Conversations About Sex

Every 9 1/2 minutes some one becomes infected with HIV, and yet we're still afraid to talk openly and honestly about sex. Teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI) are on the rise, and yet we continue to fail our youth by not providing comprehensive sex education programs. Many people are suffering in silence, and yet we still continue to label, judge and stigmatize. How many people have to become infected, pregnant, suffer, and/or die before we can begin to have open honest, healthy conversations about sex?

We talk about religion, war, politics, or the state of the economy but we won't talk about sex; something that can save our life or end our life. Something that can save our life or end our life or perhaps even provide pleasure if engaging responsibly! What's the big deal, what are people so afraid of? People can make excuses and justify a reason for every other issue of ethics and morality, but how dare we talk about sexuality?

We were created as sexual beings. It's natural; it's the very essence of who we are. If we learn to embrace that through love, respect and empowerment by providing education and skills building then we would begin to experience a paradigm shift in views of sexuality.

Now granted we have come a long ways, however in order to begin seeing a reduction in the numbers of people becoming infected with HIV and STIs, a decrease in teenage pregnancy and more people not being afraid to get the treatment they need; then we need to get our heads out of the clouds, stop turning up our ethical noses, climb down off our moral high horse and instead of judging; focus on a new "it factor" normalizing sex +glamorizing prevention= making safer sex the new sexy! Now that's, is a formula for saving lives!