Sex Ed Before Bed

Chronicles of a Trans Life

Wes Heney was born female. That is, he had the anatomic composition or body of a person most people would see as female. As Wes reached puberty, he grew breasts that he detested. He dressed like a guy and wanted to be treated as such. He sensed a profound disconnect between his body (anatomic sex) and who he felt he was - his gender identity.

In episode 4, Wes tells the unforgettable full story. I ask some basic questions about:

What's it like taking testosterone? 
What kind of stigma did you encounter? 
What was your transition process?

The theme song is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon. Edited for time and volume. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing

Pleasure and Politics: What drove a Social Psychologist to open a Sex Shop?

Veronica is a social psychologist, and the owner of The Nookie, a downtown Toronto sensuality shop. V describes her escape from corporate life into value-based entrepreneurship, manifested in a sex shop that urges all genders to seek more pleasurable experiences. 

 

The theme song is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon. Edited for time and volume. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing

Day in the Life of a Sex Therapist

So what does a sex therapist do?

Matthew Ridley is a Pre-Clinical Fellow with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and holds an M.Sc. from the University of Guelph in Couple and Family Therapy.

In episode 3, Matthew and I talk about how he provides queer and sex-positive sex therapy for couples and singles and address these questions and way, way more:

Is there a "normal" when it comes to sex?
How can refuting ideas about how we think sex is supposed to be ignite our private lives?
Is porn bad for you/your relationship?

Who knows? You might get some complimentary therapy along the way ;)

The theme song is Little Lily Swing by Tri-Tachyon. Edited for time and volume. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Tri-Tachyon/Little_Lily_Swing/Tri-Tachyon_-_01_-_Little_Lily_Swing

Sex Education in Ontario: Then and Now

Carly is a sex educator, she visits schools to teach Ontario’s relatively new sex education curriculum, launched in September 2015. Carly also remembers the old sex ed curriculum, you know, the one that hasn’t changed since 1998. That one. Carly talks about how the new curriculum is lightyears ahead of the old, the challenges she has with it, and what she enjoys about the work she does.

The theme song is Hungaria by Latché Swing. Edited for time and volume. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Latch_Swing/demo_2008/Hungaria

The Roots of Domestic Violence

Whitney Wilson manages the Domestic Violence Court Referral Program at The John Howard Society. When a person is charged with domestic violence, they might attend a program run by her to help them challenge their attitudes and behaviours.

So what causes domestic violence? As Whitney explains, it has to do with upbringing but also the way society strictly defines masculinity. Most domestic violence offenders are male and, as she explains with eloquence, men don’t think they’re allowed to express negative emotions, aside from anger. As Whitney reveals, anger is a secondary emotion, it’s driven by something else. This is a fascinating analysis of how social constructs can factor into violence.

It’s not all heavy. Hear the rehabilitative tactics Whitney uses to help clients amp up their empathy and unearth a deeper sense of what it means to “be a man”.

 

The theme song is Take Me Now by Nick Chapman. Edited for time and volume. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nick_Chapman/Wakka_Chikka_Wakka_Chikka_Volume_1/csr049_wcwc_01-nick-chapman_take-me-now