Las Vegas police use purity event to tell girls “promiscuity” leads to rape, prostitution, gangs, and death

At the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department “Choose Purity” event on Saturday, girls (and only girls) were treated to such a feast of fear-mongering and baseless scare tactics that it’s hard to believe that the event happened in real life and not as the plot point of a dark comedy in the vein of Election…

Sex Ed in NV: Getting freaky up in Lyon County

It turns out that the rural counties and Las Vegas have more in common then either would like to admit. We both have troubling issues with current sex education standards taught in our districts. During the push for the comprehensive sex education bill at the 2013 Legislature rural folks were quick to point fingers at…

Exploring girlhood, Part 2: Different for girls

Editor’s note: This is the second in a four-part series with the question, “What does it mean to be a girl?” In the series we have explored the way society defines and confines girlhood, as well as gender in general. (Click here for part 1.) (Trigger Warning) All week I’ve been thinking about De’Liza’s post…

Slut Riot: On the intersection of shaming, rape culture, and patriarchy

What a fantastic Sluts Week we’ve been having during our SLUT RIOT! We’ve had intense conversation generated from thought-provoking and sometimes controversial guest posts — here and on Facebook and twitter. We’ve looked at it from different angles. We’ve poked a stick at so much slut-shaming with photos and a Big Slut Riot Music Video.…

AB230 testimony: I speak for the unwanted and abused

For those of you who did not attend and/or watch the marathon Nevada State Senate committee hearing on the comprehensive sex education bill (AB230) yesterday… I don’t even know where to begin. A lot of it was pretty much like the April 1 Assembly hearing, but the fierce factor was definitely dialed up a notch…

Comprehensive sex ed bill passes out of Assembly!

Now that’s a headline I’ve been dying to write! Moments ago, the Assembly passed AB230, the comprehensive sex ed bill. Of course, we’re not out the woods just yet. There will, no doubt, be battles in the State Senate to come. (The rash of myths about this bill being particularly troubling.) But for now, let…

Why abstinence-only is winning: We are undone by our apathy

Talk about AB230, the comprehensive sex education bill, was all over the TV yesterday! Even your humble Siren got in the mix as a guest, with my pal Annette Magnus, of Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, on Ralston Reports. Likewise, Annette made appearances on Fox 5 in the morning as well as The Agenda. Taking it…

Sex ed bill hearing April 1

Regular readers know that for some time I have been working as an advocate for comprehensive sex education. Going all the way back to my time as a news reporter at Las Vegas CityLife, I have been watching the issue unfold in our community. It is some kind of wicked joke on us that there…