Sex and sexuality

Florida officials pressure schools to roll back sex ed lessons on contraception and consent

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Florida officials pressure schools to roll back sex ed lessons on contraception and consent

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Some Florida school districts are rolling back a more comprehensive approach to sex education in favor of abstinence-focused lessons under pressure from state officials who have labeled certain instruction on contraception, anatomy and consent as inappropriate for students. Officials from the Florida Department of Education, led by an appointee of Republican Gov. … Read more

In Catholic Paraguay’s 1st sex ed program, condoms can’t be trusted, love is forever, boys don’t cry

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In Catholic Paraguay’s 1st sex ed program, condoms can’t be trusted, love is forever, boys don’t cry

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — Ahead of her 15th birthday, Diana Zalazar’s body had gotten so big she could no longer squeeze into the dress she bought for her quinceañera to celebrate her passage into womanhood in Paraguay. Her mother sought help from a doctor, who suspected that growing inside of the 14-year-old Catholic choir girl could … Read more

WHO Europe laments declining rates of condom use among sexually active teens

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WHO Europe laments declining rates of condom use among sexually active teens

GENEVA — GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization’s office for Europe on Thursday decried a decline in condom use by adolescents in recent years, warning of risks of infection and unplanned pregnancies in countries from Canada to central Asia. The findings come in the latest report by WHO Europe on health behavior in school-age … Read more

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

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Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

NEW YORK — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. She was 96. Westheimer died on Friday at her home in New York City, surrounded by her family, according to publicist and friend Pierre Lehu. … Read more

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

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Dr. Ruth Westheimer, America’s diminutive and pioneering sex therapist, dies at 96

NEW YORK — Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the diminutive sex therapist who became a pop icon, media star and best-selling author through her frank talk about once-taboo bedroom topics, has died. She was 96. Westheimer died on Friday at her home in New York City, surrounded by her family, according to publicist and friend Pierre Lehu. … Read more

Arkansas Supreme Court reinstates rule eliminating ‘X’ option for sex on licenses and IDs

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Arkansas Supreme Court reinstates rule eliminating ‘X’ option for sex on licenses and IDs

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Supreme Court on Monday reinstated an agency rule prohibiting residents from using “X” instead of male or female on state-issued driver’s licenses or identification cards. In a one-page order, justices stayed a lower-court ruling that had blocked the new rule that also made it more difficult for transgender people … Read more

Transgender Tennesseans want state’s refusal to amend birth certificates declared unconstitutional

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Transgender Tennesseans want state’s refusal to amend birth certificates declared unconstitutional

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal appeals court heard arguments on Thursday over a decades-old Tennessee policy that does not allow transgender people to change the sex designation on their birth certificates. The lawsuit was first filed in federal court in Nashville in 2019 by transgender Tennesseans who say Tennessee’s prohibition serves no legitimate government interest … Read more

Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to require anti-abortion group video, or comparable, in public schools

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Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to require anti-abortion group video, or comparable, in public schools

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee would become the latest state to require public school students to watch a video on fetal development produced by an anti-abortion group, or something comparable, under legislation that is headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The GOP-dominated Senate passed the legislation Thursday, with the five Democrats in attendance and one … Read more

The Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have their opinions

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The Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have their opinions

The U.S. Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have opinions. Dozens of health officials, civil rights groups, individuals and businesses have weighed in about how the statistical agency should ask about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time on its most comprehensive survey of American life. An Associated … Read more

Utah poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people

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Arkansas Supreme Court reinstates rule eliminating ‘X’ option for sex on licenses and IDs

Utah is poised to become the next state to regulate bathroom access for transgender people after its Republican-controlled Legislature passed a measure Friday that requires people to use bathrooms and locker rooms in public schools and government-owned buildings that match their sex assigned at birth. Transgender people can defend themselves against a complaint that they … Read more