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STD? GYT. In partnership with Advocates for Youth, The Kaiser Family Foundation, Love is Respect, Stay Teen, and The National Coalition for Sexual Health, Planned Parenthood supports Get Yourself Tested (GYT) Month each April. Approximately half of young people will
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get a sexually transmitted infection before the age of 25, and the GYT campaign is
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help make sure you GYT. Visit us online here for more information..
aimed at reducing these rates in youth ages 15-24. Here at Planned Parenthood, we can
Sexual Assault Awareness Month April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Led by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), this year’s campaign is focused on campus sexual violence prevention. According to recent reports, approximately 20% of college women and 6% of college men are sexually assaulted on college campuses. In response to this epidemic, Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
Safer Sex 101
introduced the Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015 in February 2015. If passed, this act would require that information about healthy relationships be included in high
Want to know the best ways to
school health and sexuality education programs. For an extended look at the issues
protect your body and have the
surrounding campus sexual violence, check out this NPR Special Series on the topic.
safest sex ever? Buzzfeed has got you covered! Whether you’re looking to avoid unintended pregnancy
Defeat in Springfield
or do pregnancy planning, or to
In early April, voters in Springfield, MO repealed a local ordinance enacted last October
prevent and get tested for sexually
that provided protections around housing, employment, and accommodations for
transmitted infections, this handy
LGBTQ-identified people by a narrow margin of 51% to 49%. This means that public
guide provides some great tips and
and private businesses can deny or rescind access to goods and services to anyone
tools to stay safe and healthy.
based on their sexual identities. This is a major setback to the struggle for civil liberties for LGBTQ Missourians.
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5 Contradictory Messages We Send to Young People about Consent 1. The Message: It’s “cute” or “adorable” when one child chases another in the pursuit of unwanted affection. The Reality: The concept of personal space doesn’t pertain just to adults. We should teach children to respect the boundaries of others. 2. The Message: “Go give [relative or friend] a kiss!” The Reality: When we push children to be affectionate with others, we show them that they have neither the ability to give or ask for ` consent nor ownership over their own bodies. Talking about autonomy at a young age is an important part of teaching consent. 3. The Message: “If someone in your class is mean to you, it just means they have a crush on you!” The Reality: This is a phrase that many young people (especially girls) hear after they talk about being bullied, harassed, or teased by another child. Teaching kids at a young age that these are not appropriate expressions of friendship or affection is crucial to shaping their view of healthy relationships and consent. 4. The Message: “If you dress in tight clothing, you are asking for unwanted attention.” The Reality: When we tell young girls not to wear yoga pants, skinny jeans, and jeggings like this North Dakota school did, we teach them that they are at fault for disrespectful attention to their bodies, and it is their responsibility to deflect it by modifying their style of dress. This sends a very dangerous message to girls, and to those who make the inappropriate comments and gestures. 5. The Message: Silence. Many schools do not incorporate lessons about consent into their curriculum, which leaves students to figure it out for themselves. This can lead to young people forming problematic ideas about consent from television, music, and pop culture. The Reality: Parents, educators, and schools have a responsibility to have conversations with and teach kids about consent.
Youth Voices Teens face a lot of sexual pressure. We see sexual messages all around us in our culture and media, but we don’t always get to talk openly about making sure young people are educated or protected against sexually transmitted infections (STIs). STIs are commonly spread by vaginal sex, anal sex and oral sex. Lots of STIs start off without any symptoms, which creates a greater risk of spreading an STI to another sexual partner. It’s especially important for teens and young adults to learn about STIs since they are the age group most at risk for contracting them. Since teens don’t always get information about STIs in a health class or some other setting, they don’t truly know how having one could impact their life. An STI is more than an embarrassment; it’s a health problem that needs care and attention just like any other disease. Young people talking to their partner about STIs can be very uncomfortable to say the least, but it is very important when trying to lead a healthy sexual lifestyle. When you talk about getting tested, it is not about accusing someone or lack of trust. There is always the possibility a person has an STI and just doesn’t know it. Getting an STI is very common, as 1 in 2 sexually active young people will get an STI by age 25. It’s important to know your status sooner rather than later - many STIs are treatable (including HIV) and some are even curable. It is essential to educate teens about STIs. Sex education is the key to today’s youth growing up healthy and maintaining a smart sexual lifestyle. Author Alexia McDermott is a sophomore and first-year TASH student. She loves writing and is passionate about changing the social justice landscape locally and globally.
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Featured Educator
Fast Facts 1. In the UK, children as young as 11 will receive lessons about sexual consent in their schools. 2. Someone in the US is sexually assaulted every 107 seconds. This means that nearly 300,000 incidents of sexual assault are reported each year. Many more go unreported. 3. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 63% of women have experienced some form of sexual violence. 4. Approximately 34% of American Indian and Alaska Native women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. This compares to a rate of less than 20% overall for women in the US.
We’d like to shine a spotlight on Judy Lipsitz, Teen Project Coordinator for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. She works with high school students on several projects, including Teen Advocates for Sexual Health (TASH).
5. Last year, 55 colleges and universities were placed under investigation by the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights for mishandling campus sexual assault.
Where did you grow up and how many siblings do you have? I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. I am the middle child with an older sister, Renana, and young brother, Shai. Where did you go to school and what did you study? I went to Washington University, majoring in education. Who did you want to be like when you were a kid? I was actually a very serious kid always worrying about others!! How did you become interested in a career in sexuality education? When I was working in a different teen leadership position, I realized how little teens knew about their own sexuality and was discouraged with the way in which our society views and treats adolescent sexuality. What is your favorite thing about working with young people? I love their passion, energy, and thirst for knowledge. They inspire me each and every day, debunking the myth of teen apathy. They demonstrate that if you respect and empower them, they have endless capabilities. If you could tell a younger version of yourself one thing, what would it be? Believe in yourself -- listen to yourself and work hard, but pursue your dreams. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you cannot do something. Favorite color? I love green Favorite food? Teriyaki chicken wings Favorite place to go on vacation? I really don’t travel very much. When I do have free time, I want to go to Minneapolis to be with my daughter and her family or to Grand Junction, CO to be with my son and his family. Favorite smell? Honeysuckle If you could have one superpower, what would it be? I would move my son and daughter and their families to St. Louis!!!!
TASH Updates Spring has sprung for Teen Advocates for Sexual Health (TASH) and TASH Political Advocacy Committee (TPAC)! We have been very busy advocating for reproductive rights, continuing to learn about sexual health issues, and practicing messaging skills to be effective activists. Our February retreat featured Kelley Robinson, Assistant Director of Youth Advocacy for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Kelley helped the students understand the meaning of reproductive rights, and how privilege and oppression impact access to sexual health services and resources. Kelley had the students learn about and practice telling personal stories, which equipped them with the skills to use a highly effective advocacy tool to talk with legislators, school board members and decision-makers. In March, TASH and TPAC sponsored a “Loop Day” in the Delmar Loop, during which students collected petitions for Medicaid expansion and recruited for the 2015-16 TASH program. This month, TPAC hosted a community-wide mock committee hearing for MO House Bill 670. If approved, MO House Bill 670 will give young Missourians improved access to comprehensive sexuality education. To prepare for this event, TASH students lobbied Missouri State Representatives in Jefferson City on this bill and received a commitment from 19 legislators to co-sponsor the bill! In addition to these activities, we are now actively recruiting for the 2015-16 TASH program, beginning in September. All students in grades 9-12 are invited to apply. For information, contact Judy at judy. lipsitz@ppslr.org or 314.531.7526 ext. 339, or visit us online here.
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