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Sex-Positive SOTU

Sex Stories

By Kait Scalisi, MPH

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from President Obama’s State of the Union address related to sexual and reproductive health. These include:

  • Noting the importance of the United States having its lowest unplanned and teen pregnancy rates ever.
  • Calling on Congress to end the wage gap, raise minimum wage, and institute paid sick leave.
  • Stressing the need for paid maternity (and paternity!) leave
  • Underscoring the need for women to have access to comprehensive healthcare including contraception.
  • Comparing the US’ current policies on these issues to an episode of Mad Men.

All of these highlights, save the pop culture reference, focus on increasing women’s autonomy over their bodies and their SRH. For example, most minimum wage workers are women. Therefore, increasing minimum wage empowers more women to care for themselves and their families and access the healthcare and education they desire, two factors which positively impact SRH.

Though many accurately call the speech feminist, it also was decidedly if not explicitly sex-positive. Sex-positivity takes a non-judgmental view of human sexuality and acknowledges the many broad and diverse expressions of it. Though rarely stated and often ignored, families start with sex. Therefore policies that promote family planning and ease around caring for one’s family—for example, by allowing a parent to take a day off from work to care for a sick child—also create space for people to make the sexual decisions that feel right to them. These policies also make sense from an economic standpoint. STIs and unplanned pregnancies can be costly, particularly if the STIs go untreated and lead to later fertility issues. This power over their sexual lives, in turn has a noted and positive impact on the economy: healthcare costs decrease and the the economic burden on the average taxpayer decreases.

The inclusion of LGBT individuals is another manifestation of this sex-positive view and one that has been written about extensively. As Janet Mock told Time, “The President’s acknowledgment helps shatter the cloak of invisibility that has plagued trans people and forced many to suffer in silence” (source). Given the disproportionately high rates of mental health issues, homelessness, and suicidality among transgender individuals, the impact of this recognition may run deeper than can be easily quantified. As the Time piece points out, every word of the speech is vetted and these words were included, making them among the most important.

Something that has gotten remarkably less press, is that Obama also noted that these rights need to extend to fathers too. It is about equal rights and true quality treatment of everyone, caring for those who need our help the most, and standing together.

This is the last SOTU where the President will be the center of attention. By this time next year, the 2016 primaries will be well underway and though it will still be important, as a nation we will have begun looking forward to what’s coming next. It is also the most tense SOTU yet with POTUS facing an opposing Congress. Therefore it is particularly powerful that Obama took the time to highlight not only his successes but also took the time to highlight and honor the essential role that women play to this nation’s success. As he put it:

“I believe that when women succeed, America succeeds.”

Other Sexual Health News this Week

Pain with Sexual Intercourse Linked to Mode of Delivery (Medscape)

On Same-Sex Marriage, the Supreme Court Will Have to Tackle the Question of Rights (The Atlantic)

FDA’s New Blood Donation Guidelines Offer Little Clarity For Transgender People (Buzzfeed)

AbbVie Strikes Hepatitis C Discount Deal with AIDS Drug Programs (Bloomberg)

California focused on prevention this week first by eliminating restrictions put on the sale of hypodermic needles and syringes (Auburn Journal) and by ensuring sex between inmates is safe if not legal. (NPR)

Revitalizing Condom-Centered HIV Prevention Strategies (Current HIV/AIDS Reports)

KY Bill Targets Transgender School-Bathroom Use (The Courier Journal)

Conference Proposals Due

The following conference proposals are due in January and February. Click on each name for more information.

Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, January 28.

Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, January 30.

National Sexual Assault Conference.

Upcoming Conferences

The following conferences take place in January and February. Click on each name fore more information and to registers.

National Conference on Campus Sexual Assault and Violence, January 24.

Southern HIV Alcohol Research Consortium Conference: HIV and Substance Abuse: Global Health Lessons, Local Health Impact, January 29.

National Conference on LGBT Equality, Feb 4-8.

Southern California Sexual Health Summit, February 12.

ISSWSH 2015 Annual Meeting, February 19-22.

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), Feb 23-26.

Texas Sex Ed Showdown

Sex Stories

By Kait Scalisi, MPH

Its an established fact that comprehensive sex education helps reduce the incidence of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Nevertheless, such programs face resistance from many parents, communities, and educators. Now, two opposing bills have come forward in the Texas Legislature: one promoting the statewide adoption of comprehensive sex ed programs, and the other banning any program produced by an agency that provides abortion services or any affiliate of such agency.

In other words, it’s on.

Texas law currently does not mandate either sex education or HIV education. When provided, parents must be given notice and have the opportunity to opt out. Additionally, when provided, sex ed must

  1. be age-appropriate.
  2. stress abstinence.
  3. include information on the importance of sex only within marriage and the negative outcomes of sex.
  4. provide a negative view of same-sex relationships.
  5. cover life skills for avoiding coercion and healthy decision-making.

(Information from the Guttmacher Institute’s Sex and HIV Education Policy in Brief).

Texas’ Health and Safety Code also requires that the education department develop medically accurate model programs to educate the public about AIDS and HIV infections. However, it does not define whether or how these programs should be administered in schools. Lastly, in 2004, information on contraception and STI prevention was removed from the state’s high school biology textbooks.

This sets the scene for the current legislative battle. On one side, we have HB 78 which promotes mandated age-appropriate and medically accurate sex education. The bill not only defines age-appropriate and medically-accurate in strict terms, it also maintains the focus on abstinence while highlighting the impact of birth control, gives schools the freedom to distribute condoms, and requires that healthy relationships and communication skills are taught. The bill has a wide-reaching scope with one overarching message—sexuality is normal and should be presented as such, with all its risks and potential rewards taken into account.

On the opposing side is HB 205. This bill prohibits organizations providing abortions and their affiliates from providing any sex education in or sex-ed teaching materials to schools. To put it bluntly, it appears to be little more than a thinly veiled attempt to ban Planned Parenthood and clinics and non-profits like it from teaching in schools.

Based on Texas’ history with legislation around this topic and other sexual and reproductive health issues, HB 78 looks outnumbered and outgunned. That being said, it does not necessarily mean that HB 205 will carry the day, either. In recent years, we’ve seen small shifts in the Legislature’s bias, a result, at least in part, of Sen. Wendy Davis (D) and her allies. Davis’ 2013 filibuster of a Senate anti-abortion bill rallied fierce support from advocates and proponents of reproductive rights and, by extension, comprehensive sex education. As a result of this shift, then, the question becomes whether Davis’ camp has enough power to sway the Legislature in favor of HB 78—or, if not, face down supporters of HB 205.

Other Sexual Health News

Obama will Offer Paid Parental Leave to Federal Workers (The Miami Herald)

HIV/AIDS Patients in Deep South have Lower Survival Rates, Study Shows (Stanley News and Press)

Federal Judge: South Dakota Ban on Gay Marriage is Unconstitutional (Grand Forks Herald)

Breastfeeding, Sexual Orientation Could Soon Be Protected Under Utah Law (Fox 13 Salt Lake City)

Bill Introduced to Ban ‘Sexual Orientation Therapy’ (First Coast News)

Walgreens Unveils Well Beyond HIV™ Campaign to Celebrate People Over 50 Aging with HIV (Yahoo Finance)

Conference Proposals Due

The following conference proposals are due in January and February. Click on each name for more information.

Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, January 28.

National Sexual Assault Conference.

Upcoming Conferences

The following conferences take place in January and February. Click on each name fore more information and to registers.

Sexual Health Expo, January 17-18.

National Conference on Campus Sexual Assault and Violence, January 24.

Southern HIV Alcohol Research Consortium Conference: HIV and Substance Abuse: Global Health Lessons, Local Health Impact, January 29.

National Conference on LGBT Equality, Feb 4-8.

Southern California Sexual Health Summit, February 12.

ISSWSH 2015 Annual Meeting, February 19-22.

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), Feb 23-26.

New STD Stats, Not Much to Cheer

Sex Stories

By Kait Scalisi, MPH

Each year, the CDC’s annual report on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) gives hard evidence that America isn’t a sexually healthy nation. There are an estimated 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. annually—more than the number of cases of diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and asthma combined—which can lead to many serious health problems, including infertility, male and female cancers, and fetal illness.

The data included in Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2013 are compiled from STD case reports from private and public sources. The report does not provide comprehensive STD information for a variety of reasons, including the fact that some infections are not routinely reported, and nationally reported diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis often go undiagnosed. Nevertheless, the trends highlighted in the report provide an overall picture of the current state of STDs in the U.S. and help public health professionals see trends, set priorities, and adapt strategies for prevention and control.

The 2013 report shows some wins for sexual health. There was a decrease in chlamydia for the first time since nationwide reporting for the disease began. That the decrease was higher among women is also important given that chlamydia’s long-term impacts are more serious for women. While gonorrhea rates remained practically the same, there was a decrease among adolescents (15-24). Increased availability of urine testing have allowed men to get diagnosed with and treated for chlamydia more regularly. Initial visits for trichomoniasis and other vaginal infections among women declined.*

On the other hand, gonorrhea rates went up for non-adolescents and there was an increase in all forms of syphilis (primary, secondary, and congenital). Initial visits for genital warts and herpes increased.* There continued to be sometimes huge discrepancies in STD rates by race, sexual behavior, location, and age. Men who have sex with men (MSM), adolescents, and blacks continue to carry a disproportionate disease burden. Though chlamydia and gonorrhea diagnoses decreased overall for adolescents, they continue to be diagnosed more frequently than any other age group. Meanwhile, the increase in primary and secondary syphilis diagnoses was only among men, with MSM accounting for nearly three-quarters (75%) of the diagnoses. About half of these men also have HIV/AIDS.

Lastly, the report highlights factors that contribute to the disproportionate distribution of STDs. These include but certainly are not limited to:

  1. The ability to access and pay for any sexual health care.
  2. The ability to receive culturally-sensitive and appropriate care and treatment.
  3. The lack of provider training on and/or adherence sexual health guidelines.
  4. Individual risk behaviors including number of sex partners, condom use, etc.
  5. Distrust of the medical establishment.

This last piece is particularly important as it highlights the need for better provider training as well as more effective outreach to adolescents and MSM. While public health is slowly becoming more sex-positive, the continued inequality in STD diagnoses represents a call to action to do something differently. While the larger picture is a positive one—some of the lowest rates of unplanned pregnancies ever, for instance—these numbers show the continued need for education, outreach, and empathy around STDs.

*Trichomoniasis and other vaginal infection data are not nationally representative.

Other Sexual Health News This Week

UD Reviewing Sexual Assault Policies (Delaware Online)

Greensboro First in NC to OK Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Housing Protections (News & Record) while Duke University Application Now Asks about Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation (USA Today)

Veterans Discharged after Sexual Trauma Push for VA Health Benefits (Washington Post)

Big Week Begins for Texas Laws Over Abortion, Gay Marriage (CBSDFW)

Legal Fight Continues after Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Issued in Florida (WFTV.com)

Intel Announces Micro Wrist Computer and Gender Equality Campaign (Tech Week Europe)

New California Law Aims To Help Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender-Owned Businesses (CBS San Francisco)

Conference Proposals Due

The following conference proposals are due in January and February. Click on each name for more information.

Woodhull Sexual Freedom Summit, January 14.

Upcoming Conferences

The following conferences take place in January and February. Click on each name fore more information and to registers.

Sexual Health Expo, January 17-18.

Southern HIV Alcohol Research Consortium Conference: HIV and Substance Abuse: Global Health Lessons, Local Health Impact, January 29.

Southern California Sexual Health Summit, February 12.

ISSWSH 2015 Annual Meeting, February 19-22.

National Conference on Campus Sexual Assault and Violence, January 24.