2023 Teen Talk Refresher Pilot

Teen Talk Refresher

[Educator Name & Pronouns]

Refresher Topics

Values

Clinics & Access Intersectionality

Advocacy

Sexual Health Justice

Intimate Behaviors

Consent

Boundaries

Media Literacy

Calming Strategies

Group Norms being curious using “I” statements inclusive language

1) Respect

2) Confidentiality

Group Norms

1) Respect

Group Norms being curious using “I” statements inclusive language

2) Confidentiality

3) Transparency

1) Respect

being curious using “I” statements inclusive language

2) Confidentiality

3) Transparency

The legal age of consent in CA is 18

13 or younger with anyone older

14 or 15 with anyone 21 or older

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Group Norms

1) Respect

2) Confidentiality

3) Transparency

Building Community

1) Respect

2) Confidentiality

3) Transparency

4) Communication

5) Ask Questions!

Sexual Health & Relationships

Many factors influence our decisions:

Group Norms

1) Respect

being curious using “I” statements inclusive language

2) Confidentiality

3) Transparency

4) Communication

5) Ask Questions!

Refresher Objective

Empower students with strategies for making safe and intentional decisions about their sexual health and relationships

Values

When one benefits from an aspect of their identity because that component of their identity has not been historically and is not currently oppressed

Teen Clinics

Local Teen Clinic Examples

Planned Parenthood

Sequoia Teen Wellness Center Kaiser Teen Clinic*

- STI testing

- Free condoms

- Contraception

- Pregnancy care

- Health counseling & education

Teen Clinics (CA)

Adult permission is NOT required (but we encourage talking to an adult that you trust)

Services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL

www.familyPACT.org

Family PACT Teen Clinics (CA)

Adult permission is NOT required (but we encourage talking to a trusted adult)

Services are FREE and CONFIDENTIAL

www.familyPACT.org

STIs: Setting the Scene (1/4)

Receptionist: Hi there. What can we do for you today?

Q: Hi, I made an appointment online. My name is Q.

Sexual

Health Access: Let’s Act!

Receptionist: Yes, I see you here. Go ahead and fill out these forms, take a seat, and we’ll call you back soon.

Q sits down in the waiting room, fills out the forms, and returns them to the receptionist. A few minutes later, the nurse comes out.

Nurse: Q?

Q: Yes, that’s me.

Nurse: Please follow me.

The nurse takes Q into an exam room.

STIs: Setting the Scene (2/4)

Nurse: So I see you made your appointment today to get a physical exam. A wellperson check-up. Is that correct?

Q: Yes.

Nurse: Great. We’ll get started by taking your blood pressure, height, and weight. Then, we’ll talk about what other questions or needs you may have.

The nurse completes routine health screening with Q.

Nurse: I want to ask you some questions about your sexual health. Remember everything you say will be kept confidential.

Q: Great, I actually do have some questions. I have a new partner and we’ve been talking about having sex, but I am worried about STIs.

Nurse: We can definitely talk about STIs and prevention today. Have you been sexually active in the past?

STIs: Setting the Scene (3/4)

Q: Kinda. I’ve only had one partner and we just had oral sex and did some hand stuff.

Nurse: Okay. Some STIs can be passed that way, through genital skin-to-skin contact, so I’d recommend getting tested today if you’d like. Have you ever been tested for STIs?

Q: I haven’t been tested before, but I would like to! All I have to do is just pee in a cup right?

Nurse: That is usually the first test we do. However, that will only test for chlamydia and gonorrhea. We will have to do more tests if you’d like to be checked for other STIs.

Q: Ok. I’d like to get checked for everything because I think I might have one…

Nurse: What makes you think that? Are you experiencing any symptoms?

STIs: Setting the Scene (4/4) Health Center Visit

Q: Nothing right now, but a couple times I’ve had painful sores around my genitals, but then they just go away after a few days, so I haven’t gotten them checked.

Nurse: Thank you for sharing that. It sounds like you may have had a herpes outbreak. If you had symptoms now, we would do a visual exam. What we can do is a blood test for herpes antibodies and other viruses like HIV or hepatitis.

Q: Dang alright, yeah, let’s do that. Do you think my last partner gave it to me? I never saw anything like that on their body!

Nurse: Actually, people can be infected with an STI, like the herpes virus, and not even know it. But, they can still transmit it to others.

Q: Is there a cure? I don’t want to pass it on to my partner if we have sex.

Nurse: There is no cure, but we can give you medicine to help the sores heal faster when you have an outbreak. Herpes is very common and there are ways to prevent passing it to a partner.

Health Center Visit

Be as honest as you feel comfortable.

You can always ask to see a different provider if you feel uncomfortable.

Clinic Access

Pair Share #1

What are two reasons why people may need to access clinic services?

Pair Share #2

What are two reasons why people may not access clinic services?

Pair Share #1

What are two reasons why people may need to access clinic services?

Pair Share #2

What are two reasons why people may not access clinic services?

Some examples:

- Testing

- Physicals

- Vaccination

- Counseling/Support

- General information

- Getting a second opinion

Some examples:

- Cost - Location

- Judgement

- Transportation

- Lack of knowledge of patient resources

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- Distrust in system

Pair Share #3

Pair Share #3

✓ Provide transportation

How might someone help improve clinic access for others?

Pair Share #4

What can communities and systems (e.g., schools, hospitals, government) do to improve access to clinic services for everyone?

Looking Forward

Self-Care

Intersectionality & Advocacy

- Discuss how identities can shape experience and sexual health

- Define intersectionality, microaggression, stereotype, and discrimination

- Examine scenarios involving self-advocacy

✓ Advocate for bus tokens from school to a clinic

✓ Donate or fundraise

✓ Share accurate information

✓ Participate in civic engagement

Pair Share #4

✓ Advertise Family PACT for teens and low-income people (CA)

✓ Change stigma around accessing clinic resources

✓ Provide public transportation networks at low cost

✓ Establish “satellite” clinics in rural areas

✓ Expand telehealth appointment options

✓ Offer translation services

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Teen Talk Refresher

[Educator Name & Pronouns]

Refresher Topics

Values

Clinics & Access

Intersectionality

Advocacy

Sexual Health Justice

Intimate Behaviors

Consent

Boundaries

Media Literacy

Calming Strategies

Ask Questions!

Draw: What is one thing that helps define who you are?

Artistic Reflection: Pair Share

- Who in your life has helped celebrate this part of yourself?

- Do you know anyone who might define themselves in a similar way?

Artistic Reflection: Pair Share

- How does what you drew affect your relationships or sexual health?

Brainstorm: Society might categorize folks based off of…

Identities and Experiences

Our identities can interact and overlap with systems of privilege and oppression, making our experience unique.

This is called INTERSECTIONALITY

“What is Intersectionality?”

Misrepresentation: Stereotypes

This video discusses discrimination based on gender, race, size, and sexual orientation.

It divides participants based on a presumed gender binary.

Pair Share

While watching, consider:

What are some of the stereotypes you notice?

How are stereotypes and representation changing? Can you think of any examples?

Misrepresentation: Stereotypes

Pair Share

After watching:

What are some of the stereotypes you notice?

How are stereotypes and representation changing? Can you think of any examples?

Identities and Experiences

Discrimination & Microaggressions

Discrimination is the unfair treatment of a person or group based on bias against their identity

What are some types of discrimination we have heard of?

Title IX (“nine”)

Identities and Experiences

Microaggressions subtle everyday interactions that communicate a bias or discrimination

Sexual violence, coercion, or harassment

Unfair treatment due to gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation

Hostile learning or working environments

This law requires that schools protect students and staff from gender-based discrimination: To learn more, check out: www.knowyourix.org

Identities and Experiences

When experiencing discrimination and microaggressions the brain can start the “fight, flight, or freeze” response.

Identities and Experiences

Pause and breathe

Acknowledge the feeling Talk it out

- “I feel” statements

- Trusted adults - Community support

(may be intentional or unintentional)

Identities and Experiences

What can we do if we experience discrimination or a microaggression?

Identities and Experiences

What can we do if we enact discrimination or a microaggression?

Identities and Experiences

Apologize for any harm

Interrogate the biases or stereotypes that underlie our thinking

Learn different ways of engaging for the future

Share learning with others

Advocacy Scenarios

Scenarios

1. Read the scenario.

2. Discuss the problem in the scenario.

3. Help the narrator figure out what to do next, keeping in mind self-advocacy models (like Be FIRM and PAT).

Pilar’s Scenario

Even though my boyfriend and I aren’t ready to start having sex, I want to start using birth control so that I’m prepared. I told my doctor I want a method I have a lot of control over, but they were really pushing me to get an IUD, and it even seemed like they didn’t trust I would be responsible about taking the pill or using a patch.

What assumptions is the doctor making? What could Pilar do next?

Chad’s Scenario

I read recently about a virus that’s spreading between men who have sex with other men. I overheard a classmate of mine call this virus the gay virus, but I don’t think it only affects people who are gay or that it comes from being gay. I want to let my classmate know the facts about this virus, and I want to confirm my own knowledge before I share any information with them.

What assumptions is the classmate making? What could Chad do next?

Leila’s Scenario

I’m a junior in high school, and I started getting my period about two years ago. Period products are expensive, and I’m the only menstruator in my household, so I feel kinda uncomfortable asking my family to buy products for me. I usually use disposable products from the bathrooms at school, but they’re not always stocked, and I’m not always at school.

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Whose responsibility is it to provide period products for folks who menstruate?

Leila’s Scenario

Alijah’s Scenario

I’m a junior in high school, and I started getting my period about two years ago. Period products are expensive, and I’m the only menstruator in my household, so I feel kinda uncomfortable asking my family to buy products for me. I usually use disposable products from the bathrooms at school, but they’re not always stocked, and I’m not always at school.

What next steps could Leila take?

Alijah’s Scenario

When I married my husband two years ago, we decided to be child-free. I’m on a couple medications that interact with hormonal birth control, I don’t want a method that changes my period, and, honestly, I’m tired of carrying the emotional responsibility of preventing pregnancy in my relationship.

How might Alijah start a conversation with their partner about sharing responsibility?

Advocacy Guidance

When I married my husband two years ago, we decided to be child-free. I’m on a couple medications that interact with hormonal birth control, I don’t want a method that changes my period, and, honestly, I’m tired of carrying the emotional responsibility of preventing pregnancy in my relationship.

What birth control options are available to Alijah and their partner?

Alijah’s Scenario

What can be done on a relational and societal level to distribute the responsibility of family planning more equitably within a partnership?

Act Now if you…

- can come to a compromise

- will feel empowered

- can set a good example

- feel safe and comfortable enough to speak up

Act Later if you…

- freeze, feel too angry, or just want to get out of there

- might experience a serious consequence

- feel embarrassed or ashamed

- need to collect your thoughts or get support

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- are concerned about safety

Ideas for “Acting Later”

- Research to get more information and organize your thoughts

- Get advice from a trusted adult or professional counselor

- Email or call human resources to let them know what happened and why it felt wrong

- Consider a more affirming medical provider

- Seek support from your community

Connection and Resilience

Connection and community can help build resilience.

This is the ability to overcome difficulty and stress.

Connection and Resilience

Connecting with community honors who we are and helps us become stronger

Looking Forward

Self-Care

⮚ Make a schedule or to-do list

⮚ Go on a walk with someone you live with

⮚ Write a song or a poem

Sexual Health Justice

- Understand historical moments that have shaped period management, contraception, pregnancy options, and STI prevention

- Discuss ways to maintain equity & justice in sexual & reproductive health

See you next time!

Teen Talk Refresher

Values

Clinics & Access

Intersectionality

Advocacy

Sexual Health Justice

Intimate Behaviors

Consent

[Educator Name & Pronouns]

Refresher Topics Building Community Respect Confidentiality Transparency

Communication

Ask Questions!

Boundaries

Media Literacy

Period Management (45s)

Period Management (60s)

“Period. End of Sentence.”

This documentary short from 2019 won an Academy Award. It tells the story of villagers in rural India working to overcome menstruation stigma and to engineer accessible period hygiene products.

Period Management (90s)

Menstrual Equity for All

Starting in 2022, The __________ Act requires most public universities, colleges, and high schools in CA to provide free menstrual products (pads & tampons) in women’s and all-gender restrooms and in at least one men’s bathroom.

Contraception (30s)

Hi! My name is River! I’m nonbinary and in a monogamous relationship with a cis woman. Getting a period isn’t just uncomfortable, it makes me feel dysphoric and disconnected from my body. I dread my period every month, and I would like to find a way to discontinue it, but I don’t know if I can.

1. Healthcare provider, clinic staff, counselor

DAILY DOUBLE

2. Implant, IUD

Who can River talk to? What are some ways River might stop their periods?

Contraception (15s)

Contraception (45s)

“barrier” + “hormonal”

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A young person needs parental permission to access birth control

A young person must meet a doctor in person to get a hormonal birth control prescription

Contraception (60s)

Contraception (90s)

Which of the following are contraceptive methods that are FDAapproved or currently being tested? (Select all that apply.)

a, b, c & d

a. Phexxi

b. Intra-vas device (IVD)

c. Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG)

d. Hormonal contraception gel

Pregnancy Options (15s)

A teen is required to transfer schools if they are pregnant or parenting.

Pregnancy Options (45s)

Doula

This is a person who is trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a person before, during, and just after childbirth.

Emergency contraception

External condom

Internal condom

Spermicide

Name at least two pregnancy prevention methods that a teen can get without a prescription.

Pregnancy Options (30s)

A pregnant teen in California does not need permission from their partner or parent/guardian to end their pregnancy with an abortion.

Pregnancy Options (60s)

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This CA bill will provide funding for all public universities (UC & CSU) to offer medication abortions on campuses by June 2023.

College Student Right to Access Act

Pregnancy Options (90s)

STIs (15s)

This is the most common pregnancy option chosen by pregnant teenagers.

Parenting

STIs (30s)

The CDC considers monkeypox to be a sexually transmitted infection.

STIs (60s)

A doctor might recommend this test for chlamydia & gonorrhea and this test for syphilis, HIV & hepatitis B.

In 2022, the FDA approved underwear that can prevent STI transmission during this type of sex.

STIs (45s)

Oral sex

PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)

The FDA first approved this drug in 2012, known for its ability to reduce one’s risk of contracting HIV.

Trichomoniasis

Reproductive Justice (15s)

Reproductive Justice (30s)

Stealthing

California is the first state in the U.S. to outlaw this, which refers to the removal of a condom without consent.

Reproductive Justice (45s)

California law requires that parenting teens must be provided a private space on campus to breastfeed.

Reproductive Justice (90s)

Most California health insurance covers which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

a. Gender affirming care

a, b, c & d

b. Contraceptive methods

c. Maternity & newborn care

d. At-home STI testing

Jane Roe

Under this pseudonym, Norma McCorvey brought a case to the Supreme Court that affirmed an individual’s constitutional right to privacy and therefore their right to abortion prior to fetal viability.

Reproductive Justice (60s)

Birth justice

This movement, led by Black women, aims to empower birthing people and “to dismantle inequalities of race, class, gender and sexuality that lead to negative birth experiences.”

Final Jeopardy: Sexual Health Justice

Final Jeopardy

History Spotlight Card #1

Directions:

1. Choose someone to read your team’s History Spotlight card out loud.

2. Spend ten minutes discussing the questions on the screen as a small group.

3. Be prepared to summarize and share out some of your thoughts with the full class.

*As we go through this activity, remember to take care of yourself and reach out for support if needed. Our goal is to understand past harm to craft a more just present and future.

History Spotlight Card #2

From 1909 to 1979, many Black, Indigenous and Latine women were forcibly sterilized (without informed consent) under California eugenics laws. “Eugenics” is a harmful pseudoscience sometimes used to justify discrimination against people of different races, genders, abilities, and classes under the guise of improving the human gene pool. With the protection of these laws, it is estimated that at least 20,000 women were forcibly sterilized or coerced into sterilization, with incarcerated women of color making up a large portion of the affected population.

Over the past few decades, communities have organized to build awareness and advocate for the people whose lives were changed by these forced sterilizations. Recently, California state legislation approved 7.5 million dollars to fund the forced sterilization compensation program. Money from this budget is intended to address the state's historical injustices and violation of bodily autonomy.

*Sterilization refers to a permanent method of pregnancy prevention.

Discussion Questions

1. What is one emotion or feeling you notice after reading the history spotlight? Have each teammate share a one-word answer.

2. What part of these events stuck out to you? Had you heard of these events before?

3. Why is it important to educate ourselves on historical events such as the ones read in class?

4. How might these events impact a potential patient’s experience with medical systems and community professionals?

5. Do you believe the actions/laws enacted after these historical events have done enough to address the injustices done? What are other actions that could be done to prevent injustices like this in the future?

Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender person who left her hometown of New Jersey after her family rejected her for her identity. At the age of 18, she moved to New York City and became a sex worker to make ends meet. In 1969, she played a key role in the Stonewall uprising, which became an inflection point in the gay rights movement. The uprising happened in response to decades of police brutality and criminalization of queer identities (for example, in 1960s New York, it was illegal to dance with a person of the same sex). Not only was Marsha at the forefront of marches, rallies and sit-ins to advocate for LGTBQ+ rights, but she also became a prominent fixture within the queer community by helping unhoused queer youth.

The cause of Marsha’s death in 1992 remains undetermined. After minimal investigation, police at the time ruled her death a suicide. Marsha’s community strongly disagreed, suspecting that Marsha had been the victim of a hate crime. Since her passing, New York City and New York State have established a monument and park in her name to honor her efforts to expand human rights and social justice.

History Spotlight Card #3

In 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service and the Tuskegee Institute in Macon, Alabama conducted a research study originally known as the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.” To learn more about syphilis, researchers recruited 600 Black men who were mainly sharecroppers in economically vulnerable positions. Participants were not informed of the title of the study or that they were being observed for untreated syphilis, which 399 of the 600 had.

When penicillin was discovered as a reliable cure for syphilis in 1943, participants were not offered the cure or informed that one existed. Folks began leaving the study due to worsening health. More than 100 participants died as a result of withheld treatment during the study. Researchers offered warm food and financial benefits to incentivize continued study participation.

In 1972, a journalist exposed the inhumanity of the Tuskegee program, which resulted in its end. To avoid further harm, the federal government created the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. In addition, to address the study’s injustices and violation of bodily autonomy, it approved both $37,500 in reparations for surviving participants and also continued medical benefits for relatives.

Looking Forward

Self-Care

⮚ Organize a portion of your room

⮚ Have a virtual dance party

⮚ Take in five belly breaths

Boundaries & Communication

- Discuss solo & partnered non-sexual & sexual behaviors

- Brainstorm consent conversations

- Understand how boundarysetting works in practice

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Teen Talk Refresher

[Educator Name & Pronouns]

Refresher Topics

Values

Clinics & Access

Intersectionality

Advocacy

Sexual Health Justice

Intimate Behaviors

Consent

Boundaries

Media Literacy

Calming Strategies

Ask Questions!

Intimate Behaviors

Intimate Behaviors

Intimate Behaviors

Everyone deserves pleasure without harming others

What are some important things to remember when it comes to intimate behaviors (solo or partnered)?

Masturbation

touching one’s private body parts in a way that feels good, often done in private for the sake of sexual arousal

Masturbation may increase self-knowledge and ability to communicate about boundaries with partners

*anything contacting the body intimately should be clean

People should feel safe when being intimate

Consent reduces harm and can increase pleasure

Folks have different boundaries, needs, and desires

Masturbation and sex are meant to be pleasurable

Consent Conversations

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Consent Practice

Practicing consent conversations can feel awkward, but it’s a process: working through discomfort now can lead to increased comfort later.

The Consent Puzzle Instructions

1. Choose a partner (or two)

2. Brainstorm examples to fill in the blanks

3. Practice a consent conversation out loud: one partner “starts the conversation,” another “asks the question,” and another “checks in”

The Consent Puzzle Communication

What are some things that partners should be on the same page about?

Communication

What are some things that partners should be on the same page about?

- Relationship status/type

- Expectations for the future

- Equality

- Communication

- Sexual activity

- STI and pregnancy prevention

- Financial expectations

Boundary Communication Practice

Sex & Substances

Sex & Substances

I’ve been crushing on this guy in my art class at school, so when he invited me to a party over the weekend, I was super excited. We were having so much fun at the party, and we were drinking a lot. Later, he and I started making out, and he said he wanted to go further, but we had been drinking, so I wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to. What should I do?

Sex & STIs

A & B have been friends for years and just started dating one month ago. They’ve just finished up a date, and B has walked A home.

If the narrator had sex with this partner, would it be consensual?

What are some strategies the narrator might use to navigate this gray area?

Sex & STIs

A: I had a really nice time on our date tonight. It’s been great getting to know you more I’m … really starting to like you. Do you maybe wanna go inside and hang for a bit?

B: I really like you too. And yes, I do wanna keep hanging out! I think we’d have fun, but there’s something I need to talk to you about first.

A: Uh-oh. What did I do?

B: Hahah no you didn’t do anything! I really do like you and want to see where this relationship goes. [pause] But before we get too physical, I need to tell you that I’m HIV positive.

A: Oh! Wow, thanks for letting me know. We’ve known each other for a while now… why didn’t you tell me earlier?

Sex & STIs

B: Yeah, I know. I’m still in the process of handling my own feelings around my diagnosis. There’s also a lot of stigma still around HIV, so I … I don’t really like to share my status unless I really trust someone.

A: I can imagine that’s hard to deal with. Thanks for trusting me enough to tell me. If you don’t mind, can I ask what happened?

B: Yeah, my last partner and I weren’t great at using condoms and even though they would pull out, I learned later that even pre-cum can pass HIV. So that’s probably what happened. I’ve been living with HIV for two years now.

A: I never would’ve guessed that. You seem so healthy!

Sex & STIs

B: Well, it hasn’t been easy, but I’m glad I was getting tested regularly and was diagnosed before it affected my health too much. I’ve been lucky to be on ART for the past year, and it’s helped so much that I’m actually undetectable now!

A: Undetectable? What does that mean?

B: It means the medication suppressed the virus enough that even though it’s still in my system, it doesn’t show up on tests anymore. Undetectable also means untransmittable

A: Oh cool! So even if you have sex, you can’t pass it on?

B: As long as I keep taking my medication… pretty much no! There’s also some other things we can do to help with prevention.

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A. Well I’m totally okay using condoms!

Sex & STIs

Sex & STIs

B. That’s great! And just in case, there’s also this medication called PrEP that you can take that lowers your risk of getting it if, ya know, we do decide to have sex later.

A: Oh yeah, I’ve heard of PrEP. Where do I get that?

B: Hmm, well a doctor can prescribe it, but I also have a check-up appointment at the clinic next week, so maybe you would wanna come with me and we can ask about it together?

A: That sounds great! So… should we postpone our hang until later then?

B: If you’re still up for it, I’m down to come in for a little bit. We can still make out!

What healthy communication strategies did we notice Partners A & B using in this scenario?

Looking Forward

Self-Care

⮚ Read your favorite book (or a new one!)

⮚ Take a nap/break

⮚ Call or text someone to catch up or just say “hi”

Media Literacy & Wrap-Up

- Think critically about the media we consume by interrogating its design, production, and content

- Discuss how media shapes views of sex

- Reflect on what we learned during Refresher

See you next time!

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Teen Talk Refresher

[Educator Name & Pronouns]

Building Community

Respect

Confidentiality

Transparency

Communication

Ask Questions!

Refresher Topics

Values

Clinics & Access

Intersectionality

Advocacy

Sexual Health Justice

Intimate Behaviors

Consent

Boundaries

Media Literacy

Calming Strategies

Sexually Explicit Media

Any type of media that depicts people in sexual situations, created with the intent to arouse

Also known as “pornography” or porn

What is Media Literacy?

The ability to analyze, evaluate, and create media using a critical lens

Media Literacy

Media Literacy

The ability to analyze, evaluate, and create media using a critical lens

Why is it important to develop media literacy?

The ability to analyze, evaluate, and create media using a critical lens

We can think critically about the media we consume by questioning its:

• Recognize points of view

• Understand author goals

This skill empowers us to: Media

• Identify the role of media in our culture

• Create media responsibly

Analyzing Pornography

Who is the assumed viewer?

Male gaze

– the way media represents the world and women from a masculine point of view, often depicting women as objects of male pleasure

Media

Who is the assumed viewer?

Why do people watch sexually explicit media (porn)?

How does watching porn affect the developing brain?

Why do people watch porn?

Based on several different research studies, young people of all genders said they watched porn because of… loneliness arousal

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entertainment curiosity boredom accident

The Science of Pornography

The Science of Pornography

How can watching pornography affect the developing brain?

How can watching pornography affect the developing brain?

it’s also released when we eat our favorite ice cream or level up in our favorite game!

dopamine is released from the brain, which can make us feel good

The Science of Pornography

How can watching pornography affect the developing brain?

dopamine is released

The Science of Pornography

How can watching pornography affect the developing brain?

dopamine is released

desensitization compulsion

Media Production

Media Literacy

– a person may feel the need to watch more

desensitization compulsion – the brain does not respond as strongly as the first time

this can ultimately affect the way our brain responds to pleasure

Pair Share

What filmmaking techniques were used to create this?

What behind-the-scenes conversations happened?

Was this media produced and shared with consent?

Think about a movie you like. What filmmaking techniques were used to make it engaging? (e.g., lightning, music, CGI)

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Filmmaking

Pair Share

- Editing

- Timing

- Lighting - Make-up

- Sound design

- Physical body changes

- Directors

Important Laws

There

What behind-the-scenes conversations might need to happen to ensure the production of safe & ethical pornography?

- STIs

- Pregnancy

- Paycheck

Important Laws

Not all pornography was made with the consent of everyone involved.

Cyber Exploitation (CA) –nonconsensual sharing of sexual images

Sextortion (CA) – threatening to share or expose sexual images to get someone to do something

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Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) (Federal) – creating, owning, or sharing sexual images of a minor (under 18 years old)

are laws to protect people whose images and videos have been shared (or posted online) without their consent.

Resources and Support

What if someone I know has experienced this? Reach out to a trusted adult and professionals for support:

State of California Department of Justice – Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s initiative to combat cyber exploitation. Includes resources for anyone who has experienced cyber exploitation, definitions of the laws, advice for next steps. Legal Advocates for Children & Youth – Free and confidential legal assistance to children and youth in Silicone Valley.

THORN – Sextortion information, research, and links to resources for those who have experienced cyber exploitation.

Media Content

Media Literacy

Which values and perspectives are represented? Left out?

What content is realistic?

What content aligns with personal values?

Stereotypes in Media

What are some stereotypes or assumptions about sex and relationships that we see in mainstream media?

Stereotypes in Media

• Men are aggressive, women are chased

• Consent is implied and grand gestures make up for a lack of communication

• People commonly pair sex & mindaltering substances

• People with certain identities or physical attributes are less attractive or have lower self-esteem

What

Heteronormativity

–

What is

Racialized beauty standards

– positioning thin, hairless, light-skin bodies as more attractive or desirable than others

is Assumed

“Normal”?

showing or expressing a worldview that promotes heterosexuality as the normal or preferred sexual orientation

Assumed “Normal”?

What is Assumed “Normal”?

Media Representation

Gender norms

– defining what it means to be masculine or feminine, as well as who “should” embody these norms

Media Representation

Who might be missing from these movies?

• Women leads

• LGBTQIA+ leads

• Black leads

• Latinx leads

• Asian leads

• Diverse bodies

• Diverse families

• Neurodiverse people

• People who speak different languages

• People from different countries

• People of different faiths

• People with limited financial resources

Who might be missing from these movies?

Harmful Representation

Objectify

some of the highest-grossing romantic comedies of all time

Representation is improving…

– to treat a person (or character) like an object or thing and ignore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences

Fetishize – to focus sexual desire on an object or a specific stereotype of a person (e.g. their ethnicity, appearance, disability, sexuality)

Representation is improving…

Of all series regular characters on primetime TV shows in 2020-2021:

• 9.1% were LGBTQ+

• 3.5% had a disability

• 46% were people of color

• 46% were women

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• There were 29 trans characters

In 2019, 44.1% of lead roles in all movies went to women and 27.6% went to minorities.

Design Production Content

What Should I Do?

What might media consumers and producers keep in mind when consuming and producing media?

What Should I Do?

1. Listen to the scenario.

2. Decide what the problem is.

3. Answer discussion questions.

Explicit Media Scenario (Partner A)

I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for 8 months. We don’t get to see each other in person often, so sometimes we share intimate pictures of ourselves to feel closer. I found out that my partner shared some of my nudes in a group chat. I feel betrayed by my partner and embarrassed that others have seen my nudes. What should I do?

Explicit Media Scenario (Partner A)

I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for 8 months. We don’t get to see each other in person often, so sometimes we share intimate pictures of ourselves to feel closer. I found out that my partner shared some of my nudes in a group chat. I feel betrayed by my partner and embarrassed that others have seen my nudes. What should I do?

What is the problem in this scenario?

Explicit Media Scenario (Partner A)

I’ve been in a relationship with my partner for 8 months. We don’t get to see each other in person often, so sometimes we share intimate pictures of ourselves to feel closer. I found out that my partner shared some of my nudes in a group chat. I feel betrayed by my partner and embarrassed that others have seen my nudes. What should I do?

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What is the problem in this scenario?

Explicit Media Scenario (Partner A) Potential Next Steps

- Increase self-care

- Reach out to a trusted adult or professional for support

What are some next steps for the narrator? Who might the narrator talk to for support or advice?

Resources and Support

State of California Department of Justice – Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s initiative to combat cyber exploitation. Includes resources for anyone who has experienced cyber exploitation, definitions of the laws, advice for next steps.

Legal Advocates for Children & Youth – Free and confidential legal assistance to children and youth in Silicone Valley.

THORN – Sextortion information, research, and links to resources for those who have experienced cyber exploitation.

- Reflect on if this is a relationship they want to continue

- Discuss how their partner’s actions impacted them

- Report it

Let’s read Partner B’s perspective…

Explicit Media Scenario (Partner B)

Explicit Media Scenario

My partner and I have been dating for 8 months. We don’t get to see each other in person often, so sometimes we share intimate pictures of ourselves to feel closer. I have a group chat with some of our friends, and they kept making fun of my partner’s body. To stand up for my partner, I shared a sexy photo that my partner had sent me. My partner found out and got upset. I feel badly that I messed up. What should I do?

What could Partner B do next to repair the harm?

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Explicit Media Scenario

Potential Next Steps

What could Partner B do next to repair the harm?

- Apologize to their partner and give them space

- Address their mistake with friends and ask them to delete the photo

- Brainstorm other ways to stand up for their partner in the future (replacement behavior)

Harm Reduction Tips

- Let the person know their nude photo was leaked and offer support

- Delete nude photos that are shared without consent and call out the individual who committed harm.

- Support the person who committed harm: they might need help learning more about their impact, relevant laws, and how to avoid committing harm in the future

Refresher Exit Survey

Educator: [insert]

School: [insert]

Link: [insert]

QR Code: [insert]

Looking Forward

Self-Care

➢ Invent a new dance move

➢ Make a list of your favorite books, movies, or games

➢ Reflect on what you’ve done well this week

Congratulations on finishing Refresher!

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