tattoo of a speculum holding a nectarine with the text "Let this radicalize you rather than lead you to despair"

What does your tattoo mean? Power in the Speculum

The last decade of my life has been devoted to pelvic health and the speculum exam in one way or another: first as a community sex educator, then a genitourinary teaching associate, a medical consultant, and finally a forensic nurse. These are not competing identities or stairsteps I used to get to my end goal, but part of a lifelong scaffolding of knowledge that allows me to teach and practice in ways I never could have imagined before. The text…

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Where To Get Abortion Care Training

The Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade is devastating for so many of us in healthcare and justice work. Many of us are looking for ways to fight back, to support abortion care where it’s still legal, and to take control after a decision which caused an overwhelming loss of power and access. If you’re a healthcare provider or student, you can take steps right now to ensure the future of abortion care is strengthened. If you’re mad…

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When the Washington Post Talks About Consent

When the Washington Post talks about consent…they should really interview a sex educator.  I appreciate this article, the attempt it makes. The premise is on point: we do need a nuanced way of communicating sexual desire and consent. We do need to acknowledge the murky ground between enthusiastic sexual engagement and straight out assault.  And we need new cultural and interpersonal scripts for how to navigate those situations. But when a non-sex educator writes a story like this, it falls…

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Sexual History Taking in the Age of Tiger King: Pt 2

2020’s smash hit documentary, Tiger King is not likely to age well. BUT, through the haze of dubious animal handling, aggressive and dangerous interpersonal conflict, and all-around disorienting approach to life and personal finances… there’s a conversation worth opening up about sexual health. I’m using the CDC’s “5 P’s” method of taking a sexual history to examine missed opportunities and how we as providers can have better conversations with our patients. In the second part of this investigation, let’s pick…

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image of Joe Exotic from Tiger King with a tiger

Sexual History Taking in the Age of Tiger King

Tiger King is not a documentary that is likely to age well. Its cinematic approach included misgendering cast members, intense misogyny, and a laissez-faire approach to animal welfare. But Tiger King hit at a cultural moment where humanity was desperate to watch something more out of the control than the geopolitical catastrophe we are living through. Through the haze of dubious animal handling, aggressive and dangerous interpersonal conflict, and all-around disorienting approach to life and personal finances… there’s a conversation…

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1/5th a Hopkins Nurse

One semester down, four to go until I’m officially a nurse. It’s been quite a semester and there’s plenty to reflect on as I grow in my praxis as a nurse and as an educator. I’ve spent the past 3 years lecturing caring professionals on how they can better serve their patients, and it’s been fascinating to be on the other side of the table.I’m grateful to be part of a cohort of 160 future nurses in the Johns Hopkins…

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mouth with plastic wrap in front of it; title text says, "Plastic Wrap for Oral Sex? Debunking the microwave safe saran wrap myth once and for all"

Plastic wrap for Oral Sex? Debunking the Microwave-Safe Saran Wrap Myth Once and For All

If you have ever googled “Can I use plastic wrap for oral sex,” you’ve found that there are a lot of articles from reliable sources stating that you should NOT use microwave safe plastic wrap as a dental dam. These articles claim that microwave-safe plastic wrap has “pores” in it to let the steam escape when used on food in the microwave, making it easy for viruses to travel through the plastic wrap as well. This myth has caught on…

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New writing every month on Psychiatry Advisor

I’m delighted to announce a continued partnership with the medical education website, Psychiatry Advisor. I’ll be contributing new stories on the intersections of mental health and sexuality regularly. Want to see what I’ve written lately? Check out my author profile here. Psychosocial Interventions in HIV: How Best to Support HIV-Positive Patients #MeToo: Helping Victims Cope With Sexual Harassment Strategies To Support Non-Monogamous, Polyamorous Patients Body Image in Gay Men: When and How to Intervene PLISSIT Model: Introducing Sexual Health in…

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Something Is Rotten In the State of O.School

Many of you are familiar with the burgeoning sex ed platform, O.school. Touting itself as the cure to our sex-negative culture, it promised sex educators struggling at the economic margins a place to self-market and support ourselves. Unfortunately, the reality for most educators on the platform is far less rosy. O.school subjects its contracted educators to constantly shifting administrative policies, silences dissent by firing educators, and offers sub-minimum wage compensation for our services. That doesn’t mean you should stop supporting…

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