Last night, Jessica Valenti, founder of feministing.com, graced Indiana University with her presence giving a brief talk about her two books, and the third, forthcoming book The Purity Myth.  To an almost-full auditorium of young people of all genders, races, ethnicities, and sexualities, Jessica offered her take on the continued importance of feminism, especially among our youth.  Although rather subtle, one key point of her talk was that today’s feminists must continue to fight the same issues of their foremothers – sexual double standards, misogynistic representations of women, perpetual exotification and infantilizing of women of all ages, etc, etc.  But, these old issues (and many new) are tackled with new strategies – blogging.  Her website, feministing.com, has grown from a individually-led project to a blogosphere community of young feminists.  Again, though not an explicit point, Jessica highlighted that blogging and other advances of today are great ways for our rising generation to educate others and themselves and to create change.  Given the depressing decline of feminism in the US, or at least the number of people willing to identify themselves as feminists without the fear of being labeled a hairy, man-hating lesbian communist (what labels are there for men who identify as feminists?),...

The CDC released a new report yesterday detailing the rising rates of STDs-especially among women, minorities and young people aged 18-24. The report discusses how much of the recent progress being made to eliminate syphilis has been reversed. Furthermore, the report highlights how STDs cost the U.S. health care system as much as $15.3 billion dollars annually.

Years of abstinence only education have no doubt led to this record breaking rise in STD rates by promoting ignorance as a national policy.

Dr. John Douglas, Director of the CDC's Division on STD Prevention hits the nail in the head of this problem-namely, that society itself is not being responsible enough when it comes to discussing sexual health....doctors often choose not to discuss STDs and sexual health with their patients, clergy fail to address sexual health, teachers are gagged from speaking about it due to dangerous abstinence policies....and parents often think everyone else is handling it so they don't have to or want to.

America needs to talk about sex. All of us, not some of us because we are each responsible for ourselves and others. 

One fantastic way to talk about sex and learn realistic strategies for decreasing STD and HIV rates among youth is to attend...