Do you feel that? It’s like some intense thickness that seems to be everywhere I find myself: at home, at the park, in my office. I think it’s the collective grief and overwhelming uncertainty as we get closer to election time, a new year, and who knows what else!?
If I were to ask my friends what I should include on my not often newsletter they would say “tell us some good stuff!” This summer I was awarded the AASECT DEI Award. The crystal award arrived late this summer. It’s on a shelf with my 2023 Vi Johnson Liberation Award by the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom.
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I’ve also been collaborating with some of my sex educator supervisee’s to publish a chapter in a forthcoming book on Positive Sexuality. Our chapter is titled “Positive Sexuality as Praxis: A Collaborative, Intergenerational Discussion on the Training and Mentoring Experiences of Sexuality Educators” and includes cherry “ck” kaufman, Laura Ramos Tomás, CSE, Scotney Young, MSW, CSE, and beloved Em Thev, CSE who became a crip elder August 2024. This was one of Em’s last writing to be published before her passing. If you’d like to read more about Em visit her site and consider supporting her family as they grieve.
Some of the ways I am coping is by doing nothing and by preparing. It’s not so much “business as usual” in my home and work, it’s more “what do I have power and control to do?”
Alas! I’ll be baking my highly requested Kentucky Derby Pie (pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate chips), doing puzzles, sitting in the sunshine, scheduling my doctor’s visits (to fight for HRT for my perimenopause symptoms, get a mammogram, see the podiatrist, and complete my colon cancer screening which the first part just came back negative), re-reading Parable of the Sower graphic novel, talking about it with friends, figuring out moisturizing my hear while living in the desert of CA, listening to very funky yacht rock (if you need a playlist try this one), and watching horror and thriller films.
I also began to practice some Afro-futurism and planned what a majority of my 2025 will be with teaching and trainings. The 2025 ANTE UP! classes and SARs have been posted. More SAR dates coming soon.
I find comfort in knowing I’m in alignment with reproductive and disability justice frameworks and goals by offering these experiences. The classes will be and are updated often. This makes the ANTE UP! classes stand out from others that are often only updated every 5 or more years.
A few offerings to be considering as 2024 wraps up and if you find yourself seeking to spend those last funds you have on your budget, or how to fill your time over a “holiday” season, or just to be together.
This is one of the perks of subscribing to my newsletter: ya’ll get first opportunity to sign up! I received a grant from the Abortion Conversation Project to offer one of my most popular classes, Abortion in the US: Realities, Laws, and Healing, as another pay what you can opportunity. Read more about that December course here, which is a private link for the next 2 weeks until it goes “public.”
Before that class I have two Advanced SARs scheduled in 2024 that have 6 spots available in each. Join Anne Hodder-Shipp and I for our updated Drugs & Sexuality SAR (image below) specifically for people who wish to have a space to discuss the intersection of these two topics from a harm reduction lens. Or consider joining Cory Silverberg and I for our Youth Sexuality SAR (image below), for people supporting youth in reproductive and sexual health spaces.
The left is a more updated image of me with dark brown hair and silver / grays peaking out and the right is me with some ombre blonde hair from 3 years ago that I’m considering returning to in the future, depending on how that all goes in the next 10 weeks.
I’m also supporting and co-facilitating with Rahim Thawer, MSW, RSW in offering an Advanced SAR on GBTQ Men in 2025.
Finally, many of my supervisees have begun to apply for their certification with AASECT to become sexuality educators. This year I’m celebrating the 4 who have become certified: Cady, Emily, Cindy, and Shan; and the ones that remain and will become certified later this year! Please click on their websites and learn about the amazing offerings they have to share with our communities! They each reach a different population in creative ways.
I’m around and I hope ya’ll are too and are taking the time you need to literally and figuratively do nothing. You deserve it and what better way to divest in capitalism?