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May

2023

Issue 5


This newsletter was developed (in part) with federal funds from the Office of Population Affairs. For more information on the rules and regulations that apply to our programs, please visit

https://www.hhs.gov/opa/title-x-family-planning/index.html

The Wyoming Health Council works to ensure that all people can access safe, unbiased, high-quality sexual and reproductive health care.

SEX ED FOR ALL MONTH

Sex Ed For All Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and call for real investment in sex education in schools and communities across the country.


Wyoming schools are not required to teach sex education. Instead, school districts are left to decide what type of sex education–if any at all–they provide to youth.


  • Sexuality is an included topic in the state’s mandated Health Education Content and Performance Standards. 
  • Wyoming has no standard regarding instruction on abstinence. 
  • Curriculum is not required to include instruction on sexual orientation, gender identity, consent. 
  • Wyoming has no standard regarding the ability of parents and guardians to remove their children from sex education instruction. 
  • Wyoming has no regulation on medically accurate sex education instruction. 


SIECUS-Wyoming State Profile



SIECUS-Sex Ed For Social Change


Too many young people fail to receive the sexual health information, education, and access to the care they need to live healthy lives—oftentimes based on who they are and where they live. Sex education gives young people age-appropriate, medically accurate information and answers to their questions about sex and relationships, without shame or judgment. It has been proven to positively impact young people’s lives.


Did you know that your local Title X Family Planning Clinic often has someone who can come teach Sex Education at your school or organization?

Find Your Local Clinic and Ask Today!

The Benefits of Sex Education in Schools


Sexual education in public schools aims to provide accessible, accurate, inclusive, and positive information to children and adolescents. The goal is to teach young people how to have healthy sexual relationships and avoid sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancies. 


Research has shown that abstinence-only education does not work. Pregnancy prevention and safe sex education must start young but should be lifelong.



This article will cover 10 reasons why comprehensive sex education should be part of a young person’s education.

Read Article

Don't Give Into the Hysteria-Comprehensive Sex Ed Keeps Our Kids Safe


Research shows that abstinence-only-until-marriage sex ed programs are ineffective at preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unplanned pregnancy. As I wrote nearly two years ago, such programs emphasize that abstinence is the only way to remain safe, particularly from STIs, and while they do sometimes mention condoms and other forms of contraception, they often focus on the failure rates of these forms of protection.



Lessons in these classes encourage students to just wait until marriage to have sex. Yet research shows that adolescents who have taken abstinence-only sex ed are not any more likely to abstain from sex than other students. In fact, because of the lessons they’ve learned about the ineffectiveness of condoms and other forms of protection, students are sometimes less likely to practice these forms of safer sex and are more susceptible to contraceptive coercion.



Not only that, but these lesson plans also do not tend to cover the nuances of consent and other relational decision-making, leaving them vulnerable to sexual coercion and other forms of relationship abuse.

Read Article

Worried About Grooming? Teaching Kids Comprehensive Sex Ed Could Help.


Educators who teach sex ed have been called "groomers" by political pundits on the right. But comprehensive sex ed can help kids identify predatory behavior.



It’s sad to see opponents of sex education not only slander sex educators but also create confusion around what grooming actually is. “Grooming is when adults work to gain children’s trust for the purpose of sexually abusing them — and, as a result, the boundaries and manipulation from groomers make children less likely to report the abuse,” Gelperin told HuffPost.


Sex education, meanwhile, acts as a protective factor against sexual abuse.“Sex educators and teachers are dedicating their lives to ensuring young people are safe and healthy, only to be casually accused of appalling crimes by Twitter accounts and politicians,” she said.


“Every single legitimate study about the effect of age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education shows positive outcomes for the kids who are lucky enough to take these classes,” said Amy Lang, a sexuality and parenting educator in Seattle.


“When you prevent children from learning about sexuality, you set them up for failure,” she added.


Below, sex educators like Lang share more about what students learn in sex ed and break down some of the ways comprehensive sex education could help kids identify harmful predatory behaviors.

Read Article

TeachingSexualHealth.CA

Parents & Teachers

Be Proactive. Be Prepared


Sexual health education should be accessible to all people and should be provided in an age appropriate, culturally sensitive manner that is respectful of an individual’s right to make informed choices about sexual and reproductive health.TeachingSexualHealth.CA believes that sexual health education honors the self-worth and dignity of the individual and does not discriminate against race, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethno-cultural background or disability. Education in sexual health needs to be structured so that attitudinal and behavioral changes arise out of informed choice. Effective sexual health education encompasses a lifespan approach, providing information, motivational support and skill-building opportunities that are relevant to people at different ages and stages in their lives. It instills awareness of the impact of one’s own behavior on others, stressing that sexual health is an interactive process that requires respect for the self and others.


Check out these great age appropriate teaching tools!

TeachingSexualHealth.ca

Parents, are you looking for more tools to talk to your family about sex education? Check out the resources on the Wyoming Health Council website!

Visit our Website

Healthy Native Youth


Many American Indian and Alaska Native youth experience disparities in sexual health and insufficient access to comprehensive sexual health education.    


 The Healthy Native Youth Implementation Toolbox is an online decision support system designed to facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based sexual health interventions in Native communities. Developed with input from Native practitioners, the Toolbox provides tools, templates, and guidance to choose, implement and grow a culturally-relevant adolescent health program within community. 

Healthy Native Youth

Why Sex Education for Disabled People Is So Important


“Just because a person has a disability does not mean they don’t still have the same hormones and sexual desires as other individuals.”


“Sex and disability, disability and sex; the two words may seem incompatible,” Michael A. Rembis wrote in his 2009 paper on the social model of disabled sexuality. Though roughly 15% of adults around the world (that’s nearly one billion people), and over 20 million adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 64 have a disability, when it comes to disability and sex, there’s a disconnect. People with disabilities often have rich and satisfying sex lives. So why are they frequently treated as though they are incapable of having sexual needs and desires, and are excluded from sexual health education curriculum?


When it comes to disability and sexuality, a large part of the issue lies in the fact that disabled people are so infrequently included in the decisions made about their bodies, their education, and their care. So what do people with disabilities wish they had learned in sex ed? This is what students and adults with disabilities said about their experience in sexual health courses and what they wish they had learned.

Read Article

National Adolescent Health Month


National Adolescent Health Month (NAHM) is a health observance hosted by the HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) each year in May. Since 2022, this annual observance has emphasized the importance of building on young people's strengths and potential, encourage meaningful youth engagement in adolescent health activities, and highlighting key topics in adolescent health.



Each week has a theme:


1.) Expand sexual and reproductive health information and services.

2.) Promote self-care to support mental health.

3.) Celebrate communities that support youth.

4.) Equip adults to support adolescent health.


OPA recognizes that investing in adolescent health and well-being will generate a "triple benefit" for society: health for young people today, a healthy adult like, and better health for the next generation.

Visit HHS.gov

HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel L. Levine invites everyone to celebrate NAHM and to "provide the environments and supports that help young people grow and thrive in a healthy way."

Title X Family Clinics provide sexual and reproductive health care to adolescents!


While Title X Family Planning Clinics encourage parent or guardian participation, adolescents can receive care including contraception, STI testing and treatment, education and more!


Title X Family Planning Clinics are here to provide information and access to services that help adolescents make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being!


Teens (and Parents) you can find more information about sexual and reproductive health at:

WYHC.ORG

Women's Healthcare Month

Women’s Health Care Month is observed annually in May. It was the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (N.C.C.C.), whose mission is "To help women, family members and caregivers battle the personal issues related to cervical cancer and HPV and to advocate for cervical health in all women by promoting prevention through education about early vaccination and regular screening," that recognized each May as Women’s Health Month!

Start with your annual exam!


A well-woman visit provides an excellent opportunity for providers to counsel patients about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and minimizing health risks!


Annual well woman visits provide an opportunity for women to access preventive services, discuss their reproductive life plans and receive recommend strategies to help minimize health risks and achieve a healthy lifestyle. Regular well-woman visits are recommended even if certain aspects of the visit, such as a cervical cancer screening, are not performed each year.

Wellness Exam


Your wellness visit is all about you, your body, and your reproductive health. Wellness visits are also called gynecological exams, pelvic exams, annual exams, or well woman exams. If you have a vulva, breasts, or a uterus, these visits are an important part of taking care of your health (no matter what your gender identity is).


What happens during a wellness visit?

What happens during your wellness visit (some people call it a "well woman" visit) depends on a few things, like how old you are, your sexual history, and medical history. Read more...

Read Article

Removing Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening for the LGBTQ Community


Misinformation, bias and lack of access to health care can put LGBTQ people with cervixes at greater risk of developing cancer


As executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, Scout, who goes by only one name, knows better than most about the importance of staying up to date on cancer screenings.

And yet, Scout admits he's frequently put off his own screenings for human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Because he's a transgender man with a cervix, the process of getting a Pap test can trigger gender dysphoria for him while also subjecting him to odd looks and hostile comments from staff.


"As a trans guy, I can absolutely say that's one of those things that I grit my teeth about, even though I understand how important screening is," Scout said. "For the LGBTQ community, just going for an appointment like this can lead to questioning or being put in a position where you're pushed to disclose something about your life you don't want to."

Read Article

Wyoming's Well Women's Visits

Over the past eleven years, Wyoming continually has a significantly less prevalence of women completing a well woman visit as compared to the rest of the U.S.


According to Wyoming MCH Title V Outcome Measures and National Performance Measures 2020, 65.1% of women in Wyoming, ages 18 through 44, competed a preventative medical visit in the past year compared to 71.2 average for the U.S.


The Wyoming Health Council knows that women’s health is influenced not just by their biology but also by conditions such as poverty, employment, and family responsibilities. Our Title X clinics work to help women overcome these obstacles by providing care that is client centered, comprehensive and equitable. Starting with an annual exam, women can take care of their reproductive and overall health by setting goals for reproductive life plans and preventing future health problems from occurring.


Let your communities know that they can get their annual exam at their local Title X Family Planning Clinic!

National Women’s Health Week

 May 9-15 

National Women’s Checkup Day

Second Monday of May

International Day of Action for Women's Health

May 28

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month – a time to celebrate the diverse identities, histories, and experiences of all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. AAPIs share in the narrative of being immigrants, refugees, and dreamers, as well as being indigenous to the many Pacific Islands of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. They have made significant and meaningful contributions to our society and have been a part of the history and fabric of the United States. 

Today, AAPIs make up one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S.



A Bit of History...


May was chosen as annual AAPI Heritage Month in the late 1970s by Congress because of two significant historical events for the AAPI community in the United States. May 7, 1843 is the date that marks the first Japanese immigrant to the United States — a 14-year-old fisherman named Manjiro who arrived by a whaling ship and is sometimes called “The U.S.’s first ambassador to Japan.” The other major milestone in May is the completion of the construction of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869, which was built primarily with the labor of Chinese immigrants.

Dr. David Ho


In the 1990s as the United States was dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Dr. David Ho was a vital part of understanding the disease. A Taiwanese American physician and virologist, Ho’s research focused on both treatment and preventing HIV transmission. He is the founding scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and was named the 1996 Time magazine Person of the Year for his invaluable work related to the disease.  

Patsy Mink


Patsy Mink was the first woman of color and the first Asian-American elected to Congress. As a Japanese American, she was born and raised in the state of Hawaii, which she represented in Congress from 1965 – 1986 and then again from 1990 – 2002. During her years in office, Mink was an early advocate for the Civil Rights Movement and fought for legislation that helped women, children, immigrants, and people of color. She was the major author and sponsor of Title IX, the groundbreaking 1972 legislation that ensured that females could not be excluded from any nationally funded education program.  

Min Chueh Chang, PhD



Min Chueh Change, PhD, a Chinese American reproductive biologist. Dr. Chang helped develop the birth control pill. He was also a pioneer in developing in vitro fertilization, with his research leading to the birth of the first “test-tube baby.”

AAPI Medical Pioneers
AAIP People To Know

Asian Americans and Sexual Health: What Role Do Health Care Providers Play?


In light of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which just passed, we wanted to take a closer look at the research on Asian adolescents and sexual health. Although Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States (U.S. Census 2010), they are often overlooked by researchers when it comes to examining issues related to sex, STIs, and pregnancy prevention. This is often attributed to the “model minority” stereotype that depicts Asian Americans as universally intelligent, successful, and experiencing overall upward mobility. Although research has demonstrated the harmful impacts of such stereotypes, health care providers still perceive Asian Americans to be at a lower risk for unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). 

Read Article

Pacific Islanders: Mental Health Risks


While all LGBTQIA+ individuals — regardless of their ethnicity — face mental health risks, new data indicate that some marginalized groups face unique issues due to their cultural background. One such group is that of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Recent research has found greater rates of depression, suicidal thoughts, economic hardship, and discrimination within the AAPI LGBTQIA+ community, showing a need for tailored resources to meet this population’s unique needs.


Read Article

Asian Americans Advancing Justice — AAJC advocates for fair and equal representation of our communities in the media and beyond to ensure our perspectives are included and our voices are heard.



In commemoration of Asian Pacific American Heritage month, we reached out to members from our community to compile a collection of some of our favorite Asian American and Pacific Islander films, series, and books. From recent releases, timeless classics, to family friendly content, our community shared the multimedia content that made them feel seen and represented for the first time or helped them learn something new about our complex history.

AAIP Movies, TV, Books

This year's theme, "Together always: united in diversity," was decided through a large consultation with LGBTQIA+ organizations from around the world.

This theme will allow for advocacy and celebrations in many forms – be them from human rights defenders, LGBTQIA+ civil society groups, millions of people in our communities, and our allies.


In a time where the progress made by our LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide is increasingly at risk, it is crucial to recognise the power of solidarity, community, and allyship across different identities, movements, and borders. When we unite, in all our beautiful diversity, we can really bring about change!


By coming together and raising our voices, we can make a difference in the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities worldwide

Visit Website

Nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ bills filed in 2022 so far, most of them targeting trans people


The annual number of anti-LGBTQ bill to have been filed has skyrocketed over the past several years, from 41 in 2018 to 238 in less than three months this year.


The slate of legislation includes measures that would restrict LGBTQ issues in school curriculums, permit religious exemptions to discriminate against LGBTQ people and limit trans people’s ability to play sports, use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity and receive gender-affirming health care.

Read Article

National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center

Providing educational programs, resources, and consultation to health care organizations with the goal of optimizing quality, cost-effective health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and all sexual and gender minority people!

LGBTQ Learning Resources For Providers

LGBTQIA+ persons need annual exams too!


As providers, a few ways to support your patients and provide inclusive, quality care is to ask what their pronouns are, what they would like their body parts to be called and to talk them through every step of the exam!

National Masturbation Month

Why yes, there is a month for that!


While every month is a good month to masturbate, May has been designated National Masturbation Month, and in fact, it's beginning correlates nicely with Sex Education For All Month!


The San Francisco based sex shop Good Vibrations started Masturbation Month in 1995, in response to the firing of then-Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders who suggested masturbation be included in youth sex education programs.


“We were astounded. It was one of the most sensible things we'd ever heard a government official say—and it cost Elders her job!” They also write, “Of all the kinds of sex people can have, masturbation is the most universal and important, yet few people talk about it freely. Worse, many people still feel it is "second best" or problematic in some way. Masturbation Month lets us emphasize how great it is. It's natural, common, and fun!”


Masturbation is normal, and can be a healthy way to learn about your body. In fact, it’s the safest way to have sexual pleasure there is — there’s no risk of pregnancy or STDs.

How to Correctly Clean and Store Your Sex Toys, According to Experts


Disinfecting and properly storing your sexccesories may be the last thing on your mind after getting off, but not taking the time to do it could mess with your health and your toy's shelf life.


Anything related to sexual play, not just the usual top-drawer suspects, need to be properly cleaned and stored. We're talking everything from cuffs, straps, cock rings, and ball gages to vibrators, butt plugs and strap-ons and everything in between.


STDs can be spread by sharing sex toys with another person through fluids or genital touching. You can help protect yourself and your partner(s) by using condoms on toys that you share (even if they aren't shaped like a penis). Put on a new condoms anytime a different person uses it.

Read Article

How Sex Tech Is Reinventing Masturbation For People With A Disability


Our burgeoning sexuality begins around puberty, when our hormones begin to rage and demand release. (Also known as masturbation.) But reaching orgasm solo isn't always so simple for disabled folks.


The majority of sex technology is designed and marketed to nondisabled people, even though there are 1 billion disabled people globally and 61 million adults who live with a disability in America. If you're capable of using a hand to climax, the idea of keeping an adult toy box under your bed may feel unnecessary.


However, for those with physical disabilities, sex tech is an orgasm lifeline.

"Adaptive sex tech has helped me as a disabled person by allowing me to enjoy a more fulfilling sex life," explained Roxy Murray, a disability activist and podcaster who has multiple sclerosis. "[I can] control my own pleasure, empowering me and breaking down pleasure boundaries that my condition can place on me."


Not only does sex tech enable people to climax safely and without putting stress on their bodies, but it's also a necessity because the disabled community is so frequently desexualized. 


Read Article

17 Benefits of Masturbation That Show Masturbating Is Good For You


If you've stroked into a tube sock, humped a pillow like a horny hare, taken hand or vibe to bits, or really enjoyed your detachable shower head, you know firsthand (ahem) that masturbating fesls good. But did you know it's also good for your overall health and well being?

Ready the very real benefits of a little self-love in the article below!



Read Article

Washakie Family Planning is located up in Worland, Wyoming!

WYHC Google Review
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Sex Ed For All Month
Women's Health Care Month
WYOMING HEALTH COUNCIL
111 S. Durbin, Suite 200
Casper, WY 82601

Call Us: (307) 439-2033
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