Americans have been lying about the benefits of abstinence only education and the dangers of porn for decades — Quartz

Over the past few weeks, as the idea of a Trump presidency has gone from unthinkable joke to horrifying reality, I’ve heard a new term making the rounds, particularly among my friends in media. “We’re living in a post-truth era,” they tell me, citing Trump’s many lies and contradictions, the rise of fake news sites, and a growing distrust of the mainstream media as evidence that the American people are increasingly distanced from reality.

I think this is a fairly accurate assessment. But as someone who’s been writing and educating Americans about sex-related topics for over a decade, I can testify to the fact that we’ve been living in a “post-truth” era for years. Quite frankly, I’ve been dealing with a post-truth world for my entire career.

The easiest entry point for understanding America’s fuzzy relationship between sex and fact is the sad state of American sex education. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a mere 13 US states require sex education to be “medically accurate.” To put that in context, 39 states require HIV education to either stress or cover abstinence, in spite of the fact that there’s little proof that a focus on abstinence actually helps delay sex.

Indeed, America’s two-decade long love affair with abstinence-only education (which president Barack Obama has attempted to put an end to) feels like the epitome of “post-truth.” Study after study shows that abstinence-only education doesn’t reduce the rate of teen pregnancy, delay the age at which young people start having sex, or lower rates of STI transmission. But as long as telling kids not to have sex feels like the solution, these misguided lesson plans will likely persist. (In fact, it might actually get worse; president-elect Donald Trump and vice president-elect Mike Pence are not known for an enlightened outlook on sexuality. Pence once said on national television that condoms are “very, very poor protection” against STIs).

This aversion to the truth is much more than a failing of political conservatives. In my experience, liberals are just as willing to ignore the facts when it’s convenient to their larger narrative.

Over the years I’ve rolled my eyes at numerous acts of “journalism” that perpetuated half-truths and outright lies about the sex and porn industriesâ€"often in the supposed service of protecting women. >The Price of Pleasure, for exampleâ€"an anti-porn documentary created by NYU professor Chyng Sunâ€"misled many of its interview subjects and used manipulative editing to craft a vision of a ruthlessly exploitative porn industry that few porn performers recognize. A piece in The Atlantic once positioned double anal, an extreme sex act that even the most practiced porn performers need to warm up to, as a routine occurrence. And let’s not forget the New York Times’ own Nicholas Kristof, whose factually inaccurate writing has peddled numerous myths about sex work and who has positioned himself as a voice of authority in spite of numerous sex workers who’ve contested his version of the “truth.”

The topic of sex is vulnerable to this sort of misinformation for a number of reasons. It’s an intensely personal experience, and one most of us have some degree of experience with. This creates a personal sense of authorityâ€"even when we lack any facts or expertise beyond our own limited experience. Compounding this false confidence is the persistent taboo against public discussions of sexuality. Stigma around sex prevents us from openly and honestly discussing the topic, adding further fuel to the many “truthy” statements that circulate about human sexual experience.

A slumping news industry has coincided with the rise of social mediaâ€"a phenomenon that has made news consumption more individualized and created information bubbles that help reinforce what feels right over what’s actually true.While unfortunate, in this context it makes sense that we’re seeing a spread of inaccuracy in our discussions of politics, the environment, and other hot-button topics that have historically been more buffered from falsehoods than sex.

But if my work in sex education offers me a deeper understanding of the factors that encourage and enable a collective divorce from reality, it also gives me hope that post-truth isn’t a permanent state of being. If we stay committed to pursuing and promoting a reality-based vision of the world, it’s possible to overcome seemingly overwhelming odds.

On the same Tuesday that Trump secured the White House, California’s adult industry battled misinformation, ignorance, and a well-funded propaganda machine to defeat the egregious Proposition 60. Opposed by many health organizations and practically all of California’s adult film actors, the proposition would have violated worker privacy and potentially made it possible for regular Californians to sue porn producers if they believed actors weren’t wearing condoms. Around the globe, sex workers have banded together to make their voices and opinions heard, and are slowly chipping away at the post-truth ethos that’s oppressed their industry for decades (if not centuries).

And even though government-funded sex education is often mediocreâ€"if not outright harmfulâ€"a number of independent sources have harnessed the internet to provide smart, thoughtful, and fact-based sex education to young people around the globe. This is the lesson activists and politicians alike need to internalize in the age of Trump. With enough commitment, dedication, and persistence, the truth can ultimately win out.

Follow Lux on Twitter @luxalptraum. Learn how to write for Quartz Ideas. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

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Announcing In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie!

How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie!










Want to jump straight to pre-ordering? Click here! 



I tried to come up with some kind of catchy or witty introduction, but I can’t because I’m just too excited. I can finally share what I’ve been working on for the the last year – my debut book from Ten Speed Press, titled In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear and Love Lingerie.
It’s hard to put into words how I feel right now. For most of the past year, my book has existed mostly as an idea, an outline, a manuscript. It’s been a dream. But now that there’s a cover, a release date, and people can place orders…it feels so real.
Writing a book is something I’ve had on my wishlist for awhile, but it always felt like one of those pie-in-the-sky type things. Other people are book authors. Not me. But I said yes when asked to write this book because I felt like I had something to say.
Many of you know my background. My first career was in nonprofits. For most of the last decade, I’ve lived on the West Coast. To a lot of industry people, I’m an outsider, an interloper. But instead of seeing that as a negative, I firmly believe it’s a positive. Being an outsider means you ask the questions other people take for granted. It means you explore and you inquire and you refuse to accept the status quo.





Over the last ten years of lingerie blogging, I’ve learned so much about intimate apparel, and this book shares what I know with you. Lingerie is a strange, confusing world. So much of the “information” out there is actually misinformation, rooted in myth and superstition. But fiction doesn’t help when it comes to making the right lingerie decisions for your taste, lifestyle, size, and budget.


In Intimate Detail pulls back the curtain, sharing the kind of insider knowledge many experts take for granted. It’s an honest, judgment-free guide you can turn to again and again – not just this year or next, but 5 or 10 years from now. I wanted In Intimate Detail to be a book you could feel comfortable giving to your mom or sister or cousin or aunt, to a friend who’s new to lingerie or recently transitioning, or to a spouse who’s recently entered menopause or been diagnosed with breast cancer.
After reading this book, you’ll not only know the language of lingerie – the terminology and definitions you need to help find the pieces you want – you’ll also know “hidden” information like the purpose of bra seams, the difference between a fabric and a fiber, and the qualities of different types of lingerie materials. And, of course, the book has size charts, sample wardrobes, and appendices for various fit concerns, such as lingerie for trans women, pregnant people, and those with disabilities.

More than anything, I want In Intimate Detail to feel like a warm, welcoming invitation into the world of lingerie. It’s the kind of book you can curl up with wrapped in your favorite blanket holding a cup of tea. It truly represents everything I wish I’d known when I started blogging, and it’s the best book I could possibly write. If you love lingerie or if you love The Lingerie Addict, then you’ll love In Intimate Detail.
One thing you’ll notice, especially if you view the preview images on this page, is that In Intimate Detail has no photography. Instead, the book is full of beautiful watercolor illustrations by Sandy Wirt. That’s intentional. I want you to imagine yourself in this pieces. To fully immerse yourself and be open to all your possibilities…even if they’re options you’ve not considered before. In Intimate Detail will help you build the lingerie wardrobe of your dreams. Because you deserve beautiful underthings. And you deserve to feel beautiful in your lingerie.








In Intimate Detail
will officially arrive in-stores on August 28, 2018, but you can pre-order and reserve your copy now. Pre-ordering not only ensures you get one of the very first copies, it also gets you a few special goodies we’re putting together just for pre-order readers.
It’s hard to put into words just how happy I am right now. I’m so happy with the book and the cover and the art. I’m happy with the foreword from the legendary Dita Von Teese. I’m happy you’re here to share this moment with me. And I’m happy about the book tour I’m planning for later this year where I’ll get to meet some of you.

You can pre-order In Intimate Detail from a wide range of booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, iBooks, Powell’s, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, and Penguin Random House. And please tell your friends! Share the cover, share sneak peeks, and let’s help everyone discover the power of beautiful lingerie.
One last thing! When you place your pre-order, email me a screenshot or forward a copy of your receipt to book@thelingerieaddict.com. I want to make sure you get on the list for the pre-order goodies the publisher and I are putting together (It’s going to be a really special exclusive, and it will only be available to pre-orders.).
I don’t talk a lot about myself and my feelings online, but this is simultaneously the most excited and the most scared I’ve ever been. But it also feels like the moment I’ve been waiting for ever since I started blogging. Lingerie is for everyone to enjoy. I firmly believe that. And if you believe it too, then In Intimate Detail is for you.



Thanks for reading our article Announcing In Intimate Detail: How to Choose, Wear, and Love Lingerie!. Please share it with pleasure.
Sincery Sex
SRC: http://www.thelingerieaddict.com/2018/02/lingerie-addict-book-in-intimate-detail.html

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