Posts

Speaking about Domestic violence

Domestic violence is emotional, verbal, physical, or sexual abuse that happens between people who have had a dating, intimate/sexual or family relationship now or at any time in the past. Domestic violence can happen in both gay and straight relationships, and it can happen to people in long-term relationships or who only date casually every once in a while or have only dated once. It can include people who live together and people who don’t. Just to be really clear here, dating violence is in fact, domestic violence. Some people think that domestic violence can only happen to adults if they’re married or living together, but it can happen to anyone no matter what age.  If someone does something to control you, put you down, or hurt you, it’s violence and it’s not okay.  And because dating violence is considered domestic violence, all the laws that apply to and protect adults also apply to you. A lot of people do not report this abuse for a lot of different reasons. But even if it isn
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Dating and relationship violence

 Another type of violence that I think is important to talk about is dating violence, which is sometimes called relationship or domestic violence.  No matter what you call it, violence in any relationship is not okay.  Don’t get me wrong, couples do argue sometimes (if you don’t believe me ask Kim and Josh), but if your boyfriend or girlfriend is doing anything to make you feel afraid, threatened or controlled, you may be in an abusive relationship.  If you think you might be experiencing violence in a relationship, or if you are worried about a friend, help is available. Talk to someone who can help you find the support you need. An expert on teen dating violence can help you (or a friend) understand the options that are available for teens faced with a controlling or abusive relationship. Find more relationship advice from these podcasts.
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After a sexual assault

 It’s important to understand that it’s not your fault and nothing you did or didn’t do could make it your fault. It’s okay to feel scared , confused, vulnerable, shocked, ashamed, or guilty—these feelings do not mean you’re weak. There are some things you can do to take care of yourself after an assault: A really nice sexual assault counselor came to our school to talk to us about rape and sexual assault. She gave us some really good advice about what to do and where to go if we think we may have been sexually assaulted: Go to a safe place, like a friend’s or family member’s home, hospital or police station. Call a rape crisis center hotline . A trained counselor can talk to you about what happened, your options, and even go to the hospital with you if you want.  Go to a hospital as soon as possible. At the hospital you can be checked out and treated for any injury or infection. If you want to, the hospital can also collect evidence about the assault. You can have evidence collected
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Sexual Violence

 So here’s the deal, sexual assault is any sexual activity you don’t want, by anyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone you know or not. It can be something as simple as someone touching you where you don’t want them to, or something as involved as forcing you to have sex with them against your will. Assault can be if someone makes you look at or be a part of pornography (porn/video taping sexual acts) or prostitution (taking money for sex). Another thing I learned is that it’s sexual assault when someone can’t agree to any type of sexual activity because he/she is drunk, high or asleep, or is too disabled or too young to give their permission. It’s still considered sexual assault if you agree to do something and then change your mind – if they don’t stop, it’s assault. Inappropriate Touching Rape Forced Sex I Didn't Want to Do That Inappropriate Touching We all have limits about what’s okay with us and what isn’t, even when it comes to touching. Some people like to hug or get a ki
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HIV/AIDS: The basics

There is a lot of different information out there about HIV and AIDS and it can be really confusing. I’m really lucky that I had someone who could break it down for me and answer some of my questions. To start off, HIV stands for H uman I mmunodeficiency V irus. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS and AIDS stands for A cquired I mmune D eficiency S yndrome. Below, you can check out the answers to some of the questions that people often ask me about HIV, how to test, and how to protect yourself. What’s the difference between HIV and AIDS? This is a question I get a lot! HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system and weakens your body’s ability to fight diseases and infections. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a later stage of HIV disease that involves severe damage to the immune system. Someone who already has HIV is said to have AIDS when the immune system is really weak and may not be able to fight off c
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Talking Emergency Contraception

 Let's talk about Emergency Contraception I know some of you may have heard of the morning after pill (also called emergency contraception or EC) before and some of you may not know anything about it. My Aunt Lucia just gave me the low down on it and it’s something that everyone (girls AND guys) should know about.  Emergency contraception (EC) is a type of birth control pill that can be used when a woman is worried about becoming pregnant. Some possible reasons to take EC are because: ⦁ The condom broke or slipped off ⦁ Birth control pills weren’t taken, the patch wasn’t put on, or the vaginal ring wasn’t put in ⦁ The diaphragm, cap or shield slipped out of place ⦁ The penis wasn’t pulled out in time ⦁ Birth control wasn’t used ⦁ Sex was forced EC can be taken right after unprotected sex (sex when birth control wasn’t used) and up to five days after a pregnancy risk (when you’ve had unprotected sex and could become pregnant) but the sooner it is taken the more likely it
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Getting tested for STI/STD

 If you’re looking to get tested for an STI, you have a few different options.  First, if you’re comfortable seeing your doctor, and you currently have a primary care doctor, s/he can test you for STIs. If you don’t have a doctor you regularly see, or you’re not comfortable going to your regular doctor for STI testing, there are other places you can go.  Confidential testing means giving your name and some personal information to a clinic, but that information stays between you and the clinic unless you sign forms letting them give your information or test results to another person, like your doctor. Anonymous testing Anonymous testing can be done without ever giving your name at all.  When you go to the clinic, you will be identified by a code and any tests you have done will only have that code on them. This way, your name always remains unknown. If you are under 18, you have a right to confidential STI testing.  However if you get tested using your medical insurance, it may show up
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