Chaz Bonno

Chaz Bono further introduces himself/herself to the world by appearing on Dancing with the Stars this past season. Throughout the show she/he speaks about encouraging others to be who they are and not care about what others say. I believe she/he is a great role model to others thinking about getting sex changes; it shows support.

Pregnant Nun?

Over the past years Halloween costumes have gotten more and more extreme and creative. The costume that has caused some controversy is the pregnant nun costume. Many people find it humorous while some get offended because it deals with religion. What’s your take?

Real World San Diego

In this seasons of the Real World there is a Lesbian Woman that dresses and acts like a man. I think this was a great way to show the gender roles that are built in society, and a great way to show young viewers to be themselves regardless of what gender they were born into.

Virgin Mary Controversy

A Mexican edition Playboy was decided to be published for a December issue. They thought it would be great to have the model Maria Florencia Onori pose as the Virgin Mary, but instead caused such a big controversy. Do you think that this is just an act of Renaissance, as stated from Playboy? Or do you think that Playboy should have known the mother of god should have not been shown this way?

Three Veils

Three Veils is a movie that came out this year about three Middle Eastern women dealing with the boundaries their culture has given them. It shows how culture plays a strong role in modeling what is expected from each gender, and how difficult it is for women specifically to be their own person. Here is the link to the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgj2Fl7kpZw

Thinking about Sex

In "Thinking About Sex, or Not" Pamela Paul showcases a study called “Sex on the Brain?: An Examination of Frequency of Sexual Cognitions as a Function of Gender, Erotophilia, and Social Desirability,” by Terri D. Fisher, Zachary T. Moore and Mary-Jo Pittenger, The Journal of Sex Research
which asked college-aged people to note whenever they thought about sex, food, or sleep. Instead of men thinking about sex "all the time" the average guy thought about sex 19xs a day and women 10xs. This dissipates the notion of men (or women depending upon the cultural context) being sexual ravenous and insatiable beings.
The most notable part of the article was the "finding" that "gender...is not the major determinant of how often students think about sex. More influential is a person’s self-measured degree of erotophilia or comfort with sexuality. People who like sex and feel comfortable with it think about it more." (Paul, 1)
I think that this is such an undervalued and invaluable statement that many adults don't even realize. I believe that gender norms and expectations likely contribute to the discomfort and confusion surrounding sex and sexuality. Being comfortable in oneself is the first step towards being comfortable with others, both intimately and sexually.

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/fashion/sex-on-the-brain-studied.html?scp=2&sq=sex&st=cse

Teaching Good Sex by Laurie Abraham

Abraham's article showcases a comprehensive and wholistic high school sex ed program that far from the abstinence only or abstinence-emphasis programs, plays to the needs and sincere questions and needs of the teenage audience. I found it almost shocking to believe that sex ed was initially started with a very similar bent in mind, informing kids about healthy relationships, knowledge about their bodies,
It wasn't until the 1980's that 'abstinence' even existed in the context of the sex ed conversation. And now, that is near exclusively what is taught/emphasized in schools. But none of the conservative methods really address the issues that teens are dealing with. Pressures of gender roles and sexuality are stronger than ever in high school and having a reliable and trustworthy source of information could be crucial for kids becoming healthy, well-adjusted sex-partakers. Perhaps if more high schools adopted such policies, the US would ditch it's bipolar, Puritan sex obsession/revulsion and grow up.
Just as importantly, the more open style of sex ed would allow girls to break the cycle of socialization in gendered sex roles. Instead of being concerned with what her parents, boyfriend, friends, and peers want, she can focus on and pursue what SHE WANTS-- as an agent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/teaching-good-sex.html?pagewanted=1&sq=sex&st=cse&scp=5