Things I struggled with a lot as a queer sex educator part wev.

[commodorified]

... Trying to find gentle, affirming, respectful ways to remind people of all orientations and identities that life is always weirder than we think it's going to be and every sexual orientation and gender identity is valid, but none of them are a form of birth control.

Comments

[commodorified]

Yeah. When I was doing workshops with doctors we would stress that patients need something from you, which means they want you to like and approve of them, which means they will pick up your cues and echo back like mad, which is why neutral checklists and an open listening attitude wrt sex is vital. IOW if your patient thinks saying she had PIV sex unprotected will make you less sympathetic and approving, she's far more likely to conceal it.

[recessional]

So extremely true.

Which reminds me of when I went in at 13 to get my first scrip for birth control for my horrible periods, to the doc who'd seen me my whole life from delivery, and he was so flustered that he actually said "and this is just for the menstrual problems right?" and it didn't strike ME as a problem (hello ASD thirteen year old) because clearly yes.

But I later related it to my mother, and mom immediately phoned him to SCOLD HIM SO MUCH. "[FIRSTNAME]! THAT IS NOT HOW YOU TALK TO KIDS ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL! THAT IS BAD PRACTICE!"

[commodorified]

*especially* when you add in the part where the age of consent was - I'm not certain of your age - either 14 or 16.