A Three-Letter Word Jill McDevitt is the proprietor of Feminique Boutique and holds a master’s degree in Human Sexuality
I AM A PLEASURE-POSITIVE sexologist. This is because I believe pleasure for the sake of pleasure is a worthy goal in and of itself. Some people, on the other hand, believe my career is “destroying morals,” “smut,” “contributing to a culture of abuse,” “bringing cultural demise,” “the downfall of family life,” “perversion,” and my personal favorite, “a degrading assault on the dignity of a human person.” Yes, I’ve been called these things because I am a sexologist. I believe pleasure is important, but there is more to being a sexologist than selling toys. Here are four cases in which people utilized my sexology services that had nothing to do with pleasure:
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1. A woman paid me a visit looking for information on the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse to see if she could now, decades later, press charges against her childhood rapist. I field hundreds of inquiries per year from people who have had a sexual trauma or injustice of some kind and need help finding resources to prosecute. I do not charge for this service. 2. A young woman was told she could not purchase the sponge, a barrier birth control method like a condom, by three different pharmacies. They told her she needed a prescription, which is untrue. Whether they refused to let her purchase the sponge due to their religious beliefs, her status as an unmarried woman, or something else, I don’t know. But she called me for help, and I called the pharmacies. Using the clout of my sexology credentials I was able to convince them they were wrong to lie about needing a prescription, and wrong to deny her right to purchase it. She has since been able to secure her birth control without hassle. Many people use me to lend a credible voice for their cause or plight. I do not charge for this service either. 3. A woman came to see me to talk about something she was horribly embarrassed about, but she was at her wits end and said she had nowhere else to go. She was suffering from sexual insecurity, pain and body image issues after she was diagnosed with vulva cancer and had to have her outer genitals surgically removed. Countless people, both men and women, have sought me out for empowerment of sexuality related insecurities and anxieties that they are suffering from but are too embarrassed to ask anyone else about. I don’t charge for this service either, unless their need requires hours of my time. 4. After experiencing crippling pain that made walking difficult, a woman paid me a visit at the recommendation of her physician, who said the pain was caused by spasms of the pubococcygeus (pelvic floor) muscle. The physician’s recommendation? A vibrator! I’ve had dozens of clients referred to me by their doctors to treat pelvic floor pain, vaginismus, rectal prolapse and other conditions. I like to think I’m being compassionate by providing these muchneeded services, and free of charge, no less. But, I guess one person’s compassion is another person’s “smut” and “perversion.” WCP
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MAY 2012 | THEWCPRESS.COM
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