teaching young people about sex will cause them to have sex – keeps administrators and educators from doing what they know is best: providing young people with developmentally appropriate, sequential and honest sex education. Never mind that 30 years of public health research
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TODAY, the North Carolina House of Representatives will be debating a bill (HB 693) that would require teenagers notarized parental consent form in order to access STD testing and treatment, mental health counseling, pregnancy prevention or care, or substance abuse treatment. Teenagers without a parent or guardian would be required to stand before a judge and request a judicial bypass in order to obtain those health services.
Let’s do a quick before and after:
RIGHT NOW, a young person in North Carolina can see a doctor for STD testing …
A few days after I turned fifteen( august 2011) my aunt called me and told me about an opportunity I would never forget. I went over to her house and we began reading over a description of what this opportunity would involve, before I knew it I was filling out the application. I remember feeling so excited! I took my time on the application, wanting it to be just perfect. The very next morning I got a call and the man on the other end of the phone offered me an …
The other day I was online and came across an article about Ben Affleck and several other political and celebrity figures becoming part of a campaign to raise awareness about global poverty by living on $1.50 a day.
If Nevada and Sexuality listed their relationship status on Facebook, it would undoubtedly read “It’s Complicated”.
A flourishing sex trade? Check! A tourist industry that is based around that 80’s clichéd notion that “sex sells” and continuously uses women’s bodies as the background for marketing strategies? Duh, All about it! Home to Sin City, a place built upon a slogan that tells visitors that you can basically indulge in whatever vice you want, and leave with no consequences? Come on, It’s Vegas, Baby!
Elizabeth Smart, who famously was kidnapped, held in captivity for months, and raped, had this to say about her feelings during the ordeal:
…she was raised in a religious household and recalled a school teacher who spoke once about abstinence and compared sex to chewing gum.
“I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.’ And that’s how easy it is to feel like you know longer have worth, you know longer have value,” Smart said.
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*This is a long post. Just a heads up! Grammatical errors and misspelled words are inevitably bound to show up, as well as the extreme use of the words, awesome, FIERCE, amazing, radical and inspiring.
From April 12- April 14, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the 27th Annual CLPP Conference at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. This was my first time visiting Massachusetts and attending CLPP Conference, so needless to say, I was extremely blessed and excited to be in a safe space to discuss abortion rights …
I am so happy that I got to experience this wonderful opportunity. Working with Broward County Youth Council during the 2012-2013 year was one highlight of my life. The amazing people I met at Advocates For Youth have left an big impact on my life. The wonderful things I learned at PlannedParenthood, I will never forget. My first plane ride was to D.C for the Urban Retreat. My coordinator, Daily even took me on a tour to visit the school I will be atteding in the fall. The monthly meetings gave …
South Carolina’s sex education is horribly outdated, and we all know it. I’ll admit I’m not from South Carolina. I spent middle and high school in Denver, Colorado, and, so I received a pretty decent sex education from the school system. The currciculum promoted abstinence, but it also covered contraception and condoms, and it covered STD’s. At the time, I didn’t think this was very revolutionary as far as sex education went. Then, I came to USC for my undergrad, and I found myself in a women’s health class. …
There are so many rumors and theories about Plan B and other emergency contraception that it can become very difficult to differentiate fact from fiction, and unfortunately, many people believe the falsified rumors over what EC actually does. Emergency contraception is NOT an abortion pill and it will NOT terminate a pregnancy if you are already pregnant. Emergency contraception just prevents you from becoming pregnant just like any other birth control. In fact, EC is just a higher dosage of the pill you take every day.
That is …
Last week, governments from around the world met at the United Nations for the 46th Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Throughout the week-long deliberations, governments, UN agencies, demographers, and NGOs debated the topic of migration and its relationship to the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action—a groundbreaking declaration which signaled a major shift in population policy from one based on population control to one based on human rights, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
What’s migration got to do with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), you …
What’s striking about this developing story from Pennsylvania is the media’s, and the court system’s, complete lack of concern for the teen at its center.
After authorities found the body of a premature infant in the trash at a Lancaster high school, they used security footage to identify the young woman who gave birth, and arrested her, charging her with concealment of the death of a child.
Far from asking what led to this young woman giving birth, very prematurely, alone, in a bathroom, or what led her to …
When Katelyn Campbell protested her school’s mandatory abstinence-only assembly, she did something I’ve wanted to do since leaving college. I remember there was one day in my health class sophomore year of high school when we had two speakers come into our class to talk about abstinence. I don’t remember what they said other than, “Sex isn’t bad, but just don’t do it.” That’s paraphrased a bit, but you get the idea. Knowing what I know now, however, I sometimes wonder what I would have said if I could …
A documentary screening program was held on 12th April 2013 at YUWA as a part of celebrating the Anti-Street Harassment Week. A total of 16 very enthusiastic participants were present on the screening. The 90 minute documentary titled “Miss Representation” showed how women have been ‘mis-represented’ in the media as an object of beauty and the influence the stereotyped beauty has had on the young minds who spend majority of their time watching TV. “Miss Representation” represented how the credibility of a woman was most often judged through …
Hi!
My name is Karachi and I am here to share with you the wondrously-baffling gospel of Tyler Perry. Ladies, Mr. Perry would like you to know that if you cheat on your God-fearing, hardworking, high school sweetheart husband, you WILL feel the wrath of the almighty. This wrath will come in the form of HIV, which will be transmitted by the most evil man ever – the HIV-positive, craptastic, psycho of a man whom no woman would fall for…unless of course she was a character in a Tyler …
When I first began to read the article “How a German Elementary School Taught Sex Ed“ published today in The Atlantic, I was a bit shocked. The first sentence describes how a high school biology teacher in Idaho is under investigation by a “professional standards commission” for using the word vagina. Okay, that wasn’t what shocked me. After all, there was that Michigan State Representative who was censored last year for using the same word in front of adults. What surprised me more was the …
We have heard and seen that women are somehow suppressed and discriminated in all religions of the world. The same goes with Hinduism as well. Hinduism believes that women are synonyms to divinity, power, beauty, wisdom, erudition and leadership down the ages. It highlights the central role that women have always played in Hindu dharma, society, politics, humanities and other fields of scholarship, and in the families. However, a woman’s life is always controlled by a man in this religion. She has to live up to the expectation of her …
Transgender women are the fastest growing population of the HIV-positive. The National Institutes of Health came out with a report, noting that almost a third of transgender Americans have HIV. Trans women of color specifically are at a greater risk than their white sisters. Through a survey, it was found that 56% of black trans women have HIV. The 2009 study from NIH also noted that many transgender women may not even know their HIV status. With an alarming statistic like this, we have to wonder what’s causing it.…
Check out this cool thing! Legendary gender outlaw Kate Bornstein has updated her famed My Gender Workbook in its latest version, My New Gender Workbook. Bornstein’s workbook shows you how embracing and identifying intersectionality will make the world a better place. Who knew?
Photo source: genderqueerid.com…
Being able to attend the 46th Untied Nation Commission on Population and Development during the 22nd and 26th of April was definitely a great experience for me. While entering the UN not as a tourist excited me since my dream since childhood is to be able to work for the UN, attending the sessions enabled me to have a deeper understanding of the political debate of sexual and reproductive health and rights at an international level.
This year’s CPD focused on “demographic changes and new trends …
Women are the most beautiful creation of God and by default they are expected to take care of their beauty. This quest for ultimate beauty has given rise to various cultural practices that have victimized women since centuries. One of these customs is the ‘Chinese Foot Binding’ practice.
The process of foot binding is started for the young girls anywhere from the age of four to six. The daughters’ feet was first soaked in warm water or animal blood and herbs with a special potion that caused any dead flesh to fall off. Then her toe nails were cut as short as possible therefore not allowing them to grow into the foot. After she received a foot massage, …
Tennessee state lawmakers decided to pass a resolution this week. Before I tell you what the resolution was, let me give you a quick background on how Tennesee deals with its social issues. The bills that have been introduced in this state include: school prayer, fines on students who have saggy jeans, public displays of Christianity’s Ten Commandments, public access to the names of doctors who provide abortions, and the most “popular” is the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill which would prevent teachers from ever discussing homosexuality. Tennessee has also …
From our friends at RH Reality:
Beatriz wants to live. She’s 22 years old and the mother of an infant, but the 18 week pregnancy she’s carrying is killing her — right now as you read this — and the government of El Salvador has refused to permit an exception to their abortion ban to save her life.
Sign a petition to President and Supreme Court of El Salvador right now!…
Hello World 
,
I’m sure we all know Sheryl Lee Ralph. We see her in the famous Moesha television series. I didn’t know she was half Jamaica until yesterday when I saw her at a Ministry of Health function which was held to celebrate her new partnership with the Ministry as the “face” of the new HIV/AIDS campaign.
Here is more information about her taken from: http://www.answers.com/topic/sheryl-lee-ralph#ixzz2RQuwLucu
“Sheryl Lee Ralph, best known as Moesha‘s television stepmom, is an accomplished actress and vocalist whose path to stardom has …
En el pasado escribí sobre los beneficios de utilizar una copa menstrual, pero desde una perspectiva individualista. Utilizar una copa menstrual no solo ayuda a ahorrar dinero, tiempo e incomodidad, utilizar copas menstruales (o cualquier tipo de toallas sanitarias reusable) ayuda a conservar nuestro medio ambiente. Solo para que tengan una idea aquí hay varios datos interesantes sobre el uso de toallas sanitarias desechables:
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The entire town of Boston was on a lockdown because of one man: We can do everything we can to protect ourselves, but when someone is in a position of power over us, what we can do hardly matters. Likewise, the prevalence of sexual assault and intimate partner abuse further challenges the myth of personal space as safe space, especially because these are forms of violence that capitalize on intimate spaces.
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So far, I have refrained from blogging about the Boston Marathon bombings lest I explode into a ball of fire from the rage I feel. It’s always interesting to see the way that mainstream media latches onto stories about tragedy. Before it’s all over, the story has been told one million different ways, with everybody and their mother having been invited to weigh in. I kid you not, last Friday, every time I tuned the radio to NPR, someone was spouting some kind of analysis or the other. It’s …
“I also came to realize that the focus on personhood ignores the fact that a zygote, embryo, or fetus is growing inside of another person’s body.”
| — | Libby Anne, “How I Lost Faith in the ‘Pro-Life’ Movement” |
This is really important to consider. You absolutely can advocate for a zygote, embryo, or fetus. But understand that in doing so, it subsequently infringes on the rights of the person this being resides in.
Giving a fetus personhood is not equality. No one currently has the special right of using …
Because there are actually sensible people on this planet who know that the responsibility of pregnancy does not fall solely on the shoulders of girls and women, the campaign above exists. The Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of Adolescent and School Health has launched a great campaign about teenage pregnancy. The campaign features images of pregnant lads, reminding people that there is always another party involved. Because in today’s society, people are quick to shame the young women, forgetting that they couldn’t possibly have gotten pregnant all on …
Just when you thought it was safe again (Yeah right. When is it ever?), a club in Glasgow decided to install a two-way mirror in its bathrooms, making it easy for men to spy on women without the other party’s knowledge. For what purpose exactly? I don’t know. When you figure it out, let me in on the grand plan.
When confronted, the skeevy mcskeevs of The Shimmy nightclub claimed that the mirror was, “a design feature created as a bit of fun, an interactive feature which we …
Months ago i was working on a video when i got to a point in editing that i have to insert a sound track and so i have search for more than just what i have, so started looking then i came across this sound track and it inspired me to do a short video. even though i am not that good i came up with something which i will want to hear your views about.
please drop me a comment so i could be able to take corrections…
(Note: Katia Gomez is the Founder and Executive Director of Educate2Envision, an international NGO working with the children and young people of Honduras. Recently, her organization was recognized by the WomenDeliver as one of the 25 finalists for the WomenDeliver 25, an online competition to determine the top social enterprises that benefit girls and women around the world. More than 13,500 votes were cast online to select Teen Revolt, New Incentives, Wedu, and the other winners. Each finalist will receive a scholarship to WomenDeliver 2013, where they …
When a teenager or young woman looks in the mirror to consider her appearance, the chances are good that she will not be happy with what she sees.
To help battle that misconception, the second annual True Beauty Fashion Show was held Sunday at St. Mary Catholic Central High School. The event was meant to encourage girls, teens and young women to celebrate and appreciate their own beauty rather than compare themselves to unrealistic standards that are pervasive in advertising and popular culture.
Paxton Kreps of LaSalle, a junior …
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