May Meeting Minutes

s.e.x.

Heather Corinna is the author and the main force behind scarleteen.com, a fabulous and popular online sex-ed resource for youth. We loved the writing style, particularly the fact that the book "talks to you."

"Imagine what it would be like if you had taken a sexuality class at school, one where the teacher just focused on the facts, and the students were free of embarrassment and could listen in rapt amazement. Sure you would have learned the usual stuff, like how your body works, what your genitals look like, how babies are made, how contraception works, and how STD's get passed around. But you also would have learned that each person's sexuality is unique, and that gender identity and sexual orientation fall on a continuum. You would have learned that sex is a gift you give as well as receive, that it is based on mutual respect and responsibility, that it is about pleasure, that it is more than intercourse, and that being good at it has nothing to do with penis size or tight vaginas, but practice and presence." - s.e.x., from the "foreword" by Anne Semans

While there are some problems with the word "give" in this quote, essentially this is exactly what we try to do as educators! All-around a good feeling from this book.

Check it out: Deal With It. For a bit of a younger audience: 12-16. Recommended by several educators in the club.


The V Book <- mostly the thumbs down....
The possibility of having a female partner was brought up only on page 112, the same page on which there was also advice given on using olive oil as lube (with no specifically attached warnings on infection, cleanliness, latex condom-oil incompatibility etc.)

When talking about menopausal symptoms, the fact that these vary between cultures is not acknowledged! This is an important piece of info for anyone wanting to deconstruct why they are experiencing anything in the body a certain way (what is "natural"?)

There is lots of "norm" talk in this book; heterosexist.

The chapter on what an examination should look like is valuable, but it does - along with the rest of the book - shift the onus on "us" to get the proper care.

The author is an MD with lots of experience, and that's exactly how the book is written: biomedical model language.

We decided that this is more of a reference guide, not a by-the-fireplace read. It is densely packed, there is a sense that there was no editor to be found (lots of unnecessary repeats and length), and plenty of translation is needed to get the info into feminist, sex-positive language.


The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women -2nd Edition
Good, yummy, a fun read. Feels like you're sitting in one of Tristan Taormino's workshops right then. Covers everything from basics to hygiene to lube to troubleshooting; has chapters on BDSM and advanced play - very diverse. Great sections on communication, addressing fears of all participants.

There is an Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men as well, and sexy educational videos by the same author.