Hi there, I'm Kidder Kaper. I'm an author, podcaster, sex educator, blogger, yada, yada, and I think it is time that we radically change our approach to the way we view and deliver sex education. Traditionally, sex education has taken either a left or right turn down a two forked road. The left road usually concerns itself with medically accurate facts often abandoning the emotional components of sex to be experienced without guidance by its audience. The road on the right is often an single lane highway littered with lies, guided by morality toward an end goal of complete and total abstinence. Though I tend to choose the left road when given only two options, I find myself wondering what we want sex education to be and how we intend for it to improve the lives of its students.
I want to put stuff up my butt
HIV made an enormous impact on the world in the early 1980's. It scrounged up fear, stigma, and discrimination. It also brought out compassion, kindness and a drive to help fellow community members. As researches learned the routes of HIV transmission, the entire world had begun to politicize an infectious disease. As the world learned how to prevent HIV, there was a collective sigh of relief. To prevent becoming infected with HIV, people should not share needles and should use condoms for anal, vaginal, and oral sex. Pregnant women could take steps to reduce the chances of infecting their children. Screening became mandatory for the blood supply and for blood-products. It seemed it was only a matter of years until this disease was under control and the crisis ended.
The condom. The wonderful, glorious condom. The savior of the promiscuous, the child-fearing fertile, and hypochondriacs. Sex educators can't sing their praise enough while doctors and public health clinics have their work loads reduced. Condoms prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV. That's why I wanted to talk about them today. With HIV numbers rising worldwide, it's important to understand condoms and why they're so important to the sex positive movement.
As a sex educator often I spend more time talking about communication than about vibrators, condoms, and anatomical function put together. From what I have experienced, it seems that the biggest indicator of whether or not you will achieve your sexual and emotional desires is largely dependent on how good of a communicator you are. Take a look at the various sources relationship advice. It may be phrased differently but I guarantee you that the majority of advice out there boils down to three things: communication, talking more, and communication. So there it is, your magic bullet. That said, if it is that easy why are people still hesitant to be open and honest with each other about what they want and need?
