Teaching Abstinence Without Teaching Consent is Dangerous

Without teaching consent, abuse will continue to run rampant.

Biblical Erotica

“When a child’s only source of information about sexuality and sexual expression is the Bible, you some… um… remarkable results.”

Something Is Wrong With Me: Jane’s Story

“When I read Debi’s story, I thought I was given a great secret into the mind of a man. Between this story and also sneak reading ‘For Women Only’ by Shaunti Feldhahn, I formed the idea that men were sex robots that could be completely turned on and ready to hammer me from just glancing at my butt in tight jeans. Despite rejecting many of the teachings of my fundamental upbringing, I didn’t realize these views on men’s sexuality were so wrong.”

Crosspost: My Advice on How to Cope with the Outside World Post-Fundamentalism

“It’s embarrassing to say that I wasn’t even familiar with what masturbation was until I was 18 years old. I’m sure that are more people out there who are dealing with this right now. Though I’m definitely not the shining example of fitting into society, here are a few things that I have learned, and maybe, I hope that it will be able to help others who are dealing with this same problem. Here are my biggest tips on trying to adjust.”

From Hell to Heroin to Here: Jezebel’s Story

“When I was shooting up heroin and stripping, I didn’t care about my life. I would overdose or get beat up and it didn’t matter to me. I felt like I was a fuckup and that my life wasn’t worth living. In rehab I did the hard work of processing everything that had happened with my family, and as awful as it was, I’m a more whole person for all that.”

Finding A Reason To Wake Up: Warbler

“When you find a reason to get up every morning, you will not want pain any more. I remember taking a shower and screaming into the gushing water, because that was the only place they couldn’t hear me. It eats you up inside and I know you want to be free.”

Homeschooled Girls and Trash Cans: Latebloomer’s Story, Part Three

“Not every homeschooling family is so repressed about sex, but at Reb Bradley’s church, my family found a culture of people who were also trying to ignore the elephant in the room. A favorite theme of Reb Bradley was sexual purity and ‘Biblical courtship.’ He was fond of referring to 1 Timothy 5:2.”

Sex Miseducation

“It has taken me years to iron all this out and to come to a healthy view of sex. I wish that instead of focusing on keeping me ignorant of it, my parents had informed me about sex and focused on giving me a healthy view of sexuality. But then, their beliefs about sex would not allow them to do that.”

Burn In Case Of Evil: Cain’s Story, Part One

“My mother said we didn’t have to burn the whole book, maybe just the title page. Not many people have experienced a book burning, I must say. I guess that makes me special? In retrospect, most everything I was taught was ridiculous and mostly untrue.”