May 2019 Media Recommendations

May 28th, 2019

I’ve got lots of suggestions this month, so I’ll jump right into them.

Listen

Several podcasts touched on abortion in recent episodes. This includes Science Vs, which took a different stance with their episode called The Abortion Underground, in which host Wendy interviews women who required abortions when they were illegal and absolutely terrifying as well as women who provided abortion services. I wasn’t very familiar with how this worked, and this episode was eye-opening and timely.

Sunny Megatron also tackles the topic with a focus on how criminalizing abortion disproportionately affects marginalized groups such as people of color and those who are impoverished on American Sex.

A previous episode of Science Vs looks into the fertility cliff, whether it’s real, and why so many people

Outward hosts talked about sex ed this month. They discuss how many LGBTQ+ issues should be included in sex ed (and whether sex ed should just take that slant to begin with because straight people have so much to learn), how porn fails as sex ed, and why everyone should use lube.

My final recommendation is another Slate podcast: The Waves. Introducing Hi-Phi Nation: For Women Only is a brief history of trans women as feminist activists, the TERFs who exclude them, and how events in the 70s affect us all today.

Lovehoney also has a new podcast that you can give a listen.

Read

I’ve got to catch up on my reviews, including two book reviews. In Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots, Kate Devlin really breaks down the state of sex robots, who uses them, and the implications for human and does it all with a side of British humor. One of my favorite books all year!

Watch

I wasn’t previously familiar with Philosophy Tube before this video about sex work came across my screen. It seems like a lot of the topics covered were also addressed in the book Revolting Prostitutes (yes, a review is still coming!) including decriminalizing, marginalized people, and various models the world over, among others. I haven’t watched every second of the video, but it seems like a good intro if you can’t dedicate yourself to an entire book and especially if you listen to it on double time.

Terri Conley discusses myths about sex and specifically casual sex in her TEDx talk at U of M. She draws from her research that flips much of what we believe about sex and a person based on their sexual preferences and activities on its head.

Let me know what you thought of anything on this list or if you have suggestions for me!

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Categories: media recommendations

April 2019 Media Recommendations

April 26th, 2019

April is almost over, so I better get this posted. This month’s list of recommendations is longer than I realized. Each month, I listen to podcasts, watch videos and read a bit. If something is especially poignant, I might think that I should jot that down somewhere to recommend to you all, but I often forget. As I went through my history, I realized how much good stuff I enjoyed in April. I hope you enjoy some of it, too!

Listen

Feminist podcast The Waves discussed the current state of sex education in the U.S and whether schools is where people should get all their sex ed.

I think I’ve listened to Speaking of Sex before, but I recently came across it again and quickly consumed three or four episodes. They’re in the middle of a series about stress and sex that include an episode with Emily Nagoski, author of Come As You Are, who has a new book about burning out.

In the most recent episode of Science Vs, Wendy discusses whether the fertility cliff for women is real, if men might experience one as well, and what in the world is happening with sperm.

I wouldn’t have started listening to Outward if it wasn’t broadcast on The Waves channel, but I find that I enjoy it. In a recent episode about the gay scene, the hosts discuss how the scene looks different in various locales. While that was interesting, I especially enjoyed the segment with Shirley Chan about bi culture — what is it, does it exist, and how does it look? Examining bi culture and identities also hits home for me. It’s been difficult for me to identify with the larger queer community when parts of hetero culture still apply to me. Plus, they discuss democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and whether his being gay should matter to votes when it doesn’t seem to matter to him. 

Watch

It seems as though queer issues and sexuality are gaining more traction in mainstream media, so some of my recommendations this month fall under that purview.

Netflix has a new series called Bonding about a couple of friends who work in a BDSM dungeon. I’m only a few episodes in, and it’s a bit silly but enjoyable.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Good Girls (NBC) since it debuted. Christina Hendricks and Retta nail it. In a recent episode, one of the characters has come out as trans.

While The Bold Type is sometimes white feminism at its worst, the newest season shows Jane taking charge of her reproductive future by freezing her eggs. She’s currently dating someone, and the show has handled it well. It’s compassionate, real, and touching.

Two therapists discuss consent in BDSM in this short video. Somehow they manage to address what people can learn about how the kink community handles consent, knowing yourself before you can ask what you want, and more in just a few minutes!

Read

I haven’t started a new book about sex since I finished Tongue Tied (check out my review). Still, I enjoyed a few pieces online and parts of other books that touched on sex.

I’ve been reading Human Errors by Nathaniel Lents. The author walks readers through all the quirks of the human body as a result of evolution and sometimes random flukes. Although it’s not all about sex, a chapter that discusses the intricacies of reproduction and fertility are fascinating and timely for this post.

Editor, writer and more Rachel Kramer Bussel wrote a piece called “I Suddenly Stopped Being Kinky and I’m Not Sure Why” for Self last month. It was honest and interesting. This piece complements her interview on Sex Out Loud quite well. In the podcast, Rachel and Tristan discuss when kink is something we do versus who we are.

Let me know what you think of this media. Do you have some recommendations of your own? I feel like there’s a lot of new shows and movies that are queer-oriented that I hear about but then forget. Feel free to let me know if you’ve got a favorite.

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Categories: media recommendations

The shield of shame surrounds these everyday male issues

March 31st, 2014

When broaching any mention of a medical concern, men find it too embarrassing to discuss. These problems are common and should be aired to remove the taboo.

male issuesMen prefer not to discuss Premature Ejaculation

This topic provokes a great deal of unease with men but this ailment is very normal and occurs in practically every man at one stage in their lives. They find it belittling that they are unable to be in control of their ejaculation. The more often it happens, the less they are able to deal with it and can become, to their detriment, more introverted and it may even lead to depression. The knock on effect of this symptom of depression, is that it will affect the relationship that he is in. There is a solution called the Prolong Climax Control Programme which consists of a six week programme offering a treatment that can postpone orgasm until both he and his partner are ready.

Men avoid discussing Low Sperm Count

Hearing that you have a low sperm count is not uplifting especially if you are hoping to start a family but there is no need to feel awkward about this: in fact it is a very common reason why male infertility happens. Sometimes this is due to a hormone balance or an infection which is treatable through a series of either hormone replacement treatment or antibiotics.

Men are uncomfortable talking about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)

One of the main points that are hard to bring up among men is STI and they find it even more humiliating in from of a doctor. What men do not realise is that it is fairly usual for STI to occur even if he is not careless and can only be treated with medication administered by a GP.


Men can’t face talking about Gynecomastia or Male Breasts

When Gynecomastia results in a man, it invariably means that he has put on weight and the pectoral region develops fat. However it is essential that if a man’s breast enlarges suddenly or they become painful, medical examination will need to be conducted. A few of the other causes for this ailment are chronic liver disease, kidney failure, tumours, genetic disorders (ex: Klinefelfter’s syndrome), reaction to some therapeutic medication and androgen hormone exposure. However in older men, these enlargements may be due hormonal imbalances.

don't let goMen are incapable of opening up about Erectile Dysfunction

Discussing this subject is not easy at all amongst men. The definition of male impotence focuses on the inability to fulfil or continue an erection for as long as it takes to be satisfied by sex. For this to happen, the blood flow must be acceptable for the penis to maintain an erection. The underlying origin may be cardiac or vascular disease. Check for cholesterol, obesity and smoking plus change your lifestyle. The medication available include Cialis, Viagra and Levitra.

It is time now to open up and stop the discomfort!

Thanks for the guest post, ProlongShop.

 

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