WOCSHN Inaugural Curriculum: Communications Mixtape: Speak On It! Vol 1

When I think about what kind of archive I want to leave for others to find out about my work, what I value, and what I was able to do while on this planet, curricula and lesson plans and trainings and workshops are what come to mind. As someone who has been writing lesson plans for decades but never being supported, mentored, or given the opportunity to be published; I know firsthand how opportunity and access changes some people's lives.

I know what publishing a curriculum can do for communities. When I published my first curriculum What's the REAL DEAL about Love and Solidarity? with Scenarios USA, it was a curriculum I always wanted for younger Bi, for educator Bi, for mentor Bi. And it was something I have done for years, yet folks in my field didn't notice me until that curriculum was published.

And then things changed. It's like then folks realized I have something of quality and value to share. I always knew I did, yet those people who "discovered" my work were very much not trying to pass along job opportunities or say my name for employment. What ended up happening often was people saying WOCSHN to mean me or another member. However, WOCSHN is an organization I co-founded, not who I am. It's what I've built.

Then I started to think bigger: what do we really need? How can we create opportunities that will get us paid and help us build our own archive of brilliance? I decided to create a Curriculum Lab, something I've wanted to do for years! I tried to do it at my last full-time job but the non-educators couldn't see the value and it didn't happen. Today, I crafted and built a workshop that trains individuals in writing measurable learning outcomes and objectives, that discusses copyright laws, build creativity, and peer support. One part of this that I learned at the original Lab was we need more than 3 hours to write together. We also need some time to discuss unlearning the white supremacist ways we have been trained to educate our communities. We must focus on our intuition and what we know to be true and just for our communities and ourselves.

This curriculum offers that and more! We pushed each other to use gender neutral language, resist ways that ableism shows up in our work through language and expectations for body movement, learning, and pleasure. We wrote and centered bodies of color and communities of color first and foremost. We are unapologetic about this focus. We reimagined and recreated definitions for terminology that has targeted us yet not been relevant to us. We do not assume participants are HIV negative or heterosexual and encourage facilitators to do the same. There are no images because black and white copies of people of color are usually horrible.

As the editor of this curriculum I am wide open to learning how we can make this more accessible in

the future. I'm so proud of what we have created. Below is a line up of what lesson plans are featured. Here we are closing 2017 with a publication that has Black and Latinx writers. 

Exploring Sources of Sexuality Messaging by Rev. Lacette Cross
Examining faith and spiritual belief systems messaging

All the Feels! by Elicia Gonzales, MSW
How all bodies may experience pleasure?

Love Haiku: Write One For You by Mariotta Gary-Smith, MPH, CSE
Exploring Japanese poetry genre Haiku and creating one about love of self

Types of Propaganda by Bianca Laureano, MA, CSE
Understanding the different types of propaganda and how they target us

Bodies Impossible: How We See Black Bodies In the Media by Ashleigh Shackelford
Examining media messages and representations of Black bodies

Bodies & Pleasure: Beyond One Size Fits All by Sara C. Flowers, DrPH & Bianca Laureano, MA, CSE
More bodies and more ways to experience pleasure and understand the range of pleasure

What's Self-Care? by Bianca Laureano, MA, CSE
Exploring the reality and actions of self-care strategies

Asking For Help Is A Gift by Bianca Laureano, MA, CSE & Abeni Jones
Understanding resistance to and strategies to asking for help

How To Take Care of Each Other by Abeni Jones
Examining the ways we can support each other and community members

Read our press release here.

Head on over to my website to purchase the curriculum directly. Be sure to include an email address for me to send the PDF of curriculum! If you have questions send me an email!

Curriculum Lab in Chicago with ABSC

The Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN) has partnered with the Association of Black Sexologists & Clinicians (ABSC) for their 2018 annual conference in Chicago, IL January 31 - February 2, 2018 to offer our Curriculum Lab for educators and facilitators. Join us as we build lesson plans and a collaboration curriculum!

Register here.

 

Let's talk about sex and reproductive justice! Webinar

Tuesday January 10, 2017 1:00PM -2:30PM EST
We should each make our own decision about who we have sex and build relationships with and hae the info and support to manage our reproductive health. Together we can combat stigma and move towards sex positivity to ensure that we can create the healthy and empowered sex ives we want for ourselves. Follow the conversation at #RJ2017.

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!

Why To Donate to WOCSHN Fundraising Effort

Aside from the FACT that Black women should be wherever they choose to be, and be there safely and experience all the pleasure they desire; there are several more reasons to donate. This post is about one reason: building community and building infrastructure.

When the WOCSHN (Women of Color Sexual Health Network) was established we had big dreams. We still do. Since many of us are all over the US, annual conferences are one of the only ways all WOCSHN members, including executive members, can be together, in 3D, and build.

Yes, we live in the "future" today, but skpe calls, emails, and texting are not the same as building in person. It matters that women of Color, especially Black women, can meet and build and support one another. This is especially imperative for those of us in the sexuality, sexual health, and reproductive justice field.

This fundraising is not just about helping 5 Black sexologists present their original research. It's also about helping WOCSHN meet to plan becoming a legitimate organization. An organization where we can fundraise on behalf of all members who wish to attend. An organization that will demand recognition from color-free spaces that have excluded us, and continue to do so, for far too long.

There are conversations that must occur in person and with as many WOCSHN members who wish to attend. This is what your donations will support. This is what all the donations we will receive will support. Please help us meet our goal.

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.

Meet A Black Sexologist: Tracie Gilbert

I'm happy to introduce and feature some amazing Black Sexologists for Black History Month (and always because it's always BHM here and atThe LatiNegr@s Project!) This month I will be featuring amazing Black women in the sexuality and sexology field. Each woman featured is also a member of the Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WOCSHN), an amazing space that has given us a connection to one another and ways to network.

Each woman featured is not only an amazing provider, educator, therapist, and/or activist, but they are also a part of the WOCSHN Fundraising effort to raise funds to attend AASECT conference this year where we will present our original research and findings. Please consider donating if you can and spreading the word so we can meet our goal!

Please meet Tracie Gilbert

Why are you in the field? What brought you to this field?

GREAT question…I came to this field after being interested in African American adolescent identity development, and finding all this research about their negative sexual outcomes. I originally thought about how this may affect the notion of blackness (read: black as lascivious, immoral, savage), but began to shift my notions a bit to think about Black sexuality as a whole—specifically the question of “What does it mean to be Black and sexual in the 21^st Century?” At this point, my main interest is in helping answer this question, and make sure that answer is as life-affirming as possible.

What work do you do, what do you hope to shift/change/work on?

Currently I’m a full-time doctoral student in human sexuality, and work as a health resource center coordinator in Southwest Philadelphia, with high school students. What I’d like to do ultimately is a number of different things: working at an HBCU as an academic faculty member is top on my list, followed by doing work in the community as an independent workshop leader/consultant/counselor, etc. I am specifically interested in advancing the field of Black sexology, really helping bring new light to current ways of viewing sexuality, and—again—that notion of what it really means to be sexual. African-centered epistemologies and philosophies around sexuality do not get real voice in the sexology discipline; the great news about that though is the flexibility we have in introducing new ideas and frameworks to examine the problems and experiences people have, which I think is KEY for developing new ways to help people live and, by extension, have better sex lives.

  Ideas for future work for Black Women in this field:

 Create more networks, get more credentialing that is specifically in Sexology/Human Sexuality, INTRODUCE MORE SEXOLOGY THEORY…and recruit more sexologists, especially Black men, and ESPECIALLY those [Black men] who identify as heterosexual!!!

 Any additional items to share?

  I am truly thankful the Universe brought me to this field. It’s not something I would’ve ever thought about growing up, but I know that’s only because I knew nothing about it. So much in the way of research and practice (both education and clinical work) happens ABOUT Black and other communities of color in this field; very LITTLE, however, includes or even considers our voices, history, or epistemologies in the theoretical framework. THIS is a problem that must be addressed if we are ever to truly move forward in making sexuality a consistently GREAT thing to do/be in our communities.