Sex, Etc.

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Sex, Etc. is an American magazine and web site on teens' reproductive health. It is written by teens, for teens, and published by Answer, at Rutgers University. Answer is a national organization that provides training, resources, technical assistance and advocacy in support of comprehensive sexuality education. It was formerly known as the Network for Family Life Education.

Contents

Concept

Sex, Etc. is one of the only magazines and Web sites that consistently publishes first-person stories by American teen writers on the realities of their sexual choices and their lives. Teen writers for Sex, Etc. have covered such issues as choosing abortion, adoption or teen parenthood; coming out; leaving abusive relationships; fighting for LGBT rights; becoming an HIV/AIDS activist; and getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases. The writers have also answered teens' questions about sex for Teen People magazine, the think MTV campaign [1] and other youth media outlets.

The teen editorial staff of Sex, Etc. has been featured in the national press, commenting on such topics as abstinence-only programs and youth access to emergency contraception. [2] Sex, Etc. has worked to help young people take action on issues that affect their lives, including working for comprehensive sexuality education in their high schools. [3]

The Sex, Etc. magazine began as a print newsletter in 1994. The web site launched on Valentine's Day in 1999. In 2006, the magazine and web site underwent a major redesign. The site features first-person stories by teens, videos, forums, and an Ask the Experts area, where teens can get answers to their questions via e-mail and a weekly live chat with sexual health experts.

Sex, Etc. is a national partner on the think MTV campaign from MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation. It also partners with Seventeen magazine, gURL.com, Scenarios USA, Revolution Health, Advocates for Youth and other national youth and media organizations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex education</span> Instruction on human sexuality issues

Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexualityeducation or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, safe sex, and birth control, sexual health, reproductive health, emotional relations and responsibilities, age of consent, and reproductive rights. Sex education that includes all of these issues is known as comprehensive sexuality education, and, especially in more socially conservative countries and parts of the United States, is often opposed to abstinence-only sex education, which only focuses on sexual abstinence. Sex education may be provided as part of school programs, public health campaigns, or by parents or caregivers. In some countries it is known as "Relationships and Sexual Health Education".

Coalition for Positive Sexuality is an internet-based comprehensive sexuality education website, for youth and young adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage pregnancy</span> Childbirth in human females under the age of 20

Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20.

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, or simply SIECUS, is a national, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to advancing sex education through advocacy, policy, and coalition building. SIECUS develops, collects, and disseminates information, promotes comprehensive education about sexuality, and advocates the right of individuals to make responsible sexual choices. It is widely regarded as the institutional voice of these concerns and a pioneer of the comprehensive sex education program.

<i>Our Bodies, Ourselves</i> Book about womens health and sexuality

Our Bodies, Ourselves is a book about women's health and sexuality produced by the nonprofit organization Our Bodies Ourselves. First published in 1970, it contains information related to many aspects of women's health and sexuality, including: sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity, birth control, abortion, pregnancy and childbirth, violence and abuse, and menopause. The most recent edition of the book was published in 2011. The book was revolutionary in that it encouraged women to celebrate their sexuality, including chapters on reproductive rights, lesbian sexuality, and sexual independence. Its emphasis on women's active engagement with their actual sexual desires stood in contrast to the societal notion of the role of "women as docile and passive," and "men as active and aggressive" in a sexual relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abstinence-only sex education</span> Form of sex education

Abstinence-only sex education is a form of sex education that teaches not having sex outside of marriage. It often excludes other types of sexual and reproductive health education, such as birth control and safe sex. In contrast, comprehensive sex education covers the use of birth control and sexual abstinence.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is a sex education instruction method based on a curriculum that aims to give students the holistic knowledge, attitudes, skills, and values to make healthy and informed choices in their sexual lives. The intention is that this understanding will help students understand their body and reproductive processes, engage in safer sex by reduce incidents of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV and HPV, reduce unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, as well as lowering rates of domestic and sexual violence.

Abstinence, be faithful, use a condom, also known as the ABC strategy, abstinence-plus sex education or abstinence-based sex education, is a sex education policy based on a combination of "risk avoidance" and harm reduction which modifies the approach of abstinence-only sex education by including education about the value of partner reduction, safe sex, and birth control methods. Abstinence-only sex education is strictly to promote the sexual abstinence until marriage, and does not teach about safe sex or contraceptives. The abstinence-based sex education program is meant to stress abstinence and include information on safe sex practices. In general terms, this strategy of sex education is a compromise between abstinence-only education and comprehensive sex education. The ABC approach was developed in response to the growing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Africa, and to prevent the spread of other sexually transmitted infections. This approach has been credited by some with the falling numbers of those infected with AIDS in Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe, among others. From 1990 to 2001 the percentage of Ugandans living with AIDS fell from 15% to between 5 and 6%. This fall is believed to result from the employment of the ABC approach, especially reduction in the number of sex partners, called "Zero-Grazing" in Uganda.

Heather Corinna is an author, activist, and Internet publisher with a focus on progressive, affirming sexuality. Corinna is a self-described "queer, rabblerousing, polymath". Corinna is non-binary and has advocated for accepting the diverse forms of a sexual experience and avoiding "expertitis".

Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.

The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.

Canadian Youth for Choice (CYC) is a pro-choice youth advocacy group based in Ottawa, Ontario. The group, which is the first of its kind in Canada, advocates for the sexual and reproductive rights of people between the ages of 13 and 30.

Advocates for Youth is a nonprofit organization and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., United States, dedicated to sexuality education, the prevention of HIV and of sexually transmitted disease, teenage pregnancy prevention, youth access to condoms and contraception, equality for LGBT youth, and youth participation. In addition, Advocates for Youth sponsors media campaigns and other forms of outreach which attempt to change societal norms to be more understanding of, accepting, of, and responsible about youth sexuality and to drive youth sexual health equity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Kirby</span> Research scientist

Douglas Bernard Kirby was senior research scientist for ETR Associates in Scotts Valley, California, and one of the world’s leading experts on the effectiveness of school and community programs in the reduction of adolescent sexual risk-taking behaviors. In recent years he had also undertaken research and analysis on the impact of HIV/AIDS prevention programs in Uganda under the auspices of the World Health Organization, USAID, and other organizations.

In the United States, sex education is taught in two main forms: comprehensive sex education and abstinence-only as part of the Adolescent Family Life Act, or AFLA. Comprehensive sex education is also called abstinence-based, abstinence-plus, abstinence-plus-risk-reduction, and sexual risk reduction sex education. This approach covers abstinence as a choice option, but also informs adolescents about age of consent and the availability of contraception and techniques to avoid contraction of sexually transmitted infections. Every state within the U.S. has a mandated AIDS Education Program.

The media and American adolescent sexuality relates to the effect the media has on the sexuality of American adolescents and the portrayal thereof.

A Sex education curriculum is a sex education program encompassing the methods, materials, and assessments exercised to inform individuals of the issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, birth control, and other aspects of human sexual behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage pregnancy in the United States</span> Pregnancies among American girls aged 13–19

Teenage pregnancy in the United States occurs mostly unintentionally and out of wedlock but has been declining almost continuously since the 1990s. In 2022, the teenage birth rate fell to 13.5 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19, the lowest on record. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this decline is due to abstinence and the use of contraception. However, the averages conceal significant ethnic or geographic differences within the nation. The birth rates for Hispanic and African-American teens were more than double those of European-American teens, while Asian-American adolescents have the lowest pregnancy and birth rates of all. As of 2015, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi had the highest adolescent birth rates in the Union.

Sex education is controversial subject in India, sometimes viewed as a taboo topic; across the country and within the community, opinions on how or whether to deliver it are divided. The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have banned or refused to implement sex education in schools. The Hindu nationalist government in Madhya Pradesh said sex education had "no place in Indian culture" and plans to introduce yoga in schools instead. On the global level, India has notably fallen behind numerous countries, including underdeveloped and significantly smaller countries such as Sudan and the Congo Republic, where sex education is first taught at the primary level.

Radhika Chandiramani is the founder of TARSHI, a New Delhi–based NGO that works on issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is a clinical psychologist, writer and editor. Her published works on sexuality and human rights have been covered in media and scholarly reviews. Chandiramani received the MacArthur Fellowship in the year 1995 for leadership development. She is also the recipient of the 2003 Soros Reproductive Health and Rights Fellowship from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

References

  1. "MTV | thinkMTV | Sexual Health". MTV . Archived from the original on 2007-01-07. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  2. "Morning-After Pill: For Emergencies Only". CBS News . Archived from the original on 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-12-29.
  3. "ACLU :: Take Issue, Take Charge :: Reproductive Rights :: Press Releases". Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. Retrieved 2006-12-29.