Book review...well, a few.

I have read quite a few books on the wonderful topic of sex, most of them are non-fiction and most of them are quite technical. I have chosen a few books that are good for the general public to read without having to know alot about sex before picking them up. I know many of my readers are quite capable of reading an in-depth book on human sexuality but i've been accused of recommending books that are a hard read unless you know alot on the subject.

My first book was a very fun and informative read: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. Mary takes some of the most curious and off-the-wall questions and seeks out an answer. She answers questions such as: Can a woman think herself to orgasm? Why doesn't Viagra help women? Can a dead man get an erection? I admire the lengths to which Mary took to get her research, from taking part in experiments, to travelling to China and the Middleeast. I can say that her efforts paid off with this final product. There are alot of technical aspects to this book but I found it a very easy and interesting read. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know some of the more...strange side of sexuality.

The second book is more on the serious side of things: The Transgender Child by Stephanie Brill and Rachel Pepper. The topic of transgendered people is being pushed into the public sector more and more as of late. This book has been written for parents and physicians of transgendered childern but I believe that everyone should read it. For thoes readers that have not been exposed to the topic of transgender, essentially it means you do not feel like your biological sex matches your gender. For example: You are a boy but you feel like a mistake has been made and you should have been born a girl because that is how you feel. Later in life people who are transgendered may undergo hormone therapy and even a sex change operation, but that is not universal. This book is probably the most in-depth book on the shelves relating to this topic and I highly recommend picking it up. The style of writing is easy to digest and is essential if you happen to have a child who is transgendered or if you just want to know more on the subject. More books like this and public exposure on the topic will lead to more public understanding, that is why I recommend you read this book.

The last book I will recommend today is one of the few (probably the only) fiction books I have read since I started school: Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides. The primary subject of this book is little Callie and her journey to becoming Cal. Cal is intersexed, meaning he was born with a genetic anomaly that results in ambiguious genetalia. I won't get into the medical specifics but at birth they announced him as a girl according to the outward appearance of his genetalia but he is biogically a male. This book was a bit of a different read in the fact that the story didn't start with Cal, you don't see him until halfway through the book or later. The story is following the genetic anomaly that resulted in Cal's condition. The story starts with his grandparents and works its way to his parents. It is necessary to know the history of his family to understand his current situation but I felt anxious throughout the whole thing, wondering when we were going to get to the main character. Overall, I would recommend this book as it was a good read, it even explains the factors that causes intersexuality and introduces us to the controversial topic of assigning a gender to people with this genetic mutation. Often, what will happen when an intersexed child is born is the doctor will recommend surgery to assign the most likely sex. The problem with this is the assigned sex is not always right and this results in identity crisis, depression, and sometimes suicide. Luckily, it is becoming more common for a doctor to recommend that the child decide when they are old enough and to hold off on surgery until then (if necessary at all).

I own all of these books and if anyone wants to borrow them I am more than happy to do so, I would recommend reading all three if there is any interest on the topics.

Until next time,

Janice 

Male Genital Mutilation, otherwise known as male circumcision

Recently I read an article in the news about San Francisco trying to pass a bill making the practice of male circumcision on baby boys illegal. San Francisco has always been pushing the envelope on controversial topics such as gay marriage and usually leads the way for more progressive thinking.

Now, we all know how horrible female circumcision is; why would it be any different for males? You are removing skin from a very sensitive organ. That skin is the same as a clitoral hood, most of the nerve endings are in the glans of the penis. The foreskin protects those nerve endings from too much contact, preventing the desensitizing of the glans (and making sitting in jeans more confortable). Yes, I know that baby boys do not remember the pain and they heal faster than adults, but does that mean the pain never happened?

Aside from religious reasons for those of Jewish and Muslim faiths, there is no reason to continue the practice. Some people might argue that it’s done to prevent the spread of AIDS and STI’s, I counter with the statement “wear a condom you idiot”. Others argue that it’s for cleanliness; I think this argument has nothing to stand on. When you are teaching a little boy how to properly wash himself, showing him how to pull his foreskin back is no different than teaching him to wash behind his ears, it is just another part of his body.

Even the reasons given by religious faiths are not enough for me to justify mutilating baby boys. I know how steadfast people can be to their beliefs and pardon me if I offend anyone, but I find it unnecessary that the practice is still justified within religious circles. The punishment under this new law will see parents paying a fine of up to $1000 or time in jail; I know some people would rather pay the fine than go against their religious beliefs; at least this law may stop people for doing it for non-religious reasons, such as aesthetics.

This new law wouldn’t make circumcision illegal in all cases, the proposal states that once a male turns 18 he can make the decision for himself whether he wants to be circumcised or not. I think the biggest argument here is having the right to choose. By circumcising your baby boy, you take away his right to choose what happens to his body. I know you might say “isn’t it a parents’ job to make decisions for their children”? You are right, but not when it comes to permanently altering their bodies. What if the child resents his parents for doing it? There is no way (successfully, that I have seen) to sculpt a new foreskin that will function the same as his original. If any of my readers has hear of this, please send me a link, I would LOVE to read about it.

So, in summation, I hope San Francisco passes this controversial new law. I’m sure we’ll see more in the news if it gets passed or not, we all know how both sides of the argument can be very vocal if they don’t get their way.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello, my name is Janice and just you wait, I will be the next big thing in Sex Therapy and research!

Just a bit about me to kick off the blog:

Sue Johansen is my idol, I watched her as a child and admired her knowledge and ease of which she spoke of sexual topics. As I got older, the interest I had in sexuality led me to do alot of independant research. With time, I realized most people didn't have the knowledge that I had aquired. I was a source of information for friends who had noone else to turn to for sexual knowledge.

When I became an adult, I was encouraged by my partner to persue my passion for helping others with sexual health issues. I have completed my B. A. in Psychology, and in September I will be taking the next step in my education. I hope to be a certified Sex Therapist in 4 years time and start accepting clients while I do my PhD.

For the time being, I figured I need to start getting myself out there. I will be updating the blog with things that interest me; wether they be my opinions, reviews on books I enjoyed, the latest in Sexology news, and anything in between relating to sexual health.

Feel free to email me with questions, if I can't answer them right away I will research the answers and get right back to you. I might as well say this now: I may touch on controversial topics such as Gay rights, female genital mutilation, and abortion. While I welcome anybody's opinion, I also ask that you respect mine. Everybody has a different opinion about everything, and while you may not necessarily agree with it, they are entitled to their opinion.

I hope you enjoy my blogs, i'm sure i'll enjoy writing them.

~Janice Lane