Apr 14 2013
One of the first things one learns in a college-level history or sociology course is that the ways we define and think about various human attributes and qualities—sexual orientation, mental illness, gender, race, virginity—are never static. They vary geographically and temporally, and even though it may seem that the way we currently conceptualize a particular …
Feb 08 2013
Libby Anne and Dan Fincke are doing this cool thing called Forward Thinking where people blog about values. This week’s question is, what would you tell teenagers about sex? I have a lot of perspectives on this. As a teenager, I wasn’t really told anything about sex–good or bad. A few things, sure. I picked up …
Dec 03 2012
[Content note: suicide] Yup, I’m using my blog to promote something. But it’s a very important something. In my blog post earlier today I mentioned this atrocious Facebook page, which cruelly mocks suicidal teenagers by calling them “selfish” and “ignorant” and inciting them to kill themselves. I had reported it to Facebook, and I just …
Dec 03 2012
[Content note: depression and suicide] There’s a disturbing and pervasive idea out there that the psychological troubles of teenagers are inconsequential and unworthy of attention because they’re just a part of “teen angst” or “growing up” or whatever. I’m thinking about this now because last night I ran across this Facebook page. It’s called “No …
Aug 26 2012
I stumbled upon (don’t ask me how) this Facebook page today. It’s called “Most Beautiful Teenager.” Teens post photos of themselves on the page and see how many likes and comments they can rack up. Sometimes there’s a “scale” for the number of likes, usually going from “ugly” (100 likes) to “OUT OF THIS WORLD” …
Aug 07 2012
Hey, you know what will help teens avoid pregnancy? Comprehensive sex education, right? Nah. Here’s Rep. Debbie Riddle, a Republican in the Texas state house: What I think is that that’s unconstitutional. Apparently many other readers of Rep. Riddle’s Facebook page thought so too, and told her in no uncertain terms, because she followed up …
Jul 24 2012
Of all the pernicious myths about homosexuality that just won’t die in our society, the idea that it’s a “choice”–and, consequently, that it’s possible to “turn” people gay–is one of the most frustrating. That myth got trotted out again in response to the announcement that Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation is partnering with Office …
Dec 11 2011
I usually stay away from commenting on Obama’s presidency because, to be honest, I was just a kid during all the previous presidencies I’ve lived through and really have no comparison to make. However, a recent statement by Obama has caused me to come out of my apolitical cave and rage. After the FDA made …
Feb 20 2011
I am going to do something I rarely do–label something with an “ism.” A post on CNN’s health blog, The Chart, points out that oral sex can increase cancer risk–valuable information, to be sure. But for some unknown reason, the blog frames the information like this: Here’s a crucial message for teens: Oral sex carries …
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