Here is a snippet of my latest Sunday Bulletin, where I round up all the latest and greatest in the world of sexuality and religion.
Devotion: The misunderstood clitoris
Has your gynecologist ever asked questions about your clitoris? Has a doctor ever bothered to show you and explain to you how female pleasure works? Probably not.
It’s no wonder there are men who still believe sex is not pleasurable for women or that women should be able to reach orgasm through penetration alone.
This report from The New York Times highlights several women’s experience of losing clitoral sensation and the ability to orgasm after medical procedures damaged the precious, sprawling nerves of the clitoris.
Most of what folks know of the clitoris is the visible portion outside the body, but the clitoris is much larger than a mere “devil’s doorbell.” It encompasses the vagina and sprawls through the vulva and top and sides of the vaginal canal. Much larger than the pea-sized organ you may (or may not) be aware of.
Why is understanding the clitoris a big deal? Because, women may not be aware of conditions causing pain or discomfort. A 2018 study in the journal Sexual Medicine found that a failure to examine the vulva and clitoris led doctors to regularly overlook sexual health conditions.
The authors concluded that all health providers for women should routinely examine the clitoris. But that was easier said than done, they wrote, as most providers “neither know how to examine nor feel comfortable examining the clitoris.”
“I truly believe we are just several decades behind on the female side,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, a urologist and sexual health specialist outside Washington, D.C. told the New York Times. “But we have to do the work. And we have to have people interested in doing the work.”
Republicans want a national “Don’t say gay” bill
Congressional Republicans filed the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act” this week that would create a national “Don’t say gay” law barring federal money from being used to teach children under 10 about LGBTQ issues or gender identity. The measure was introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., and co-sponsored by 32 other Republicans.
LGBTQ advocates warn the bill could defund any organization that uses federal funds to serve children.
“Universities, public schools, hospitals, medical clinics, etc. could all be defunded if they host any event discussing LGBTQ people and children could be present. The way they define 'sexually oriented material' simply includes anything about LGBTQ people,” said Alejandra Caraballo, an attorney who advocates for LGBTQ rights in a series of tweets about the bill.
If you like what you’re reading, you can read the rest of the bulletin here.
