Let's get spiritual (spiritual)
Sex and religion: Do they mix?
Heyyy this is our first official newsletter issue, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. This month, we focused on how religion and spirituality informed the ways we were educated about sex.
This Month on the Sex Ed Podcast
Season 2 has officially begun! In this newsletter, we’re linking to the episodes on our website, but remember they’re also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Episode 1: Let’s Talk About Sex (Education), Baby
This episode is a great primer for knowing our definition of sex ed, outside of just a school-based class. Talking points include Cosmo sex tips, late night radio shows that talk about anal, and lumberjacks in maid outfits. And don’t worry, we won’t leave you high and dry on that last part. Here’s a man in a maid costume that we really enjoy:
Episode 2: There Is Such a Thing as Sex Positive Christianity with Christal
For our first guest of the season, we talked to Kaylee’s friend Christal about progressive, LGBTQ+ affirming, sex positive Christianity. Talking points in this episode include the Kinsey scale, “slippery slopes” when interpreting scripture, and a special Facebook group for Progressive Asian American Christians (PAAC) where many people who have felt like outsiders found a home.
For anyone interested in learning more about the PAAC community, visit their website or check out their Facebook group.
Episode 3: I didn’t manifest correctly!
We travelled into the realm of new age spirituality where Jen told us about their self-care practices and how that ties into their relationships, sexuality, and gender expression. Talking points include tarot cards, feminine and masculine energies, and having sex with ghosts. Kaylee doesn’t want to admit she’s a spiritual being, but we eventually get there.
Have your own experiences with sex education and religion or spirituality that you want to share? Tell us about it!
Related Reading
From the Sex Ed Podcast
My Anti-Sex Education — Kaylee goes into detail about her abstinence-only sex education from religious institutions, including how it is responsible for deep-seated feelings of shame around sex. Trigger warning: sexual assault.
We’ve also put together a list in Bookshop.org of books recommended by us (and our community) that deal with sex and religion. The best part is that any purchases you make through our list not only supports local bookstores, but also our podcast!
On Progressive Christianity
If you listened to episode 2–There Is Such a Thing as Sex Positive Christianity with Christal–and were curious to learn more about the HuffPost article that inspired Christal’s thesis on identity for queer progressive Asian Americans in digital realms, here is that very HuffPost article: The Loneliness of the Progressive Asian American Christian.
Tarot
Did hearing Kaylee and Jen talk about using tarot cards to connect with their spiritual sides speak to you? If it did, we recommend checking out The Hood Witch. Not only can you get tarot readings from Bri Luna (the Hood Witch herself), but her blog has tons of useful insights, like how to choose a tarot deck.
If, like Jen, you’re interested in using tarot as a way to explore your gender and sexuality, check out this guide from Tarot Pugs. It has some good questions to kick off your readings
In the meantime, here is a gif of two of our favorite pugs, Liam and Bugsy.
Sex Ed in the News & Culture
Education
In her final act as Secretary of Education for the Trump administration, Betsy DeVos penned a memo stating that Title IX, which protects students from discrimination based on sex and gender, did not apply to transgender students. Essentially, this allows schools to continue to receive federal funding even if they don’t allow students to play on sports teams or use bathrooms/changing rooms in line with their gender identity. We are hoping the Biden administration will redefine the terms in Title IX, but in the meantime, you can read more about the situation here.
Tech
Social media sites have been cracking down on the accounts of sex workers for a long time, but the latest updates to Instagram’s terms of service have them shutting down accounts of sex educators as well (uh oh 👀). This Vice article interviews sex educators speaking out against the changes and gives advice on what to do for account recovery.
Inclusivity
Sex education is overwhelmingly ableist, which is a problem because it ignores the disabled population (who are at high risk for sexual violence) and perpetuates a myth that disabled people are asexual. We’re happy to report that James Madison University (JMU) just received a $2.87M grant to develop a Disability-inclusive Sexual Health Network (DHSN). Read more about it on JNU’s newspaper, The Breeze.
Sneak Peak: February
Next month, we’re taking a look into pornography. We talk about everything from how porn acts as sex education to the ethics of tube sites, like PornHub. Our first guest in February is Kate Isaacs, from the #NotYourPorn campaign and the Let’s Talk About Porn, Baby podcast. Check her and her work out, then get stoked for Feb with us!
