Explore More Online Summit January 28, 2016

I'm excited to join Dawn Serra's Explore More Online Summit. 

I'm one of 30 experts speaking at the Explore More Summit. There are seven other WOCSHN members who are speaking as well!

It's a free online summit that is all about exploring your more: in the bedroom, in your relationships, and in your life. 

There are talks on navigating jealousy, opening your relationship, building intimacy, exploring kink, overcoming diet culture, radical self-care, cyber infidelity, trauma, how to talk dirty, somatic healing, tantra, processing feelings, loving your body exactly as it is now, and so much more.

It all starts January 28th and runs for 10 days, but if you register early you get a free workbook full of prompts, questions, and quotes from all 30 talks. 

Oh! And there's a private Facebook group where you can have all kinds of great conversations and ask questions if you're ready to explore your more.

You can check it out and sign-up here! And, tell your friends. 

Afr@Latin@ Sex Survey In 24 Magazine!

I was interviewed by my homegirl Aida for 24 Magazine's 5th issue on Data. We are a 4 page spread from page 32-35. Check it out below, here are a few screen shots, but click here to read in full and the rest of the 70+ page issue!

Update on Fundraising for Women of Color Sexual Health Network

Last week we updated our fundraising goal to reflect various donations from food, hotel, to frequent flyer miles. This update reduced the $7k we needed down to a little over $5k to get all 5 women of Color sexologist to the AASECT conference this year.

We are pleased to report another update to our fundraising goals: a new registration rate. We have been in communication with folks in leadership positions with AASECT. They reached out to us asking each member to submit an individual narrative of their financial need. As a result, the AASECT leadership has offered us an additional reduction in conference registration.

Upon our first fundraising efforts, as none of the 5 of us in need were members because of inability to afford the fees, we were originally expecting to pay the non-member fee of $660 per person. We then were given the speaker registration fee, as we are each presenting, of $370 per person. This resulted in a fundraising need of $1850 for registration alone. Monday afternoon we received confirmation that each of us have been extended the "early bird student registration fee" of $250 per person. This new fee results in a fundraising need of $1250 for registration.

This is an additional $600 reduction in funds needed. We have gone from $7k to $5k to now $4490! We have also raised $1260, an amount that will cover each of our registration fees and help us focus solely on transportation and flight needs of members which totals: $3270

We are going to get to this conference, present our original research and work, and build together!

Please help us reach this goal by sharing our fundraising needs, goals, and, if you can, donating whatever amount. Our fundraising page is: http://wocsexualhealthnetwork.tumblr.com and you may also send paypal donations directly to bianca_for_prez@yahoo.com. If you wish to mail a payment please reach out to us.

Many thanks again to each of you who have supported us in various capacities!

UPDATE on WOC Sexual Health Network Fundraising

First, we'd like to extend our deep heart-felt thank you to everyone who has shared our call for funds, requests for donations, and who have been able to donate. Your time, support, love, and caring has fueled us during this process and reminded us we are a vital part of our communities and our work is needed.

We've raised $1180 thus far! We have also adjusted our fundraising goal because of some amazing supporters who have donated hotel rooms, frequent flyer miles, and food coverage to some members. The budget has also been adjusted because of room rates at the hotel being reduced from what was originally expected.

An updated breakdown of our fundraising goal is listed below. An asterick (*) is listed next to the items that have been adjusted and below them is an explanation.

• Plane: was $2050 UPDATED: $1550*
• Hotel: was $2000 UPDATED $1190**
• Transportation: $250
• Per Diem: was $1000 UPDATED $250***
• Registration: $1850**** (working on hopefully getting a further reduction update when that is confirmed)
• TOTAL UPDATED: $5090

*Plane was updated because our budget was projected and included an increase for waiting longer to obtain a plane ticket. Bianca was gifted a round-trip plane ticket from a friend who had frequent flyer miles and thus a reduction of $500 was needed in this total.

**Hotel was originally a projected amount of $250 a night as our fundraising efforts began BEFORE the hotel room rates were posted. As of today a double occupancy room is $139 a night including taxes. We still need 2 rooms for 4 nights and the adjusted amount reflects the new room rate including taxes of $1190.

***Per Diem, daily meals which was budgeted to include an estimate of: $10 breakfast, $20 lunch, $30 dinner for each member for each day of the conference. After speaking with folks who have attended AASECT conferences in the past we are told a continental breakfast is offered each morning, two lunch's are provided, and one executive member of WOCSHN will provide some groceries for members in need for dinner. The new per diem includes: $0 for breakfast, $100 and $150 for dinner for 5 people for 4 days.

****We are in discussion with folks at AASECT to gain clarification on a proposed reduction in registration. When/If this is confirmed we will update our fundraising needs. Our hope is to reduce this number to $1250 for a total fundraising goal of $4490.

As of now we still must raise an additional $3910. We know this is possible! We thank you in advance for your continued support and sharing of our fundraising!

In solidarity,
Women of Color Sexual Health Network Members

Support Sexologists of Color on this International Women's Day!

Since 5 of us from the Women of Color Sexual Health Network have begun fundraising to attend, present, and participate at the AASECT conference this year, I've heard from 5 other women of Color who have shared they cannot attend AASECT because of their lack of funds. Most of the women who have shared this have done so privately, and not online or in public forums.

I'm devastated by each story I hear from women of Color who are working class and working poor and in the field because I know for each one of them there are 2 more. And there will be more. So many of us do work that is unpaid and ignored as part of the field. One of my personal goals is to expand the idea of "sexology" and who can identify as a sexologist. Right now the definition and understanding is rooted in white supremacy and power.

Is AASECT as an organization (and not just the handful of individuals who say they want to stand in solidarity with people of Color in the field)) outraged by this reason why their conferences lack so many people of Color? What are they doing as an organization to change this, it at all?

It's so clear we are not wanted there based on the way the organization is structured. No matter how many individuals tell us they support us, the way the organization was established tells us we were not ever in mind or considered when creating the organization. This is structural bias. This is years of bias that impact our lives. That makes it even more difficult for women and people of Color to attend.

And not just attend, but also share our original research at a national conference. Do you know what it means to share original research? It means we are claiming our own voices, our own narratives, an working with our own communities. Can you imagine the number of stereotypes and misinformation that we can begin to debunk and challenge simply by being present and then sharing our work?

For this reason I urge you to consider donating whatever you may be able to in support of us attending the AASECT conference and present our original work. We matter and we deserve to be there.

About WOC Sexual Health Network Fundraising

We took MONTHS to figure out who needed funding, budgeting, and figuring out what we each needed to present our ORIGINAL research at a national membership association in the US for sexologists.

We believe that working as a collective means more access and more support in raising the funds. We knew this would be a collective effort. We know $7000 is a whole lot of money.

We also know we are worth it! Our life’s work is worth it! Our voices are worth it! And then some.

Folks have reached out to us and has asked us as INDIVIDUALS to share with them how poor we are and why we need the funds. The folks do not recognize we are a COLLECTIVE and in asking such questions are attempts to assess if each of us or all of us are worthy enough to be supported. They are attempting to separate us from the collective work we are doing. Pitting us against one another to see who is more “worthy” or the right kind of “poor” to fund and be present and seen and heard at the conference. They do not realize we work together. That their attempts were met with a collective response. They do not care and they do not understand this. Their white supremacy does not allow for such collective types of support to register for them.

That pisses me off.

I want to show those folks that there are people of Color who support us, who support the work of sexologists of Color, who recognize we are worthy and imperative to the field. That we are doing life changing and life saving work.

$1400 will fund one of us to attend in full. $2800 will fund two of us. $3200 will fund three of us. I want all of us to attend and the full $7150 to be raised.

We deserve to be there. We’ve earned it, we’ve worked for it, we’ve paved the way to mentor and support more of us in the field. We are worth it. Please consider donating whatever you can so that at least 1 of us may attend.

Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN) Fundraising

The Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN) working group and collective was established in 2009, when 18 women of Color came together to strategize ways to increase representation in the field and especially at AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists). WOCSHN has made numerous efforts to ensure women and people of Color working in the sexology and sexuality fields are represented, supported, and included. We are educators, medical providers, counselors, activists, and writers who are committed to mentoring, working, and changing the way sex/uality is discussed about our communities.

Members of the WOCSHN have submitted several presentations to AASECTs 2013 National Conference, many of which were accepted. To have as many WOCSHN members present and able to present our original work, members are in need of supporting funds. All of the funds raised will go directly to each member to cover their needs to attend the conference. Without these funds they will not be able to attend.*

Below is an outline of our needs to have 5 WOCSHN members attend.

Plane $2050 (for 5 members)
Transportation $250 (to/from airport and hotel)
Hotel $2000 (double rooms)
Per Diem $1000 (3 meals a day)
Registration $1850 (speaker reduced registration fee)
Total: $7150

The five WOCSHN members who are in need of funding are each dynamic, thoughtful, and revolutionary Black women thinkers in the field and include:

De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson
De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson is licensed in the State of Missouri as a clinical social worker and has served the St. Louis community since 2005. She is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and live as whole persons. De-Andrea firmly believes that you must be the change you wish to see in the world and endeavors to positively impact her clients through her interactions with them. De-Andrea has worked in many settings, serving as a hospital social worker at an inpatient psychiatric unit, a contract therapist, and as a school social worker. She has helped clients with various issues, including addiction, mood disorders, anxiety, chemical dependency, relationship issues, and trauma. Currently, she serves clients in her Clayton, MO office and conducts monthly workshops regarding sexual health and building intimacy.

Nicole Clark
Nicole Clark a social worker, consultant, and sexual health activist who has worked with local and national sexual/reproductive justice organizations, such as Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations, Inc. (HOTGIRLS), Advocates for Youth, the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition (YWCHAC). She has a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Masters of Social Work degree from the Columbia University School of Social Work, with a practice method centered on direct practice/counseling & programmatic planning. Nicole’s workshop for AASECT is about sex, gender, race, and religion.

Traci Q. Gilbert
Ms. Tracie Q. Gilbert is the founder of Gilbert Educational Ministries, and has over 15 years of experience working with young people and youth development programs. She has turned her attention toward the issue of holistic sexuality development—particularly among African Americans. She is currently in pursuit of her doctorate in human sexuality education from Widener University, with which she hopes to increase our collective understanding of African American sexual phenomenology. Ms. Tracie was the 2011 winner of Women for Social Innovation’s Turning Point Prize, provided presentations for a variety of different special events, including the Black Male Development Symposium, the National Black Child Development Institute’s Annual Conference, and Congressman Chakah Fattah’s National Conference on Higher Education.

Bianca Laureano
Bianca I Laureano is an award-winning sexologist, consultant, educator, and activist. Her interests include representations of the sexuality of people of Color in media and popular culture, reproductive justice, and positive youth development. She has a BA from the University of Maryland in Women’s Health & Latino Communities, a MA from NYU in Human Sexuality Education, and an MA from the University of Maryland in Women’s Studies with a focus on gender, bodies, sexuality, and race. She is an adjunct professor at a private college, freelance writer, co-founder of The LatiNegr@s Project, abortion doula, and hosts LatinoSexuality.com. All her writings and reviews can be seen at her website BiancaLaureano.com. Her presentation at AASECT will focus on how to include people of Color in the field of sexology and the sexuality needs of LatiNegr@s in the US.

Whitney Sewell
Whitney Sewell is a master’s student of social work at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She majored in sociology at Tufts University, and received a BA in psychology from Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include human sexuality and reproductive justice. At UNC, Whitney is a lead facilitator for the UNC LGBTQ Center’s Safe Zone training program, a training that promotes awareness, inclusiveness and ally development. She also serves as an HIV counselor for the Student Health Action Coalition, providing clients with pre/post test counseling. Whitney is committed to bringing evidence based, culturally inclusive, and sex positive sexual education interventions to marginalized communities.

Fundraising has begun! We will need to register and reserve hotel rooms for the conference by mid-April 2013. We will continue to fundraise until the date of the conference: June 5, 2013. Each donation of any amount will receive a special gift after the conference has concluded.

All additional funds will go to covering a communal gathering of WOCSHN members at the conference. Please spread the word and help us reach our goal!

*AASECT only has one scholarship for people of Color which only offers a reduced registration fee.