This week I have the great pleasure of heading to Atlanta to represent NSRC’s Faith and Sexual Literacy Initiative for the 2009 Annual Fellowship Conference and Convocation. The Fellowship was founded in the year 2000 by NSRC Board Member, Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder (Senior Pastor of City of Refuge in San Francisco and Presiding Bishop over The Fellowship) and can be described as follows:

“The Fellowship is a trans-denominational fellowship of primarily African American Christian leaders and laity representing churches and faith-based organizations from all parts of the country ranging from ultra-conservative backgrounds to more liberal, independent churches; from upstart, developing to very large, established; from economically challenged to very affluent. The overriding purpose of The Fellowship is to support religious leaders and laity in moving towards a theology of radical inclusivity which, by its very...

I think most of us could agree that the New York Times has set the bar fairly high as far as reporting goes.  Most of the articles and columns they publish are thought-provoking and fairly well-balanced (okay, the opinion section leans a little more than slightly left, but I would argue it's a result of intellectualism rather than party affiliation).  I also generally agree with the NYTimes endorsements, and the writers seem to take an informed and progressive stance on most issues.  So, could someone please explain the piece about hooking up for sex on craigslist that was published this past weekend?  Even the title reeks of bias (and is not even factual!) Recklessly Seeking Sex on Craigslist.  The author, Douglas Quenqua, relies on a few antidotes anecdotes, selects a couple of instances solely for the purpose of sensationalizing, and perpetuates myths and lies about internet sex that does nothing more than demonize people and use...

The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, and Representative Barbara Lee, D-CA, was reintroduced recently to the applause of pro-sexuality education organizations across the nation.  Originally introduced in 2007, the bill proposes to provide funding for "medically and scientifically accurate information" as part of "comprehensive sex education" that is "age-appropriate" and promotes "abstinence as the only 100% effective way to prevent sexuality transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy."  Of course, I am not against these things and support any kind of funding that allows states and organizations to choose alternatives to abstinence-only programs.  However, I hope the sponsors, co-sponsors, and committee members seize this incredible opportunity and encourage the use of language and frameworks that go beyond merely preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy to promoting healthy sexuality across the lifespan. 

In reading some of the blog reactions and news posts regarding this Act, I was struck by a couple of similarities between the anti-sex ed groups (or "pro-abstinence-only" depending on who you ask) and the pro-comprehensive sex education folks. The most common issue I noticed was the use of the word abstinence. On one side, we are told again and again that the only...