By Emma Smith (she, her, hers), Mabel Wadsworth Center, Intern
Did you know that most STIs are asymptomatic? This means that many sexually transmitted infections(like chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HIV, HPV, syphilis, et al) usually don’t cause any noticeable symptoms, meaning that outwardly, a person and their partner(s) have no way to tell if there is an infection. Just like with the flu, transmission of STIs usually happens when people are unaware they have an infection at all, unaware how to properly prevent the spread of the infection, and/or their prevention methods fail. This means that proper STI prevention must include regular screenings from healthcare professionals.
STIs are much more common, as well as treatable and manageable, than many would think. What is concerning is that the prevalence of these preventable infections is on the rise; with the CDC estimating in 2018 that 1 in 5 people in the United States had an STI, totaling nearly 68 million infections. Regardless of how many partners a person has, the most important type of harm reduction a person can do is having honest conversations with their partner(s) and healthcare provider(s) about risk assessment (like if you’ve had unprotected sex in the past or have shared needles) and how to best protect yourself and others in future sexual activities.
Practicing safe sex with harm reduction in mind is the best way to protect yourself from STIs. And if an STI is contracted, it’s absolutely not the end of the world – or your sex life. Preventative measures and treatments can be provided for the continuance of a fulfilling and pleasurable sex life.
Join Cat and Aspen for a three-part adventure in exploring gender! In this episode, the pair focuses on a few identity labels and language questions. Our host Aspen could talk about gender all day, and this conversation spread across three episodes is just the tip of the iceberg.
By Aspen Ruhlin (they,them), Client and Community Advocate at Mabel Wadsworth Center
While more people are familiar with Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor and remember those members of the trans community who have been killed in acts of transphobic violence, fewer people are familiar with Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Where TDOR serves to mourn those who have been taken from us, TDOV is a day to both celebrate transgender people and bring awareness to the discrimination our community faces. Too often, we are only talked about in the context of tragedy and loss, and while these are important realities that need attention, to be trans is far more than to be mourned. As I have heard Quinn Gormley, executive director of MaineTransNet, say many times before, “give us roses while we’re living.”
There is much stigma and discrimination weaponized against the trans community. We can see this in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, where police violence against queer and trans patrons of the Stonewall Inn boiled over and the community fought back. We can still see this today, with almost 50 (at the time of writing this, with the number likely to increase) anti-trans bills proposed in state legislatures across the country. Even here in Maine, though we have a variety of legal protections for transgender people as a part of the Maine Human Rights Act, we still face not only proposed anti-trans legislation, but transphobic discrimination as well. In the face of this adversity, we need those who claim to love and support us to not just sit quietly and allow us to be harmed. Those who consider themselves to be allies to the trans community need to follow the leadership of trans people and fight against transphobia and for trans rights, health, and well-being. Rather than just being mourned, trans people deserve to be celebrated and included.
It is common for trans people to be left out of the conversation, unless the topic is specifically about us, and even then, our voices are often not the ones prioritized. How many times have you heard generalizations about men and women that are really a generalization of the cis experience that simplifies people to their genitals? One place we often see this is in discussions around abortion access. Though there is a growing and powerful movement to use inclusive language, it is still far too common to see the need to access safe abortion care and birth care described as “women’s health.” Along with providing an incomplete picture of who needs to access this care, it also does a disservice to cisgender women by obfuscating these vital elements of healthcare. Dancing around the word “abortion” serves to fuel anti-abortion stigma by treating it as a shameful thing that shouldn’t be discussed. By more accurately talking about abortion care, prenatal care, postpartum care, etc., as essential healthcare for pregnant people/people who can become pregnant, we paint a more accurate picture that uplifts everyone. Abortion access and trans healthcare are not only connected because of trans people who access abortion care, but because both are deeply rooted in autonomy.
This Transgender Day of Visibility, what are you doing to support the trans people in your life? Are you speaking out against hate and fighting for us to be valued? Are you opposing anti-trans legislation? Are you seeking education for yourself, your friends, your family? It is not enough to support us in silence, or to only speak up when it is too late. You have to give us our roses while we’re living.
Stop by your local bookstore and pick up books like “It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity” by Theresa Thorn, and “From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea” by Kai Cheng Thom for the child in your life.
Keep an eye out for Trans Ally trainings from MaineTransNet!
Act
Speak out against transphobic hate when you hear it from friends and family.
Fight against proposed transphobic legislation, such as the proposed bill in Maine that targets trans girls in sports. You can sign the petition from EqualityMaine to stand in support of trans youth at the following link: https://www.equalitymaine.org/LD926
Share articles that highlight the resilience, beauty, and successes of the trans community–not only the tragedy. A great example is the recent TIME interview of Elliot Page.
Attend a local (masked and distanced) or virtual TDOV event.
Donate
One of the most powerful ways that you can support organizations that are already doing work to support the trans community is by helping fund them. Organizations like Mabel Wadsworth Center and MaineTransNet are vital in supporting and fighting for trans Mainers.
Can’t donate money? Donate your time by volunteering! Mabel Wadsworth Center has a variety of volunteer opportunities, especially for Abortion Defenders for trans-inclusive abortion access.
Comments Off on You’ve got Nerve: An abbreviated discussion of the clitoris aka “Clit-story”
February 26, 2021
By Catherine Chavaree (she, her, hers), Office Assistant and Community Organizer, Mabel Wadsworth Center
“Clitoris”- a word that might provoke discomfort from some and giggles from others, admittedly me included, until recently. Not to say I’ve become desensitized to one of the most sensitive anatomical structures to exist (a clitoris contains approximately 8,000 nerve endings), but working in reproductive healthcare certainly shifts one’s perspective on the human body. Normalizing human sexuality, and dismantling the shame and confusion surrounding it, is central to the mission at Mabel Wadsworth Center, something I’m increasingly appreciative of. The origin of the word clitoris is thought to be derived from the Greek “kleitoris”, roughly translating to “little hill”. This makes some sense, given what humanity has been able to visualize of the clitoris for almost all of recorded history. According to Merriam Webster, the clitoris is “a female erogenous organ that consists of an externally visible, highly innervated small conical structure or glans that lies at the anterior junction of the labia minora above the urethral opening and is continuous internally with a short body of paired cylinders of vascular, erectile tissue which branch into curved extensions or crura attaching to the undersurface of the pubic bones and with two elongated masses of erectile tissue situated near each side of the vaginal and urethral openings”. I realize that there is a lot of anatomical jargon to dissect in that last sentence. Speaking of dissection, the clitoris was reportedly first dissected in 1545 by a French physician, who dubbed it “membre honteux” or “the shameful member”. The online dictionary also notes that “the clitoris develops from the same embryonic mass of tissue as the penis”. Male sexuality is often at the forefront of discussions about human sexuality, and even the act of sex is often portrayed in media (film and pornography alike) as concluding with a male’s orgasm. Because clitorises are a source of orgasm for many people, it is easy for embarrassment to take over when discussing this structure. I also wonder if our lack of familiarity and discomfort with female sexuality is responsible for jokes regarding the “difficulty” of achieving a clitoral orgasm. Additionally, not everyone who possesses a clitoris is a woman and not everyone who has a penis is a man; we know that gender identity is entirely distinct from one’s genitals. It’s important to note here that this binary view of sex organs fails to acknowledge intersex individuals, and that human genitalia actually exists on a spectrum. While this is a topic that merits its own entire blog post, it would be myopic to ignore that the size of the external clitoris is intrinsically connected with the experience of many intersex individuals who received an arbitrary assignment of gender at birth. I really enjoy this graphic of the Prader scale, as it can help concisely conceptualize this for people who may have never considered this before:
Seemingly, the clitoris is a structure that has remained shrouded in mystery. Even its pronunciation is ambiguous; I’ve heard it pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable, “kli-TOR-iss” and more recently, I’m told the correct pronunciation sounds like “klit-uh-riss”, giving equal weight to all three syllables.
The human clitoris is typically visualized as a small circular structure that sits in the center of the vulva, above the vaginal opening and atop the urethra. However, this is only the externally visible portion, which varies in size across individuals, and the remaining 90% of the structure is actually internal! Urologist Helen O’Connell is largely responsible for our current knowledge of the clitoris. Prior to 1998, when she took the lead on a comprehensive anatomical study of the clitoris, anatomy textbooks only showed the external portion of the clitoris. Then it wasn’t until 2005 (yes, only since 2005) that MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) allowed O’Connell and her research team to present a full scope of the clitoris. Not simply a nub, but a much more intricate structure, I kept encountering iceberg analogies in my research (“the majority of it is ‘beneath the surface’”). The clitoris was likened to a “wishbone” in one of the articles that follows, a visual I can actually get down with. Even still, it was not until 2009, well within our recent collective memories, that the clitoris was shown in its stimulated state using 3D sonography. Here is the clitoris in its fully visualized glory:
And here we have a 3D print of the clitoris, imperative for true anatomical understanding, surely to be a vital learning tool for years to come. For scale, this approximates 10 cm in length!
It certainly has come a long way from the “shameful member” days (460 years later), but shame and dismissiveness undoubtedly hindered progress to the clitoris and did it a disservice. The more open we can be about something as intimately connected to us as our clitorises, the better equipped we will be on a journey of bodily autonomy, pleasure, and self-acceptance.
Want to learn more about this amazing body part? Here is what I found helpful in writing this piece, but couldn’t fit all of it here:
In this episode, Cat and Aspen talk about the successes and shortcomings of the body positivity movement, how the fat acceptance movement has always been led by Black women, and some of the historical influences on diet culture and fatphobia in our society today. Do you know what the eugenics movement and the BMI have in common? Join us to find out and dip your toes into the huge topic that is body positivity!
