Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Sexerati Interviews: Bronwen Pardes


filed under: Erotic Elite, State of Sex Ed, Sexerati Interviews by Lux Nightmare | 1 Comment

I met Bronwen Pardes at a salon of NYC sex writers and educators, and was immediately impressed with her. In addition to being super smart about sex (she used to teach a college course on human sexuality), she’s just put out a really awesome book of sex information for teenagers: Doing It Right. Oh, and she lives across the street from me, to boot.

bronwen-pic.jpgComplete the following sentence: Bronwen Pardes is…
…probably a one-of-a-kind name. (My first name is an unusual Welsh name; my last name is a very rare Sephardic name.)

…almost never embarrassed when talking about sex, though often embarrassed when talking about things that most people don’t find embarrassing. I don’t understand it myself.

…a sexual health educator, with a master’s in human sexuality from NYU, who works as an HIV counselor at a hospital and a writer.

How did you get into sex education? When did you first become interested in the field?
My path to this field wasn’t exactly straight. In my early twenties I was very interested in arts education, and worked for an organization that brought all kinds of performing and visual arts into schools. One day my boss told me that I should watch a documentary that would be on TV that night, about her sister, who ran a theatre company that educated kids about HIV prevention. I remember the moment like it was yesterday—I thought, someone is doing that? That’s what I want to do. I eventually met her sister, Cydelle Berlin, and worked with her. Gradually, I realized that sex education interested me more than arts education, and I followed in her footsteps by attending NYU’s graduate program in human sexuality.

For a lot of people, the idea of studying sex seems strange: there’s an assumption that it’s limited to just talking about condoms and where babies come from. What would you say to people who question the idea of sexuality as an academic discipline?
I have this conversation a lot. I tell people that sexuality is such a vital part of who we are, how could it not be a subject worth studying? In order to get a well-rounded understanding of sexuality, my graduate education had to touch on sociology, biology, culture, education, politics, public health…it’s an incredibly rich and diverse field of study. At NYU I remember thinking that I could almost feel my mind expanding, it was happening so rapidly and dramatically. And I don’t think I will ever get bored with this field—the more I learn, the more I realize how much there is still to learn. So no, it’s not just about condoms and babies!
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Friday, December 22, 2006

Bad (Sex) Education


filed under: State of Sex Ed by Melissa Gira | Leave a Comment

I don’t mean to be on a kick of documenting the “stupid” of sex, but some quotes, you just can’t let slide when they float across your newsreader:

“I never had a class in my life on that and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out,” board member Bill Schumacher said at Monday’s school board meeting, adding he wonders if eighth-grade is too soon for such matters.

The matter that Bill Schumacher presumes even rocket scientists are so schooled in (though I can’t point to that data at the moment, and am not sure it even exists) is how to use a condom.

Apparently the eighth graders in his district in Cowlitz County, Washington are showing “skyrocketing” STI rates, and the school’s Superintendent would like to re-instate instruction in condom use, which was cut from the middle school curriculum two years ago. The County Health Department is for it, the health teachers are for it — pretty much anyone who has actual contact with actual people facing questions around how to have sex and stay safe.

Aside from making me want to go find the numbers on how many school administrators know how to use a condom properly — again, like ‘rocket scientists,’ an under-studied population — in order to make a point, that we are so quick to scrutinize how easy-to-control and traditionally disempowered folks have sex — like young people, queer folks, young men of color, the incarcerated, and sex workers — really, I’m just yearning in general for less of these stories to document on a daily basis.

Santa, screw the stocking-stuffers — just send me the good sex ed news.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Art + Ladies + Liquor Are Coming to You


filed under: State of Sex Ed, We Make Art Not Sex by Melissa Gira | Leave a Comment

Sexerati fave and tartstar Molly Crabapple is touring the East Coast early in 2007, bringing with her the cabaret/artschool collision that is Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, where participants can get properly soused (or caffeinated) whilst sketching beautifully barely-clad models in a slightly salacious environment that puts the life (and then some) back into “life modeling.”

Molly is touring now in support of the first Dr. Sketchy’s publication/propaganda piece, Dr. Sketchy’s Official Rainy Day Coloring Book, which she promises is…

Much like popular Victorian cure-all tonics, Dr. Sketchy’s Official Rainy Day Colouring Book is a natrual cure for boredom, apathy, shingles, gout, sobriety, and erectile dysfunction. It can even buy you Love! (or at least explain how to hire her for an evening to strip down to her pasties). Lovingly illustrated, adorned with dirty humor and black wit, this book is twice as good as James Joyce’s Ulysses- and three times as sexy.

Fear not if you’ve no Dr. Sketchy’s yet where you call home — here’s how to start your very own.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Blogging the Sex Classroom


filed under: State of Sex Ed by Melissa Gira | Leave a Comment

These human sexuality students at George Mason University are keeping a group blog “devoted to the thoughts, feelings, and insights” during their class experience together this Fall. With the semester nearly done, there’s lots to read back on.

Some favorite quotes, why not, to give us a little faith in the small revolutions in sex ed going on each day, somewhere in America:

From Mimi:

“So I REALLY had a great time doing the experiential activites. I ended up choosing a lot of the activites that allow you to discuss certain topics with your partner: like enhancing sexual enjoyment, birth control options, and how to be a better partner.”

From student A:

“From reading chapter 13 it is interesting to read about childhood sexuality. I learned that about childhood masturbation. I had no idea that is was so common and is very natural.”

From Miss Scion tC:

“One activity had me view myself in the mirror and in doijng this activity I relaized that I havea lot to improve on and that I do want to improve myself.”

Okay, so they could use some minor revolutions in spelling, too, but how heartening is the message.

I’d love to keep tabs on more sexuality education blogs. Links, please!

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