Sex Intersectional: Recent Episodes
Sex Intersectional
A weekly podcast discussing sexual health among all identities and intersections. Hosted by Lizzie, a queer native Texan based in Washington, D.C.
Today we discuss care navigation and advocacy for people living with HIV and individuals using PreP with Danny, who works as a Navigator/Case Manager/Advocate in Washington, D.C. In this episode, we go over assistance programs available to people diagnosed with HIV and for people who are using/want to use PrEP, the different insurance plans, barriers to care and to medication adherence, service provider and client relations, and advocating for one's health care. Please see the links below for resources to accessing HIV testing and medication assistance programs.
Links Danny(https://www.instagram.com/lightnin_mcqueeer/?hl=en) AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP) (https://www.hiv.gov/topics/adap) PrEP Assistance Program (PAP) Enrollment through Gilead(https://www.gileadadvancingaccess.com/) PrEP Drug Assistance Program (https://dchealth.dc.gov/DCPrEPDAP) HIV Testing Sites in Washington, D.C. (https://dchealth.dc.gov/service/hiv-testing-sites-dc) HIV Testing Sites Throughout the U.S. (gettested.cdc.gov) HIV/AIDS Resources and Support in Washington, D.C. (https://dchealth.dc.gov/page/hivaids-resources-and-support) HIPS (https://www.hips.org/)
Well, fuckin' finally! After 16 months of silence, new episodes are coming for Sex Intersectional, starting with an episode about restorative justice with fellow harm reductionist, Giuliani Hardy-Gerena.
*Trigger warning: Instances of physical, sexual, and institutional violence are discussed in this episode.
We discuss restorative justice as an alternative to our current criminal justice system, personal stories of injustices, how the current criminal justice systems further traumatizes survivors of sexual violence, maps of restorative justice that prioritize healing over punishment, and community care.
Links Giulianni Hardy-Gerena (https://www.instagram.com/giuliannihg/) International Institute of Restorative Practices (https://www.iirp.edu) Dr. Zelaika Hepworth Clarke (https://www.zelaika.com/) RAINN Statistics on Sexual Violence (https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem) "I Was Sexually Assaulted. And I believe Incarcerating Rapists Doesn't Help Victims Like Me"(https://theappeal.org/i-was-sexually-assaulted-and-i-believe-incarcerating-rapists-doesnt-help-victims-like-me/) Types and Degrees of Restorative Justice (https://www.iirp.edu/defining-restorative/restorative-justice-typology) Restorative Practices Continuum (https://www.iirp.edu/defining-restorative/restorative-practices-continuum) Compass of Shame (https://www.iirp.edu/defining-restorative/compass-of-shame)
Welcome to Episode 22 of Sex Intersectional, Burlesque! Our guest co-host, Philomena Shakesbare, tells us the ins and out of doing burlesque, sexuality in performance, the history of burlesque, and more.
Links and Notes:
Look and appreciate the beauty and grace that is Philomena Shakesbare on her Instagram Page (https://www.instagram.com/philomena_shakesbare/?hl=en)
Check out Philomena Shakesbare troupe on the Manic Pixie Nightmares Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/ManicPixieNightmares/)
Keep a lookout for tickets for the July 20th show with The DC Weirdo Show (https://www.facebook.com/theweirdoshowdc/)
Come see me premier my drag king self as Walker, Texas BangHer on June 14th at Pretty Boi Drag Presents #AmateurKingNight (https://www.facebook.com/events/1642770212465751/)
Help support the Sex Intersectional podcast by becoming a patron (https://www.patreon.com/sexintersectional)
Welcome to Episode 21 of Sex Intersectional in which Alexandra (yes, she's back) and I discuss pansexuality! Since Janelle Monáe came out as pansexual, the term has been coming up very frequently and it was time to do this episode. We discuss what pansexuality is, how it can differ from bisexuality (mostly depending on how each person identifies themselves), why we choose to identify with this term, sexual attraction versus romantic attraction, being queer in a heterosexual relationship, being "queer enough," and more.
Links:
Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer [Emotion Picture] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdH2Sy-BlNE&t=599s
Rolling Stone: Janelle Monáe Frees Herself https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/cover-story-janelle-monae-prince-new-lp-her-sexuality-w519523
Welcome to Episode 20 of Sex Intersectional, in which my guest co-host, Jaya, and I discuss abortion. Jaya informs us of the different procedures, including in-clinic and medicated abortion, common misconceptions about abortion, crisis pregnancy centers, protests outside of clinics, state laws that make access to safe abortion difficult, resources for those seeking an abortion, and conversations she has had working on an abortion access hotline. I also go into my personal abortion story. This is a subject that needs to be discussed without stigma and without judgment, despite the fear mongering and harassment done by many anti-choice groups.
National Resources: National Abortion Federation (https://prochoice.org/) Provider Referral Line : 1-877-257-0012 Hours : M-F, S 9AM to 9PM Financial Assistance Hotline : 1-800-772-9100 Hours : M-F 7:00AM to 11:00PM EST S-Su 9:00AM to 9:00PM EST
Planned Parenthood Hotline : 1-800-230-7526
National Network of Abortion Funds (abortionfunds.org)
Women’s Reproductive Rights Assistance Project (WRRAP) : no number, doesn’t work directly with patients - ask your provider to reach out on your behalf.
DMV Resources: DC Abortion Fund (https://dcabortionfund.org/) 202-452-7464
Baltimore Abortion Fund (http://www.baltimoreabortionfund.org/) 443-297-9893
Blue Ridge Abortion Assistance Fund : 434-963-0669 When calling, leave a detailed message with your name, phone number, location and what you’re looking for assistance with (EGA, price/appt info) and someone will return the call within 48 hours.
Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project (https://www.rrfp.net/) 888-847-1593 or email at hello@rrfp.net . Maryland Medicaid Abortion (http://mdmedicaidabortion.org/) Pro-choice resource with information about how to get on Medicaid if not yet enrolled, as it relates to abortion coverage.
Abortion Support Referrals: All-Options(https://www.all-options.org/) 1-888-493-0092 Hours : M-F 10am-1pm, Sa-Su 10-6 EST
Faith Aloud : 1-888-717-5010 Free faith-based resource for those seeking abortion care who wanted to talk through abortion and how they’re feeling with a pro-choice clergy member, services are free and confidential.
Exhale : 1-866-439-4253 Hours : M-F 8PM to 1AM EST, Sa-Su 3PM to 1AM EST Free post-abortion resource for people who want to talk about their feelings after having an abortion, or about their experience overall
Texas Resources: Lilith Fund (https://www.lilithfund.org/) English: 1.877.659.4304 Español: 1.877.355.1461
Jane's Due Process (https://janesdueprocess.org/) Provides legal representation for pregnant minors in Texas seeking an abortion. 866-999-5263 Text 8am-11pm
Welcome to Episode 19, "Queer Online Dating," with friend and guest co-host, Joel. In this episodes we talk about the intersections of online dating and queerness, experiences with different platforms, ghosting, red flags, lines of communication, expectations, and even a little heartbreak. How many of you can relate to these experiences?
And apologies to my amazing co-host for posting this after his set at OUTSpoken!, which was May 1st. I have spent this week dealing with account issues. If you're in Chicago, however, you can catch Joel and other LGBT story tellers the first Tuesday of each month at Sidetrack the Video Bar (https://www.facebook.com/events/1266948690030187/).
Disclaimer: This episode was recorded before Trump signed FOSTA (Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act) and SESTA (Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act) into law.
Welcome to Episode 18, "Sex Work And FOSTA/SESTA!" This one was bound to come. This episode I speak with my guest co-host, who will remain anonymous, who has lived experience as a sex worker. They offer insight into the realities of sex work, how it is NOT sex trafficking, how criminalization of sex work further oppresses communities, how decriminalization makes more sense than legalization, and how FOSTA/SESTA takes away safety nets of sex workers.
Links: Sex Workers Outreach Project USA (http://www.new.swopusa.org/) HIPS (http://www.hips.org/) Tits and Sass (http://titsandsass.com/) Survivors Against SESTA (https://survivorsagainstsesta.org/)
TRIGGER WARNING: Abuse, sexual assault and traumatic events are discussed during this episode.
Welcome to Episode 17 of Sex Intersectional, "Healing After Trauma," in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Uplifting couple of episodes, I know. We are graced the voice and presence of Alexandra Lynn again. We discuss what types of trauma exist, common symptoms of trauma, victim blaming, inequitable access to trauma-related resources, how to be supportive of those with histories of trauma, and sexual assault.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) https://www.nsvrc.org
Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Embrace Your Voice https://www.nsvrc.org/saam
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) Statistics https://www.rainn.org/statistics
Rape Culture Pyramid http://www.11thprincipleconsent.org/consent-propaganda/rape-culture-pyramid/
‘Mean Girls’ Actor Daniel Franzese Accuses Bijou Phillips Of Homophobia, Body-Shaming http://deadline.com/2017/11/daniel-franzese-bijou-phillips-homophobia-body-shaming-harassment-1202206789/
TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual assault and abuse is discussed during this episode.
Welcome to Episode 16, “Crisis Counseling,” with guest co-host, Alexandra Lynn. Alexandra goes into her past and current work in crisis and micro-counseling, primarily for survivors of sexual assault. We discuss our shared experiences in harm reduction volunteering, helping someone ground when they are experiencing a flashback, and linking clients to longer-term services. We also discuss stigma that clients face after their traumatic experiences, the stigma of being in therapy, victim blaming, kink shaming, and savior complexes that can make matters worse. No matter your experiences, you deserve a means of working through your trauma with support absent of judgment and stigma. Should you want any of the support described in this episode, please feel free to use one of the sources below. Also, sorry for the background noise. We were sitting on noisy bar stools.
National Resources
Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) Sexual Assault Hotline https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline
National Domestic Abuse Hotline http://www.thehotline.org/
Washington, DC Resources
HIPS http://www.hips.org/
DC Rape Crisis Center http://dcrcc.org/
DC Center for LGBT Community http://thedccenter.org/
DC SAFE http://dcsafe.org/
N Street Village https://www.nstreetvillage.org/
Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC) https://www.nvrdc.org/
Thrive DC https://www.thrivedc.org/
Houston Resources
The Montrose Center http://www.montrosecenter.org/hub/
Welcome to Episode 15, "V&V (Vaginas and Vulvas)" in which Ednalor and I talk entirely about pussies. As broad of a topic as this is, we cannot cover everything in one episode. We acknowledge that not all women have vulvas and vaginas and not everyone with vulvas and vaginas are women. Also, some people were born with the two and others had to have them surgically constructed. In this episode we want to give attention to both, so for the purposes of this episode, we will talk about both bio-vulvas/bio-vaginas (existed since birth) and neo-vulvas/neo-vaginas (created later in life). All, however, all relevant, valid and deserve the best of care. We also talk about queefing, squirting, anatomy, hymens, g-spots, and the troubles of douching.
Diagram Links Vulva Diagram (https://www.nva.org/what-is-vulvodynia/vulvar-anatomy/) Vagina Diagram (https://sexandstats.com/2016/09/14/almost-50-of-british-women-cant-identify-the-vagina/)
Source Links Annie Sprinkle: A public Cervix Announcement (http://anniesprinkle.org/a-public-cervix-anouncement/) The Atlantic: Living Myths About Virginity (https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/02/living-myths-about-virginity/283628/) IRINNews: Virginity-related penalties "extremely unfair" (http://www.irinnews.org/report/92581/afghanistan-virginity-related-penalties-%E2%80%9Cextremely-unfair%E2%80%9D) "I want my Vagina Back": Notes on Vaginal Dilation (http://womanlab.org/i-want-my-vagina-back-notes-on-vaginal-dilation/) Healthline: What is a Douche and is Douching Safe? (https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/what-is-a-douche#function) Trans Health - The Online Magazine for Health and Fitness for Transexual and Transgender People (http://www.trans-health.com/)
Welcome lovelies to Episode 14 of Sex Intersectional, "Consent!" In this episode Ednalor and I discuss the ins and outs, dos and don'ts of informed, enthusiastic consent. We also talk about the different ways to determine capacity to consent, how we teach children early on about bodily autonomy, surprise anal, Jocelyn Elders and masturbation, and more.
Links:
Sexplanations: What is Ethical Porn? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrZ-zX4zpsY)
Pidgeon's YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWZ3b0o7X8XajfneVLlHDhA)
Jocelyn Elders: Importance of Sex Education (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMiOHKpmycg)
Welcome to Episode 13 of Sex Intersectional! We talk about queer alphabet soup, the endless supply of queer acronyms in existence. We go over the most common ones, old and new, some more unique acronyms, and one that is 14 LETTERS LONG! Ednalor and I go over the terms, their meanings, our perspectives of each identity (as limited as they are)/ Should we have "Allies" included? What about Aces? What is "Kink" doing in some of these acronyms? We discuss these and more.
Links: BiNet USA (http://www.binetusa.org/) John Waters' "A Dirty Shame" Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3rqwaIiJw8) LGBTQAlphabet by Equinox and the LGBT Community Center (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ0D5W5Htc0)
TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussions about sexual abuse and murder.
This is a bit of a rant episode. Sorry, not sorry. Ednalor and I talk about the new rule created by the Department of Health and Human Services, protecting doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers who refuse to treat certain people because of moral or religious objections. This is after 2017 saw a sharp increase in anti-LGBT hate-based homicides. We also discuss why, though we went to the National Women's March last year. We give our two cents about the #MeToo movement then our disappointment about Aziz Ansari and the general lack of conversation about consent.
We cannot cover all perspectives and experiences between the two of us! If you have an idea for an episode or feedback, contact us email us at sexintersectional@gmail.com
Amazing Organizations: Werk for Peace: https://werkforpeace.org/ Collective Action for Safe Spaces: http://www.collectiveactiondc.org/
Relevant News: NPR - Trump Admin Will Protect Health Workers Who Refuse Services On Religious Grounds: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/01/18/578811426/trump-will-protect-health-workers-who-reject-patients-on-religious-grounds Pensacola News Journal - Pensacola Women's March organizers look to ditch 'exclusionary' pink hats: http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/2018/01/12/pensacola-womens-march-organizers-look-ditch-exclusionary-pink-hats/1025345001/
TRIGGER WARNING: There are stories with instances of anti-LGBT violence.
Welcome to Episode 11 of Sex Intersectional, "Traveling While Trans (and a Veteran)," with special guest co-host, Emily Hancock. Emily tells us about her project, Traveling While Trans, which is filled with stories about encounters throughout the country shaped by reactions of others to her transgender history. As a veteran, Emily also shares her stories from her time in the military. Life in the military, educating people around the country about gender, escaping death, dating while trans, encounters with transphobic individuals, and much more.
To watch Traveling While Trans videos, click Emily's Facebook link below. https://www.facebook.com/emily.j.hancock/videos_by
If you would like to donate to Emily's project, click the Venmo or Paypal links below. Venmo: https://venmo.com/Emily-Hancock-7 Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/InvaderEmily
Map of Gender-Diverse Cultures: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/content/two-spirits_map-html/
Sex Intersectional's tenth episode is dedicated to discussing Everything Anal with our special guest, Eric, from Men of the Den, skyping in to talk about the ins and outs of butt stuff. Preparation for putting things in butts, prostate massages, launching butt plugs across the room, beard chafing while rimming, bottom shaming, fisting toys on Myth Busters, pegging, and a big bad purple dildo. We talk just about everything wonderful that can be done to or with butts.
Men of the Den YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MenOfTheDen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MenOfTheDen/
Teen Vogue Anal Sex: What You Need to Know https://www.teenvogue.com/story/anal-sex-what-you-need-to-know
Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are - by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AFXZ2F4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women - by Tristan Taormino https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Anal-Sex-Women/dp/1573442216
Uranus: Self Anal Massage for Men - Joseph Kramer - https://www.eroticmassage.com/video_library/Anal-Massage/%22Uranus%22-Self-Anal-Massage
Vulva-Anal Eroticism https://www.eroticmassage.com/video_library/Anal-Massage/Vulva-Anal-Eroticism
Big Bad Purple Dildo by Shiloh Circle https://myspace.com/shilohcirclesexislife/music/song/big-bad-purple-dildo-16158598-159597839
NOW ON INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/sexintersectional/
Tune into Ednalor's and my ramblings about growing up queer in the South, specifically the Gulf Coast. From Texas to Florida and in between, we discuss our coming out stories with our Southern families, growing up in Southern cultures, our sanctuaries, stereotypes about Southerners, eating alligators, and possible gay icons for Millennials. Interesting fact, the South accounts for 35% of the LGBTQ population of the United States, the largest percentage of any region in the country.
LInks:
LGBT in the South (https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/census-lgbt-demographics-studies/lgbt-in-the-south/) Queer Appalachia (https://www.queerappalachia.com/) My Gay Houston (http://www.mygayhouston.com/) Gay Cities: Pensacola (https://pensacola.gaycities.com/)
Though federal and states governments have invested heavily in abstinence-only education, these programs contain false, misleading, or distorted information about reproductive health. Many of the curricula misrepresent the effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, blur religion and science, and treat gender stereotypes as scientific fact. In this episode, we list a few examples, delve into our own experiences both receiving and teaching sex education, and discuss how abstinence-only education feeds into everyday lives by shaping harmful perceptions about gender roles, sexual orientation, safe sex, and more.
Links: The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence Only Education Programs(http://spot.colorado.edu/~tooley/HenryWaxman.pdf) "People Are Still Having Sex" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ImRyPymRAM) "Billy's Dad is a Fudge-Packer" video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh9amMeiRYQ) Advocates for Youth (http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/) Bedsider (https://www.bedsider.org/) Planned Parenthood: Learn (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn)
We cannot have a podcast about intersectionalty and sexual health without talking about race, in this case, race and beauty standards. In this episode we talk about the politics of hair types, especially black women's hair, beauty and skin tone, and even the festishization of different races. Race and its intersections with beauty standards determine so much about how people see, treat and react to each other, how systems hold certain races to privilege and oppress others. There will be many follow-up episodes about race as it relates to sexual health.
Links: Good Hair, a documentary by Christ Rock (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m-4qxz08So)
Hair Nah! (http://hairnah.com/) A video game emphasizing not to touch black people's hair without permission.
“We’re Not Here For White People’s Pleasure.” On Race, Fetish and Objectification by Stella Harris (http://www.wweek.com/culture/2017/11/03/were-not-here-for-white-peoples-pleasure-on-race-fetish-and-objectification/)
Welcome to Episode 6 of Sex Intersectional, in which Ednalor provides follow-up information and commentary from our second episode, Transgender Health. This episode has her personal accounts and advice on preparations for transitioning with hormone therapy, gender reassignment surgery, and the time and finances that go into it all. Below are links to reputable resources for transgender advocacy and healthcare. Check in next week when we discuss the intersections of race and beauty.
Whitman-Walker's Transgender Care Services (https://www.whitman-walker.org/service/medical/transgender-care/) DC Center for the LGBT Community (http://thedccenter.org/) National Center for Transgender Equality (https://transequality.org/)
Welcome to Episode 5 of Sex Intersectional, HIV Prevention for World AIDS Day. December 1st is World AIDS Day, an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. Ednalor and I are excited about this longer than usual episode because this subject matter is where our heart is. Initially we planned to have this episode be a sort of HIV 101, including going deep into HIV biology. As preparation for the episode progressed, however, we realized that so much technical information condensed into one episode, especially without visuals, is not the best for retaining information. So, we instead decided to dedicate most of this episode to providing practical prevention methods that can be applied to your everyday lives. Yes, both Ednalor and I are aware that we haven't given full attention to injected drug users and sex workers in this prevention episode, but we will have episodes dedicated to those populations in the future. LINKS BELOW FOR HIV/AIDS RESOURCES!
OraQuick Home HIV Testing Kits http://www.oraquick.com/where-to-buy
Information About Where to Get Tested for HIV in the United States? -call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636), -visit https://gettested.cdc.gov/, or -text your ZIP code to KNOW IT (566948)
Step-By-Step Guide for Using Dental Dams https://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/dental-dam-use.html
Information on PrEP in the United States https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/prep/index.html
CDC's Response to Undetectable=Unstransmittable https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/risk/art/cdc-hiv-uvl-transmission.pdf
DC Organizations Offering HIV services and more: -HIPS (http://www.hips.org/) -Whitman-Walker Health (https://www.whitman-walker.org/)
In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance 2017, we wanted to discuss this topic that has affected us as well as many individuals in our lives. Much of the violence LGBTQ+ individuals experience is gender-based because their identities one way or another do not adhere to the gender norms set by the communities around them. Below is the link to the 2013 ABC news article discussed during this episode, in which the author/producer consistently misgendered Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was raped and murdered in 1993.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=132702
Our favorite episode yet, welcome to Episode 3 of Sex Intersectional - Lube it Up, in which we discuss lube. What is it? Who uses it? What can it be used for? What types are there? What ingredients to avoid. Benefits of using lube. And we also dive into the stigma around using lube.
We are in the middle of developing our website so that we can speak and write about sexual health and intersectionality, but also interact with you, our communities and build up a larger community of individuals who want a space to talk about these subjects.
A couple of links to share:
The National Center for Transgender Equality (https://transequality.org/) is the nation's leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people. Our own Ednalor reached out to them years ago to file a grievance to her Congressman when she was denied a passport that aligned with her gender identity.
My personal favorite brand of lubricant, Sliquid (http://sliquid.com/) produces natural and organic lubricants created by sensitive women. They are 100% vegan friendly and always free of DEA, gluten, glycerine, glycerol, parabens, PEG, propylene glycol, sorbitol & sulphates.
Also, you can go to Dr. Emily Nagoski's website (http://emilynagoski.com/) to buy her award winning sexual health book, Come as You Are.
Welcome to the second episode of Sex Intersectional in which we dicuss transgender care. Our own Ednalor discusses her personal journey as a woman with a transgender history. She provides vital information about the definitions of transgender and cis-gender, how she came to the decision to transition from her assigned gender (male) to her true gender (female), and the health and legal steps she had to take to get closer to attaining the body that matches her gender identity. Not all transgender stories resemble hers, but Edanlor offer first hand experience in the life of being transgender/having a transgender history. Tune in for our third episode, in which which we discuss lube!
Welcome everyone to our first episode of Sex Intersectional! We're excited to finally launch this podcast after many delays and we have many, many topics lined up for future episodes. Here we present an introduction with our own experiences as well as commentary of recent legislation. Tune in for the next episode for Transgender Health.