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Sex Tech

16 and Pregnant Discussion Guides
Love and Sex

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Is a Fan of 16 and Pregnant — Are You?

If you glance at a newsstand, you know MTV's 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are fodder for the tabloids, but do the teen-pregnancy reality shows also make good teaching material?
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If you glance at a newsstand, you know MTV's 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are fodder for the tabloids, but do the teen-pregnancy reality shows also make good teaching material? The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy thinks so. Considering the popularity of the show, the group believes adults who work with teens should use 16 and Pregnant as a learning tool. They've created discussion guides along with MTV and StayTeen.org to help.

According to The National Campaign's research, 82 percent of teens think the show helps them better understand the challenges of teen pregnancy and parenthood, while 15 percent think it glamorizes teen pregnancy. At the sex::tech conference in San Francisco last weekend, producers of the show, as well as representatives from The National Campaign, discussed what they think are the benefits of the show, in front of a skeptical audience. MTV producer Dia Sokol Savage called herself an "inadvertent activist" against teen pregnancy, while producer Morgan J. Freeman avoided an audience question about how much the teen mom stars are paid.

Find out more about how the show is used for sex ed, when you keep reading.

Facts About the Female Condom
Sex

5 Things You Should Know About the Female Condom

"Put a ring on it" is the cheeky slogan behind The Chicago Female Condom Campaign.
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"Put a ring on it" is the cheeky slogan behind The Chicago Female Condom Campaign. The coalition of HIV/AIDS, reproductive justice, women's health, and gay men's health activists is working hard to raise awareness in Chicago and beyond about female condoms — a form of contraception just as effective as a male condom in preventing STIs, HIV, and pregnancy. A rep for the campaign spoke at this weekend's sex::tech conference, and here are five useful facts she shared.

  1. It's quiet! Some users of the first-generation female condoms would complain about a crinkly sound. No more with version 2.0, approved by the FDA last December.
  2. It increases pleasure. Zoe Lehman of The Chicago Female Condom Campaign explains that during vaginal sex, the inner ring stimulates the penis, while the outer ring stimulates the clitoris.
  3. It's empowering. Zoe described it as a "super-sexy prevention tool that empowers receptive partners." Unlike male condoms, the power is in the woman's hand, giving you more control of your sexual health.
  4. You can insert it hours before sex. That means no interruption, and again, more control.
  5. It's great for people with latex allergies. Female condoms are hypo-allergenic!

Check out more of the basics on the Put a Ring on It site. Would you consider using one?

What Is SSIS at Brandeis
Poll

Was Your College Sex-Positive?

Most college students have an interest in sex, but each university takes its own approach to it.
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Most college students have an interest in sex, but each university takes its own approach to it. While Northwestern recently held a live sex demonstration for a human sexuality class, other schools forbid campus health centers from handing out birth control.

At Brandeis University, the robust Student Sexuality Information Service (SSIS) resource center runs a library of erotica and sexual health material, provides impressive counseling via text messages, and sells sex products, subsidized by the university, ranging from condoms to nipple nibblers and butt plugs. The first question on the FAQs, which lives on brandeis.edu, is: "Where is my clit and what can I do with it?"

Brandeis, which has been home to SSIS since 1973, is a far cry from BYU, which recently kicked a student off the basketball team for having sex with his girlfriend, and other schools with strict sex rules.

At the Sex::Tech conference in San Francisco, I asked peer counselor Ilana Silverstein, a senior a Brandeis, what kind of support or objection they get from the university and community. She explained that last year, 89 percent of students voted to include SSIS in the student constitution, guaranteeing it funding and insulating it from the administration's whims, even though it's also supportive. There is a large Orthodox Jewish community on campus, however, Ilana explained, that doesn't really know about the program. Or when they do, they're not always comfortable with it. In that case, SSIS tries to meet them where they're at, and last year they held a private session for people from that community.

But overall, the university and community see a value in the sex-positive on-campus service, and the students hope to bring the model to other schools one day. Does this remind you of your university?

Modern Ways to Teach Young People About Sex
Love and Sex

Modern Ways to Teach Today's Youth About Sexual Health

Deb Levine, the founder of Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS), kicked off the annual Sex::Tech conference today in San Francisco, an event dedicated to advancing sexual health of American youth.
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Deb Levine, the founder of Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS), kicked off the annual Sex::Tech conference today in San Francisco, an event dedicated to advancing sexual health of American youth. Deb unveiled the findings from ISIS's just-released white paper on how youth and young adults use technology for their sexual and reproductive health. While the teen pregnancy rate is dropping overall, rates among African American and Hispanic youth are much higher. And African American teens, for example, are nine times more likely than Caucasian kids to contract STDs like chlamydia. Deb said that "while we're reaching some youth with messages that work, we're not reaching our most vulnerable youth." Luckily, she proposed some solutions.

For today's youth, sex info is everywhere — on games, Google, Hulu, and in health class. Deb pointed out when it comes to hormone-infused young people, the sexier the information, the more they pay attention. What will they pay more attention to, she asked rhetorically, Our Bodies, Ourselves or Hot Bodies hosted by Mel B?

Obviously some of the information from sexier sources may not be correct, leading to bad decision-making and consequences. But adults and society need to respect youth as consumers; they will seek out the product they want. If sex can be used to sell cars and movies, why not sex health? Deb said adults need to talk to kids, not at kids. After all, they say themselves that not using a condom is "stupid." Deb explained: "Get more sophisticated about the realities of their sex lives. Saying 'use a condom' isn't good enough. If you infuse some humor, everyone ends up on the joke."

ISIS decided to do just that. It partnered with Funny or Die and made a pretty hilarious video of adults giving bad sex advice. "If you run out of condoms, it's OK to use a plastic bag." Or, "Pregnancy only happens if you secretly want it to." It definitely caught my attention.

Based on the research, ISIS also suggests getting smart about Internet search. Teens don't search sexual health, but "I have a rash down there." Sex educators will reach them if they optimize Google search. The goal is to be ubiquitous, reaching youth on Google, games, via text, or on Facebook, to guarantee they get good information.

If you want to see the Funny or Die video just read more.