Martha Kempner's blog
The notion that men and women sure are different is at the center of best-selling books, at least one Broadway play, and pretty much all episodes of “Everybody Love Raymond.” But as much as it can be mined for humor, it can also be pretty damaging. While there is some truth to the whole “men are from Mars women are from Venus” kind of thinking, the solution isn’t, as ab-only programs would have us believe, to accept these behaviors as innate and unchangeable and let either sex (though let’s face it, mostly men) behave badly as result. Instead students should be asked to question the nature, validity, and origin of these gender stereotypes, and to explore how stereotypes affect communication within friendships and sexual relationships.
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On October 15th, 2009, SIECUS – the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States – held our seventh annual Back to School briefing on Capitol Hill. We use this moment to remind policymakers that a “just say no” approach is failing our kids.
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The other day, I was called a tramp on a national radio show
with 3.5 million listeners. I was not the least bit offended and only a little outraged. In truth, it was the first moment in the hour long live broadcast in which I relaxed.
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We know, unfortunately, that the younger the intended audience the more likely it is that there will be disagreements over whether they should learn about sex and sexuality at all.
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The real goal of abstinence-only programs is not to prevent teen pregnancies or STDs and or even to prevent premarital sex - it's to make sure that all people get married.
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