You wanted more, and we are happy to deliver! We had such a resounding response to May’s program that Race Bannon and Hardy Haberman are offering a second part to their earlier conversation. Race and Hardy have over 94 years of community experience between them, so we invite you to come learn with us! Register here:

How to Normalize Talking to Your Kids About Pleasure (Rewire News Group) 

Steph Auteri argues that pleasure must be included in sex education: “If you’re in favor of comprehensive sex ed, you already know that talking to your kids about sex—or about pleasure—does not automatically inspire them to become sexually active. And in fact, the opposite often happens. In a paper published in the International Journal of Sexual Health, Jessie V. Ford, a sociologist who conducts research at the intersection of social science and public health, cites research showing that health programs that incorporate sexual pleasure consistently lead to increased knowledge about sexual health, partner communication, condom use, and safer sex behaviors. In addition, such programs also tend to boost the adoption of safer sex practices.”
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Federal Watchdog: FOSTA Isn’t Even Useful for Law Enforcement (Filter)

Sessu Kuwabara Blanchard explains how FOSTA fails to be useful for law enforcement: “From the get-go, sex worker activists knew nothing good would come from FOSTA, a 2018 law that formally makes online platform operators criminally liable for commercial sex activity and has had the effect of making sex workers lives’ harder and riskier. A government watchdog has now found that law enforcement officials at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) don’t even use or find useful the criminal charges provided by the law. Meanwhile, the prosecutors say it’s actually made their jobs harder.”
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‘Incredible Victory’ for Trans Rights: Supreme Court Rejects School Bathroom Case (Common Dreams) 

Brett Wilkin highlights a recent victory for trans rights: “In what civil rights advocates hailed as ‘an incredible victory,’ the United States Supreme Court [on June 28, 2021] declined to hear the case of Gavin Grimm, a former Virginia high school student who in 2015 sued his county board of education over its policy of denying transgender pupils use of restrooms corresponding with their gender identity. The high court's move lets stand G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, a 2020 ruling in which the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals found that policies segregating transgender students from their peers are unconstitutional.”
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We keep us safe: the transformative justice movement (ROAR) 

Melanie Brazzell writes about the transformative justice movement: “Transformative justice and community accountability (TJ-CA) describe a movement traditionally led by queer folks and women of color for community-based alternatives to prison and police, as well as their underlying logics of punishment, in response to interpersonal harm. These responses can range from harm-reduction approaches that minimize reliance on carceral systems to alternative, non-punitive processes for perpetrators to take accountability, repair harm and change their behavior.”
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11 Ways To Deal With Gender Dysphoria During Sex (them.) 

them. shares advice from sex therapists and erotica authors on how to deal with gender dysphoria during sex: “Gender dysphoria and good sex are not mutually exclusive. For many trans people, feelings of discomfort can be especially intense precisely when we are expected to show up as our most authentic and vulnerable selves. […] But sex can still be a source of pleasure and confidence. It might require some work—and some extra attention to your own needs—but dysphoria is often something that you can successfully navigate before, during, and after sex.”
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Fulton v. Philadelphia (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

Tess Joseph comments on the recent Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia: “The state cannot—or will not—give people the amount of quality, necessary social services they deserve, so other entities step in. I’m glad that religious organizations can give people a place to turn, but I’m upset that the state fails people in the first place. We at Woodhull Freedom Foundation recognize that the fight for sexual freedom is deeply tied to the human right to family, a right that the state should promote and protect. We firmly believe that LGBTQIA+ people should be able to parent, including through fostering, and the government shouldn’t fund discriminatory religious agencies.”
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