Parisian Health Clinic Review

Posted by David Khalili Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:47:00 GMT



Image from: www.plateforme-elsa.org

In another addition to my (hopefully) ongoing series of Clinic Reviews, we are graced by a review by my senior Parisian Clinic Expert, "Frenchy McFrenchfry." Obviously her name has been changed to protect her identity, but I am incredibly excited to post her review of what seems to be a fantastic and revolutionary, if not at times unethical, sexual health clinic in Paris. Please to be enjoy.

I am a fairly straight female, and I went to a clinic in Paris, France. It's a clinic run by the Mouvement Français de Planning Familial (French Movement for Family Planning), or MFPF. I waited maybe an hour to get in and see the doctor, but not because they were very busy. A woman came into the waiting room where I was discussing politics with a new waiting-room buddy and welcomed us into a kind of conference room next door. Once the room was sufficiently filled with nervous-looking French girls, two counselors came in and started asking us what we knew about contraception, and then they corrected our misconceptions and answered our questions. To my utter astonishment, I learned stuff. For instance, I had no idea that abortions, if correctly performed, are almost completely harmless to your body, even after your third or fourth. This is a well-kept secret in the US, apparently. In fact, all the workers at the MFPF were fascinated to hear how all this stuff works in the Barbarous States of America.

Then came something utterly shocking to me as an Amuhrikan: one of the counselors asked us to disclose private medical information! And many of the girls complied! Totally illegal back home, if I'm not mistaken, but kind of cool nonetheless because it creates an open environment. What was not as cool was the actual exam. The doctor was very nice, he would come into the conference every now and then to answer rather private questions in front of everyone else and to call in the next girl (they weren't exactly strict about appointments, they were like "who was here first?" and I was like "me," and other girls were like "I have class, can I go first?" and I was like "uh, sure..."). But once I got in to see him, he seemed to be pretending not to understand my (practically fluent) French, which made giving him the necessary information very difficult. He was just going to give me my birth control prescription (which I am admittedly dubious about because he seemed unsure about which French brand to give me) but I had something I wanted him to check out, so he made me undress in a practically open corner of the room, which I found awkward, and then proceeded to poke and prod without letting me know what he was doing or why. Then he handed me my pap smear in an envelope and told me to go mail it with a check for 17 euro.

The whole business cost me 22 euro, plus the 17 euro check for the lab, plus the 88 centimes to mail my own pap smear, plus 22.40 for three months' worth of birth control pills. Hopefully my school insurance will reimburse me. But not shabby, really, even if the experience was a bit of a culture shock. But here I have to say that the MFPF is pretty amazing, very feminist, very pro contraception, pro giving out correct information instead of scaring girls into being careful, and anti forced marriage (which is actually a huge problem here). Actually, a few weeks ago I unwittingly met one of MFPF's founders, and he was very nice.

I'd give this experience a 7 out of 10 for sheer novelty. MFPF is fantastic about contraception, but you should really go to a private practice if you want anything else done (or are American).

REMINDER: If you would like to write a review of your local sexual health clinic from your perspective, please email me for more information.

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Personal Experience: SF City Clinic

Posted by David Khalili Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:39:00 GMT



This is a long post, scroll to bottom for summary

It was time for my routine STD check. After calling a variety of possible clinics I decided upon SF City Clinic simply because it opened at 8am, perfectly early enough before work starts. Waking up way to early, I arrived 15 min before the opening. Fuck, there is already 10 people waiting in line. 10 people as diverse as you can get. Old, young, Black, Latino, Asian, all socio-economic statuses except the uber-wealthy (they have std checks at home). Right at 8am they let us all file in. Manning the counter is a middle-aged black woman with blonde highlights that match the yellow speckles on her blouse. As we form a line before the red stripe that "ensures" privacy she calmly says "next," quietly waits for you to walk up and confess to whatever sins you've made. Without a flinch or change in intonation she asks, "do you have any symptoms? Is this your first time here?" then gives you a number or letter. However, when I approach I say, "I'm here for a routine check up," without asking if I had been here before she simply gives me number and informational sheet and gives me that look that tells me to walk away. At this point I'm not sure if it was "better" that I got a number or letter.

We all sit in a DMV-like setting. Some more nervous than others. Some more "anonymous" than others. Number 36 is a tall, skinny, blonde man, he was the "lucky one," lucky in that he was first in line. They called his number from the front of the room and he follows, only to return moments later. Five minutes pass, "number 36" is called and he walks back to the front hallway. Again, he returns moments later. Another five minutes and a door open behind us all, an older black woman in a lab coat soothingly breaks the silence, "good morning, number 36?" I'm reminded of a weird mash-up between the films Brazil, Hitchhikers Guide, and the opening scene to Joe vs the Volcano. If only Abe Vigoda was here to offer me orange soda as a gift, if only.

It's difficult to figure out if the jittery guy sitting next to me is nervous because he's symptomatic, had a risky sexual experience that he regrets or just doesn't like waiting. He lifts the newspaper to his face over and over, stands up, paces, and sits down until his letter his called.

As an unspoken rule, eye contact is forbidden. I tested this theory with a few people. Yep, verbotten.

I try to get figure out similarities between those who got numbers, nothing visible. I guess the letters are reserved for those who are symptomatic.

To the side of the waiting area there's a poorly painted mural of what seems to be a tropical jungle. At the top is a painted flowing banner which reads "if it's magic why can't it be everlasting?" this can be construed in a multitude of ways, some more encouraging than other.

After waiting 50 min I'm called for the first time. The first time they call your number is to obtain your general information to an older Asian woman who boarders on sassy and maternal. She tells you to create a password so that you can confidentially check your results online within a week. At the end she asks if I'd like to make a $10 donation. In my own way I figure this is a way to grease their palms and bump me up the list, getting me seen earlier. I oblige.

On one of the cubicle walls facing the waiting room is perhaps the most bizarre public health ad campaign posters I've seen. It reads "dogsaretalking.com -- get tested for syphilis" with a paw print where the o's should be. Accompanied by a picture of a frenchie, dachshund, lab and bulldog, all of puppy age.

A heavy set clinician pops her head out of a door, glasses hanging down her nose. She calls out "42." no answer. "number 42," no answer. She sighs, "four-two." yep, this reminds me of the mash-up film I mentioned earlier.

30 min after I was first checked in, a doctor calls my number. An incredibly personable physician, with sensitivity, care and a non-chalant attitude she took my sexual and drug history. Who I've slept with, what sexual acts, how many people, what kind of drugs I've taken and how often. At which point she would get excited (but not sexually) about a drug I had taken or sexual experience I'd had. She did an incredibly good job at making me feel like I was talking to a long-time friend about my personal history. She didn't seem too worried by my history and made a few jokes that weren't canned, but sincere. Handing me a cup and brown bag, she asked me to fill the cup with my pee-pee as she finished her side of the paper work. As I walked to the restroom, the same heavy set spectacled physician could be heard sighing "fourTY two!?" I come back and give my doctor my pee cup, she checks my hands for syphilis sores (none), chest for rashes (none), and my diiiiick for abnormalities (none).

I then wait again, this time for 10 min to get my blood test, not a bad waiting period. My blood was taken by a Puerto Rican version of one of my sweetest aunts. As she withdrew my blood she spoke to me in a thick accent rattling on about life, giving me tips, telling me to save money and travel. With ease she finished up her phlebotomist task and accented it with minorly complaining about working for the city.

In Summary

Overall time: 2 hours.

I had an overall positive experience at the San Francisco City Clinic. However, I came in knowing that I would be spending a lot of time waiting. The employees ranged from disgruntled city workers to sincere physicians who were excited to work with "the community." Bring a book and expect to deal with the basic beauracracy. If you are able to go to Magnet, Planned Parenthood or any other clinic during the middle of the day, I'm sure it would be worth while. If you have decent insurance, you might as well take advantage of that and get tested there. However, overall SF City Clinic was not bad at all. They also have certain hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays if you currently have symptoms.

SF City Clinic
www.dph.sf.ca.us
356 7th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 487-5500

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Common Knowledge on Common STI's

Posted by David Khalili Sat, 07 Jul 2007 03:53:00 GMT



(c) http://www.homohealth.org

Can you get genital warts in the mouth? or transmit it? how common is catching herpes from someone who isnt breaking out? can you get herpes in the nose? can you spread it?
-Levitron

_______________________________

Genital warts and the mouth: yes and yes. You can get it and transmit it. Gentle Warts can be large or small, round or flat, and are normally painless. The incubation period is around 2 to 4 months. And to top it off, gentle warts are a result of strains 16, 18 and 31 of HPV. Which, if you were reading the news a month or two ago you would believe that oral HPV DEFINITELY gives you oral or throat cancer and you'll die. Only strain 31 can result in cancer, however it's incredibly rare. For more info on the throat cancer debacle check out my blog post here. However, don't get me wrong, I'm not poo-pooing the seriousness of throat or mouth cancer. I'm not the kind to say, "well I heard the jury is still out on science." I'm just making sure people don't get rolled up in the hype, this nation has been using too many scare tactics regarding sex. Thankfully, there is now a vaccine for HPV and Johns Hopkins are doing multiple research studies on HPV and oral cancer.

Herpes and You: Herpes are the fun little sores that can show up on your gentles (cockular region, vulvular region and anular region) or mouth and are brought to you by the good folks at unsafe sex. Sores INSIDE your mouth are NOT herpes, they are canker sores. Oral herpes result in sores outside the mouth on the lips when there is a break out. According the CDC, one in five adolescents and adults have had herpes. If you have herpes and there you are not having an outbreak, you can still transmit the virus to your partner(s). Unfortunately there is no cure for herpes (along with most virus-based STI's), hence that stupid frat-boy joke, "herpes, the gift that keeps on giving."

Herpes and Your Nose: You can pick your nose, you can pick your friends, you can pick your friends nose, and if your friend has herpes in the nose you just picked and you put the same finger in your nose and rubbed it about vigorously you can get nasal herpes...maybe.

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Spinal Cord Injury, Erections and You

Posted by David Khalili Tue, 05 Jun 2007 03:45:41 GMT

My boyfriend was shot in the spine and now he is totally limp... like all over his body. It has been a drag on our sex life, but I can't help wondering if maybe it's just me and the severed spinal chord thing is just an excuse. Because he is also in constant waking pain, he is taking a lot of morphine. I was thinking maybe it's the morphine that's keeping him limp. If I don't figure out a way to fix our sex life soon, I think i'll go crazy - so crazy I could shoot him in the spine. -Double Barrel Blonde

___________________________________________

I received this question shortly after my last post "limp-tastic!". My gut reaction to this is that this is a joke, someone playing funny. My other reaction was that this person was pissed. Either way, I decided to address this issue, whether or not this specific person is facing this specific issue. I recruited the help of my classmate/wicked pissah friend in the Sexuality Studies Program at San Francisco State University. When I first met Bethany she self-identified as an "uppity queer gimp," I knew we would get along just fine. She just finished Law School and is seeking to specialize her focus on sexuality as well as disability issues. She's way more competent in this field than I am, so I am going to ride on her coat tails while she gives fabulous advice.

When I showed this email to Bethany her first reaction was, "I am not sure if it is a joke, she may just be a bitch!" Agreed. Initially, Bethany suggested that such a couple should "focus on mitigating the effects of his disability in order to get reacquainted with sexing each other up." In other words, grope and rub yourselves against each other in as many different ways possible to find out new and adventurous ways to get each other worked up. Secondly, the other best course of action is taking a trip to the doctor. Bethany added, "they tend to be able to offer sexual advice to men with SCI, as opposed to women, so he is lucky he has a cock." This is a great point, since the medical field is largely cock-centered, treatments and knowledge-bases are generally more cock-oriented. Another reason to visit to the doc, says Bethany, is to see if there are chemical means to gain erections, "often something as simple as Viagra works to foster a woodie but in other cases a penis prosthetic might work out, but the latter is rather invasive so try the chemicals first." Other than that, taking a trip to your local sex shop (or online sex shop like Good Vibrations or VIP Online) and purchasing cock rings may be the trick in order to keep blood in the penis to maintain an erection. After the cock ring is put on, "she might try a method of 'stuffing the penis' this method entails sliding the semi-erect or soft phallus into her vagina. She can massage the penis with her PC muscles. This can get her off and perhaps him."

Another important note is the emotional aspect involved in such cases. I can't state it better than Bethany, so I won't:

"...he may just be having issues dealing with his lack of sensate capacity in his phallus. We are all trained in this culture to be orgasm focused and when a man loses his ability to shoot it off, it can be devastating, so she may try talking to him about his feelings with regard to sexuality and express to him that their sex life is not over just because he has lost sensation. Further, they should be encouraged to engage in sexual behavior that is not solely genitalia focused so that he may reclaim his sexual feelings in other parts of his body. He has to restructure his concept of sexuality or he will not be happy with his ability. Communication is, as always, key here. Check out these sources: Info on Spinal Cord Injury and Sexual Health
They can post on this site to seek further help from trained specialists. This a great article about utilizing tantric methods to retrain the soul/mind/body to enjoy sexual pleasure and not just focus on the almighty cockster Article on tantric methods"

Overall, it's definitely a plus to approach this from all sides; physical and emotional....and metaphysical? No. As Bethany put it, this couples' sex life (if this was a joke question, there are still couples out there that face this that actually do exist) is not doomed.

To put it simply, Bethany kicks mad ass, and she's definitely the gimp pimp that she touts herself as. If Bethany's intellect has turned you on to no end (as it should), let me know, tell me why you think you're good enough for her and how you'd treat her like the badass pimp she is, if after review I deem you acceptable, I will pass on the information to her and she may contact you for drinks.

You can learn more about Bethany through the SF State's newspapers online multi-media article on her fabulous self. Click Here Then select "Click to View Multimedia!"

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Limp-tastic

Posted by David Khalili Mon, 21 May 2007 05:02:49 GMT



my boyfriend was apparently a virgin, which i found really hard to believe at first. he had told me he had been with two people at first, but he said later that he only told me that b/c he was embarrassed. well, i believe him. so as far as i know i'm the only one he's ever been with. lately though, there's been a couple of times when he's lost his stiffy during foreplay. before, he complained that i would always want to go into sex too fast, so i've been doing more of the foreplay that he likes so much... but the problem is he doesn't keep the interest. he's also ADD and takes aderol. i wonder if his mind starts wandering.. or maybe the pills are any bit responsible... b/c i could've sworn that he was having trouble getting it up before we ever had sex during intense make-out sessions. hmm.
-"Big Boobies"

___________________________

BB, you are the second woman to contact me this week with this issue. I'll address the other lady's one later, for while it is similar, there is something different at work that may not be going on with you and non-virgin boy.

I can speak from experience as someone who's taken pharmo pills either ADD related or boohoo I'm experiencing existential dilemma's and it won't go away...related. Both of those forms of pills affected my ability to harden up at the right time. I've taken adderrall at some of the worst times and boy was I not pleased. But I can also say that with my experience with anti-anxiety meds and adderrall, there was definitely an element of mind over matter working. I knew that these meds had the side-effect of affecting my steady hardness and I assumed that it would always be the case. Sometimes I was right, and sometimes I'm certain I was just psyching myself out.

If he's willing to try, he may want to see how his sex life is without taking adderrall, or at different dosages. Meaning, if he's taking 15mg of adderrall a day, lower it to 10mg in a week, then 2 weeks later to 5mg, and see how he's doing. Try to find a good balance between rock hard cock and steadfast attention. But first, have him consult with his doctor before messing with his dosages.

He also did mention that you go too fast into sex (tsk tsk), and I commend you for attempting to change your pace to accommodate what he wants. But sounds like that's still not working for him. Perhaps he wants to feel like he's in charge and he sets the pace. I'm not condoning you completely compromising your pleasure here, I'd be insane, but try to coax him into being more open about what's going on and see where you two can meet.

I'm going to suggest this to the other lady too. While blood-filled genitalia is always all the rage, there is also other ways to fuck and fuck well. Try some sensation techniques, lightly rubbing each other all about to see what other parts of your bodies get you riled up.

And to end on a depressing note (yay!), it may just come down to you two being sexually incompatible for one reason or another. Depending on how "into" this non-virgin you are, if there is no improvement in the sexual meshing arena between you two, then you may want to put an end to it. But I'd definitely suggest to continue working things out between you two just as you are currently doing. Sexual incompatibility is a hell of a lot more than matching levels of desire, also includes emotions, personality, which Ministry album you like, etc.

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Cheaper Anti-Retrovirals

Posted by David Khalili Tue, 08 May 2007 16:51:00 GMT

Bill Clinton today announced a new deal with pharmo companies to release once-a-day anti-retrovirals (AIDS Drugs) only costing the patient $1 a day. These meds are the second-line of defense after AIDS patients become resistant to the first round of treatments.

For too long anti-retrovirals were incredibly costly, as well overwhelming. Some would take 14 pills a day.

My skeptical side is worried that because these meds are much less expensive than before, that they will be much less effective. However, the organizations associated with the Clinton Foundation has a good track record.

Anyone know more about this deal or these organizations?

Clinton Foundation Press Release

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Happiness Vs. Orgasmia

Posted by David Khalili Mon, 07 May 2007 20:46:00 GMT



Here is a topic that I know you've addressed a couple of times in passing, and once down there with Gene Shallit, but I really want to get more specific on this one.
I recently went from being on No Medication to being on Six Medications, two of which are anti-depressants and one being a form of hormonal birth-control. All three have been known to cause a severe drop in libido which worried me to begin with, but I really didn't think I would have a problem seeing as how I've always been an incredibly sexual person and the benefits of not-wanting-to-die and not-staying-in-bed-all-day outweighed the effect on the action that I wasn't getting. See what I'm saying here? Decreased libido was not something that I was necessarily looking forward to, but seeing as how there was no sex life, I couldn't see how it would hurt. Easy.
AH! But then He comes along and we're in love and fucking constantly, now I'm spending my days in bed but having a blast and my whole concept of libido changes. I Want Him, badly and often, but there is absolutely no chance of me reaching orgasm. Saturday, I had sex for almost five hours straight and didn't feel once like I was even standing on the ledge of cumming. I blame the drugs. Yes, I have tried to masturbate and I Have Never had to spend that amount with myself. My fucking hand got tired. That never happens. I have always been very very sensitive. So, David, as I said before I blame the fucking drugs and my question is, Do you have any suggestions at all as to how I might go about remedying this problem aside from dropping the meds altogether? My analyst advises against that. She thinks I'm merely "blocked."

Your Truly,
Thanks for your help in advance,

Anti-Orgasmic Pill Girlie

 __________________

This is perfect. Time and time again many a sexologist gets behind their dildo shaped podium and states, "when it comes to sex, men are goal oriented and women are not. Men go straight for the orgasm and women want hours of foreplay and are happy with no orgasm." Bull shit. We can all be goal oriented if the mood hits us. And here is an example.

Anyhow, you're experiencing blue labia, as it were. Without being medically trained, I'd still say there's a very good chance this problem is due to the recent med change. I mean jesus christ, from no meds to 6 meds. I hope your doc at least eased you into those meds and didn't hit you with a shit hammer. It's known that anti-depressants hinder the libido quite a bit, but that usually plateaus off after 6 months (yea, I know, ew). I've heard various stories on birth control, from it making the user into a bunny rabbit on ecstasy and viagra to being a virtual eunuch.

I can only imagine how incredibly frustrating that might be, having a hot lil ass muffin in your bed and you finding a block between you and a petite morte. There's a few options that I can think of here:
(1) Play the waiting game until your poor body gets used to being inundated with all those meds.
(2) Find other ways to get yourself off...or at least close to it. There are crazy ways to orgasm without the use of the dirty bits. As I'm sure you're well aware the neck alone is a powerful erogenous zone when licked, nipped, and bitten.
(3) Relax. This may also be a case where its mind over matter (however I doubt it's JUST that, obviously). Going along the lines of option #2, attempt to slow down and explore your and his bodies (new-age shit, I know). This may calm you down and get you open (giggle) and ready for the big O.
(4) Barge into your doc's office and ask her/him what the fuck they think they're doing giving you all these meds at once!

Or try all four options. It's easy to say you're "blocked," which may be partially the case. You know you're on these meds, you know they have the side effect of lowering your libido, and your mind takes on the rest of the job. I'd suggest instead of constantly aiming to cum, just attempt to relax and enjoy the sensations, how his body feels against yours. If anything, talk to your doc to see if you can at least lower the dosage on your meds.

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HPV Vaccine Update: Texas Mandate

Posted by David Khalili Thu, 26 Apr 2007 02:42:31 GMT

As you may be aware, a few months ago the Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, ordered to make the recently released HPV vaccine, Gardasil, mandatory for girls in Texas between the ages of 9 and 12. This was an amazing move for multiple reasons. First, the vaccine has been a hot button issue for quite some time. Many conservatives and other right-wing thinkers believe that giving young girls this vaccine against HPV will result in the girls believing they have a free ticket to all the hot, promiscuous, unprotected sex they can get their hands on. I won't get into the obvious flaws in that argument. Second, Gov. Perry went over the heads of Texas State legislation and lawmakers by creating this mandate on his own without a house vote.

Earlier today, Texas legislators passed a ban against Perry's HPV vaccine mandate. This ban will hold back the HPV vaccine mandate for four years. The next 10 days are going to be big for sexual health rights. Perry has to sign or veto the ban in the next 10 days, however, the legislature can nix the veto with a two-thirds house vote. This will create a big back and forth, back and forth, giving credence to my first question when I moved to Texas a year and a half ago, "what other disasters happen in Texas other than it's politics?"

The legislature is stating that pushing this mandate back four years will decrease the possibility of inflicting school girls with the possible "unknown" side effects from this vaccine. However, this vaccine was in trial for over 5 years and included over 25,000 women from 33 countries. So far the only side-effect from this vaccine is soreness at the site of injection. Sounds pretty bloody safe to me!

Do you believe that this concept of safety is just a guise to control sexual desire and rights as well as sexual safety? Seriously, since when have politicians been so concerned with a woman's health?

Info on HPV

Info on the HPV Vaccine

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Sexual Desire Post-Anti-Depressants

Posted by David Khalili Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:25:52 GMT

Hey David,

I was on SSRIs for the entirety of adolescence, starting before menarche or noticeable pubescence. Six months ago, I stopped taking these drugs for the first time in seven/eight years, fully expecting the solipsist's apocalypse. Neither happened. The following bears mentioning though: the change in both worldview and identity is pervasive and psychologically unintelligible, as there appears to be no clinical lexicon for withdrawal from prescribed, non-addictive psychoactive drugs.

SSRIs have extreme sexual side-effects, which has only become clear to me now. This is my first time experiencing unimpeded sexuality, and not just in the psychologically repressive sense. I cannot render intelligible the problems this has caused, aside from saying that it's difficult to accept a new part of my personality which existed previously in a strangulated form, and the knowledge that this previous form was artificial creates further complications.

Here is the actual question. As someone with more professional knowledge of psychiatry, what type of "great leap forward" would you recommend? Recovery from addiction typically indicates that you should wait a year after getting sober to begin dating––given the baggage I now know I carry, does this apply? Experience with psychiatrists indicates to me that they are either unprepared to help, or the clinical tools they use to treat patients are insufficient or unhelpful to me (i.e. recommending I go back on antidepressants). I don't mean to paint with broad strokes here, but it's difficult to create a knowledgeable support system when said support questions your sanity should you disagree with them. While I understand there is no one right way, I fail to see even one way, let alone a right one, wherein solipsistic neuroses have some common lexicon or categorical precedent to use as a reference.

Sincerely,

Gene Shalit

____________________________________

Gene Shalit, ole Gene, Geney Boy, Geney in a Bottle,

You've got a fantastic question here. What's more, you've got a whole new sexual future ahead of you right now. This can be seen as exciting, daunting, or both. I'd put my money on both. The doors are completely open for you now, so what do you do with that?

What I find funny is this seems as a sort of "coming out of the closet" for you, not as in telling people you are sexual again, but this changes you're view of the world and of yourself and your sexuality. Now you have to go about making sense of all these things with a different perspective. Being that I already know you I have the benefit of knowing your academic history, otherwise I would suggest reading some good books on queer theory. Not because of the "queer" aspect, but because of the theory's perspective on society and sexuality.

I wouldn't necessarily go for the 12 step model, seems a little too drastic. While you may have baggage from all these meds, as well as testing out your new and improved and non-psychopharm-doped up self, I think you may be ready to take on some new relationships and sexual experiences without worrying about dragging someone into your luggage. However, I do recommend baby steps. Don't be the teenager who just discovers their sexuality and goes and fucks willy nilly. Not that there's anything wrong with debaucherous fun, I just believe you need to be in a comfortable self-actualized state of being to fully appreciate it and be able to take on any unforeseen troubles.

So a slow and steady beginnings of a relationship wouldn't hurt and would be a little helpful at this point in time. Attempt to find somewhere you can be in a safe place, mentally and physically, for you to explore your new found personalityand sexual-self.

And to totally contradict myself here, allow yourself to take small and calculated risks. Always playing safe within the boundaries will never teach you anything or help you grow. Play within those boundaries, then when the time is right, press against those lines just a little. However, while doing this take note of how you're doing, mentally, emotionally and physically.

So yeah, take caution and avoid heavy relationships, but try out smaller more light-hearted relationships (slow and steady wins the race) and be willing to test your boundaries and take contextualized risks to see how they affect your sense of saftey and desire.

A side note: any psychiatrist who says there are no withdrawal symptoms to SSRI's is an utter twat.

Enjoy discovering your new self and happy desire hunting!!

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Gov. of Texas Mandates HPV Vaccine

Posted by David Khalili Thu, 08 Feb 2007 06:13:19 GMT

This news is about a week old, but for some reason it seems to me that this has fallen under the radar.

Last friday, February 2nd, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) personally signed an executive order to make it a state mandate that girls entering the sixth grade receive the HPV vaccine. Calling it a mandate is a misnomer, this is definitely not mandatory. Parents can opt out of their daughter receiving this vaccine if they philosophically or religiously object. The move to be the first state that includes the HPV vaccine in school sponsored immunizations is obviously an incredibly political and powerful move.

The mere fact that this is Texas we're talking about, a highly conservative state run by a highly conservative Governor, completely...for lack of better term...blew my fucking gourd. And without shock, it blew the collective gourd of the States as well as other countries. But this raises a lot, too many, questions on ethics, rights, sexual freedom, etc.

From a law standpoint, was this right for Gov. Rick Perry to go past legislation (the conventional route to passing a law) and personally authorize this state mandate? Isn't the idea that laws are mandates agreed upon by a community?

From an ethical standpoint, how is it okay for one person to force their beliefs upon an entire state? Especially in regards to a highly charged subject such as sexuality. The fact that he went about this in a completely unconventional route, he is definitely stating that he knows better than everyone else. If he felt otherwise, he would have gone about this the conventional way assured that he would get support from his colleagues, as well as from the voters in Texas. Is he saying he knows better than the citizens and politicians of Texas?

Does this vaccine open the doors to sexual freedom? Does it give a blank check to young girls and women to engage in promiscuous acts of sex without cause for alarm? (The answer is two-fold. Yes, and it's about fucking time. And no, because there's a hell of a lot more to sex than fear of disease).

I'm going to post on this subject in two posts. This one, wherein I state the facts and give a forum for whomever to answer the questions. The next one where I express my own beliefs (probably tomorrow).

One more fact I found incredibly interesting, Perry's former chief of staff (I'm pretty certain that was the job, not entirely sure) is now a lobbyist for Merck (the pharmo company that created the HPV vaccine) in the state capital Austin, TX.

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