I grew up in a rural town where being unapologetically bold and beautiful was the mark of a troublemaker. I was raised in an area where being queer or identifying with the LGBTQIA+ community was considered a sin, a bedroom secret never to be talked about. In my reality, it felt more like I should move or disappear in order to please the traditions of a predominantly white, heterosexual, cisgender, Christian, and country mindset.…
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On this episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire chats with sex educator, influencer, and content creator Jacob P. Kelley about queerness and sex education in rural America, their experiences in entrepreneurship, HIV outreach and prevention, and fighting stigma.…
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Most people have memories of getting the talk. Yes, the talk about S-E-X. Now how this talk happened and what was included can differ greatly. Being Black, queer, and growing up in the Bible Belt, conversations about sex were the definition of “hush hush.” To learn about sex, you had to turn to your friends—which meant conversations were mostly heteronormative and filled with misinformation.…
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About a month ago, my godmother asked me a question: Jasmine, who are you? The first thought that came to my mind was, “Would you like to know who I truly am, or just who you want me to be?” The truth is that I am a Black, queer Millennial. And as someone who has grown up in the Millennial generation, I have worked hard to develop my own interpretations of who and what I am and to not define…
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I believe in education more than anything on Earth. I believe that the answer to almost every problem facing us as individuals, communities, countries, and as a planet is based in education. I believe in it so much that I got my doctorate in education, with a focus on inclusive sex education.…
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Welcome to the first installment of Asking for a Friend—a new sex education series where a queer certified sexologist (that’s me!) will answer all the sex-related questions our readers Google late at night (or on lunch break—no judgies). So send us your questions—from inverted nipples to anal paps to the age-old question of how much lube is too much lube, there’s nothing we can't answer together.…
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