Sex Education News from the UK
Issues surrounding sex education are not only an American thing. In fact, countries around the world struggle with how to teach children and teens about sex.
This week, the British government unveiled a new plan for their schools. As the Lesbian and Gay Foundation reports,
"The government have announced that sex education will become compulsary for all schools, and that lessons will discuss gay issues and relationships and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Sex education will begin from the age of five. Primary school children will learn about their bodies and puberty, along with marriages, divorces and civil partnerships. Pupils in secondary education will be taught about contraception, gay and lesbian relationships and HIV."
This is welcome news in a country with the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Western Europe and which has seen a number of high profile hate crimes against gay men in recent months.
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Am I Transgender or Transsexual?
If you have a penis and feel male, or if you have a vagina and feel female, then you might not have given your gender identity a lot of thought. But if you are a teen who doesn't feel like your body matches the gender that you were assigned, then you might be wondering if you are transgender or transsexual.
Transgender is an umbrella term that includes:
- drag kings and drag queens
- cross-dressers
- transvestites
- genderqueers
- transsexuals
Transgender individuals may have the genitals of one sex, but a gender identity usually associated with the other. For example, a person born with a penis who feels female may identify as transgender.
Transsexual individuals generally want to surgically or hormonally alter their bodies to match their identities. Pre-op transsexuals tend to have not had surgery and so have the genitalia and bodies of their birth sex. They will usually still live as the opposite sex. Post-op transsexuals have undergone surgery to change their genitals and / or other parts of their bodies.
Some teens know that they are transgender or transsexual from early childhood. For others, the question, "Am I transgender or transsexual?" is one they struggle with for a long time.
Maine Gay Marriage Law Repealed
Yesterday was election day in the US, and much like the sad turn of events last year when Californian's voted against same-sex marriage, this year's voters Maine did the same thing.
"Gay-rights advocates suffered a crushing loss in Maine when voters decided Tuesday to repeal the state's new law allowing gays and lesbians to wed, setting back a movement that had made remarkable progress nationally this year."
This has been an exciting year in many ways, with Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont all legalizing gay marriage. Yet a vote like this is definitely a sign that many people still aren't comfortable with the idea that all people, regardelss of their sexual orientation, should be entitled to the same rights.
US HIV Travel Ban Lifted
On Friday, President Obama lifted the 22 year HIV travel ban which prevented HIV positive individuals from visiting the United States. The ban was imposed in an era of great fear about HIV and AIDS, and was cited as being needed to prevent the spread of the infection. As the SF Chronicle reports,
"In 1987, the U.S. health officials added HIV/AIDS to the list of communicable diseases that could prevent a person from entering the country. Congress, in 1993, codified the ban into law, which was signed by President Bill Clinton."
But even in 1987, when the ban was imposed, scientists knew that the infections was not spread through casual contact. By 1993 when it was signed into law, this was public knowledge.
For years, AIDS activists have called to lift to the ban, which they felt was discriminatory, and which was seen as perpetuating fear and intolerance of people with HIV / AIDS. So when it was lifted on Friday, this was seen as a very positive step.
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Happy Halloween!
I live in New York and one of the biggest Halloween events here is the Village Halloween Parade. Though it isn't officially a GLBT event, the parade has a long history with the city's gay community. It takes place in Greenwich Village, traditionally a neighborhood with a large gay population, and has always welcomed GLBT participants.
Though this is still important, it was particularly significant when the parade began in the 1970s and many GLBT participant felt it was one of the few public arenas where they could openly be themselves.
Of course for some gay and lesbian teens, this is still one of the great things about Halloween. As one girl writes in the forum, "I dressed up for school today 4 halloween, and i was a guy that got into a car crash. Dressing in drag was awesome! Lots of ppl mistook me for a guy today. AWESOME time. "
Out of curiosity, what do you do on Halloween? Do you see it as a time when you can dress up, let loose and be yourself? Let us know in the comments!
Image (c) LarimdaME
The Complicated World of Homeless Gay Teens Doing Sex Work
This week the New York Times ran two articles on homeless and runaway teens. One of the articles looked at the fact that a lot of homeless teens survive by selling sex. As the article explains,
"Nearly a third of the children who flee or are kicked out of their homes each year engage in sex for food, drugs or a place to stay...But this kind of dangerous barter system can quickly escalate into more formalized prostitution, when money changes hands. And then, child welfare workers and police officials say, it becomes extremely difficult to help runaways escape the streets. Many become more entangled in abusive relationships, and the law begins to view them more as teenage criminals than under-age victims."
When as many as 40% of homeless teens are gay, lesbian bisexual or transgender, this is a really important issue for the gay community.
Without any sort of family life to fall back on (one study found that over 25% of GLBT teens who come out to parents are kicked out of their homes), these teens are particularly vulnerable.
Kids who are on the street selling sex are rarely empowered sex workers making conscious decisions about what they want to do with their bodies. For the most part, they are engaged in prostitution, or survival sex, because there are seemingly no other options.
However, it is really important for gay teens to realize that depending on where they are based, they may have more services available to them than they realize.
In many of the cities where homeless or runaway gay teens gravitate, there are organizations designed specifically to help kids like them obtain counseling, find housing, get out of sex work, get help for substance abuse, or access legal advice.
The Ali Forney Center has a great resource list you should check out. There is also a lot of helpful information on the website of the Safe Schools Coalition.
"Help - I Accidentally Outed Myself on Facebook!"
Got any advice for a teen who accidentally outed herself as a lesbian on Facebook?
"Moments ago I stupidly decided to join something lesbian on facebook. Now I have idiots from my class going on about it. AAAAAHHHHHH. I'm denying I'm gay, but it ain't working. I'M DOOOMED!
How do I stop them from thinking i'm gay....even though I kinda am? HEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEE!!!!"
Read more or leave your own advice...
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Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill Passes
Eleven years after being brutally murdered, gay college student Matthew Shepard's legacy will live on in the form of the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which President Obama will sign into law on Wednesday.
As the Washington Blade reports:
"The measure would make illegal hate crimes based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories, and would allow the Justice Department to assist in the prosecution of such crimes. The legislation has languished in Congress for 12 years, and with strong support this congressional session, lawmakers put the finishing touches on the bill this month."
Until now, states have decided whether or not sexual orientation and gender identity were covered by hate crime laws. The federal hate crimes laws only covered crimes based on the victim's race, color, religion or national origin.
It's Gay History Month
Gay History month was first observed in 1994. Set in October to coincide with the first gay rights March in Washington, D.C., the month reminds us what mainstream history books often leave out. Most people don't learn about about the Stonewall Riots in school, for example.
Of course, times are changing, as can be seen with the recent designation of Harvey Milk Day in California. The day, honors Milk, who was murdered shortly after becoming being the first openly gay person elected to public office.
Gay Teens: Fight Feeling Alone
If you are like a lot of gay teens out there, you might feel pretty isolated. Maybe you live in a small town and there are no other teenagers have come out. Maybe you live in a city that has resources for GLBT youth, but they aren't accessible to you. Whatever the reason, it's pretty common for young people to feel like they are alone in dealing with being gay or lesbian.
So what can you do? Here are some tips:
- Realize, even if you don't know anyone else gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, you aren't the only one going through this!
- Check out the forum section of this site. You'll find a lot of GLBT teens talking about everything from homophobic parents, to movie star crushes.
- Find out what community activities are available to gay teens in your area--even if you don't think you will be able to participate right now.
- Talk to someone about what you are going through, a parent, friend or counselor. You can also call the GLBT Youth Talkline for help.