Vagina and the Pornography of Anne Frank

Apparently a mother has decided that she is going to fight the school district to ban the original and unedited version of Anne Frank’s journal…which does describe in detail, Anne’s own exploration of her anatomy.

WHAT!?!

She says that her seventh grade daughter was uncomfortable with the pornographic style of Anne’s description of her explorations. She said that it is too graphic for that age group. So since I too am a parent, I thought that I’d mention that this sort of child-rearing, this ignorance is detrimental to raising a well-rounded, educated and self-aware adult.

What is this mother thinking of? Does she not talk about anatomy with the child? Is she going to pull a Carrie’s mother type of thing when the child starts her menses? I can see it now, lock the girl in the closet, scream that now the girl is a full blown sinner, and pray.

The woman could not even say the word Vagina on camera while speaking to the reporter about her anguish.

The fact is that Anne, while suffering from the crises of her young life, was still a normal child, curious and questioning about her own budding womanhood. She noted this curiosity in her own journal, I’m sure unaware that her words would some day become published. Like any child learning about absolutely anything, she was blunt and unaware that there was anything wrong with that exploration. Why? Because learning is never wrong.

It scares me that the future of the world is in the hands of children who have been raised to believe that if they are uncomfortable with something, they can edit it, change it, adapt it, or even ignore it completely. Is that really what we want to raise our children to believe?

Do we want our children to be uncomfortable with their own bodies? Do we want them to grow up to be unaware of their own sexuality and the nature of things?

Yes, that’s right, we should just teach them that storks brought the babies, that adults who marry only kiss and hold hands, and that their bodies are taboo, that their private parts are dirty and that shame is the greatest emotion that one can live with.

That sounds delightful, doesn’t it!?! Those are the people that I want deciding things in the future. Repressed, ignorant, foolish and psychologically blinded folks.

So yes, the mom will probably win against the school board, the version of the book will probably go back to being the edited version. Yes, the students will be taught…even if it’s not consciously, that their discomfort with anatomy, biology and sexuality is GOOD! They will be taught that Anne’s curiosity, like their own, is nothing to be proud of, and that ignorance is far more powerful than wisdom and awareness.

Woohoo!

Another Decree by the Future Spiritual Leader of the World

Okay, why is it such a big deal when someone comes out of the closet? I’m serious! I want this world to be one where being gay, transsexual, lesbian, bisexual, etc. doesn’t matter at all. It’s just not that big of a deal. I want it to be a world where sexuality just isn’t something to be labelled by.

Like me!

I’ve had people say “Oh Mikki, you’ve dated girls, so you’re bisexual.” Huh?

No…I’m sexual. I am attracted to whomever might spark my interest. I don’t limit myself to one gender or the other, but rather take pride in my ability to date based on the soul of the person rather than the gender. After all, it’s a big world out there, with tons of fascinating people.

I want this to be a world where that sort of news is just not news anymore, that when someone in the public eye is of a certain sexuality, it’s not news. I mean, do we announce to the public “Guess what!?! So and so is heterosexual! Woohoo!” No, we don’t…because it sounds stupid to say that.

Well it sounds stupid to say “Guess what!?! So and so is gay! Woohoo!” Unless so and so wants to date me, I could care less.

I know, I know, these are used to help others also come out of the closet and be proud of their own nature…but what if there weren’t any more closets? Wouldn’t that be fantastic?! I mean, can you imagine such a magnificent world that the sexuality of a person, well it just didn’t matter to anyone who wasn’t having sex with them? I know, it totally would.

So this is my next decree…no more closets. Not literally of course, I have clothes that wrinkle easily, but the proverbial closet…the closet that we shove folks into who are not what we consider to be of the norm. Yay! Woohoo! No more closets! Whoopee! I’m so happy that I could make up a cheer!

“No more closets! No more fear!
All sexuality is very dear!
We don’t care if you’re straight or you’re not!
We have better things to worry about,
than who you think is hot!”

I know, I know, it’s not going to happen anytime soon, but since I’ve now announced this new decree, I figure that I’ll start seeing this change…very soon.

Let’s start idolizing folks for their accomplishments, their brains and their talents, their glorious lives, and stop worrying about who the heck they might be boinking.

What Word Should I Use?

Apparently some parents in Idaho think that 10th grade Science teacher Tim McDaniel should not use the word vagina when discussing sex ed in his class. I’m just curious…what word should be used? I mean, yes, in my daily life, I do have a tendency to use twelve year old words, coochie, wang and boinking describe vagina, penis and sexual intercourse in a funny and light-hearted way amongst my friends and family and they just laugh at me. I try to use the official words when I’m speaking with clients or strangers, if those words may need to be used, but for the most part, I do revert to childhood. However, I do know the words. In fact, I knew the words when I was a little girl. My parents did not substitute words like bug, basket and rosebud to discuss body parts, as some of my friends’ parents had. No, they wanted their daughters to know the medical terms of our body parts so that we could accurately discuss aches, pains and when we just felt that something was wrong with those body parts.

I wonder if the parents who are protesting this teacher’s use of the word vagina are one of those parents who let their kids believe that kissing makes babies, babies are brought by storks and the only people who get STDs are those bad girls who carry condoms. I know, I know, I am being too judgmental, but it sort of worries me, since in some cases, sexual education is only going to be taught at school. Sure, it would be great if kids learned about sexual health from their families, from early on learning how to protect oneself from disease, early pregnancy, learning that sexuality is not shameful, but really…what are the statistics on parents who teach that at home? So instead, I am assuming that these parents would prefer that sexual health not be discussed at all…leaving young men and women to experience sexuality, menstruation, puberty, nocturnal emissions and other normal side effects of being human as it comes, leaving these kids to trip and tumble and uncomfortably grope their way through adolescence and adulthood. I suppose that it would be better for the children if they are just celibate until marriage, then just hope that they figure things out.

Nah, I think not. I think that forewarned is forearmed. I think that having an education in sexual health gives a young person not only a leg up when it comes to seeking out partners, but also knowing when something doesn’t feel, look, smell right on their own bodies. I think that the fact that a childhood friend thought that menstrual blood was secreted from the same orifice that urine comes out of…is super sad. I’m just glad that she asked someone before she tried putting a tampon into her urethra…OUCH!

I don’t think that anyone should go through life without education. I think that education of all aspects of life are important. Do these parents want their pubescent daughters and sons to go see a doctor and say “Hi doc, down there hurts.” Or would these parents rather their sons and daughters not be responsible for making sure that if they do in fact have sex prior to marriage, they make sure that they are not the recipient of something that they will have to carry with them through life, whether it be a baby or an STD?

It scares me that in today’s society, parents have an issue with the word vagina being used in a classroom. This argument is not protecting these children. Trust me parents, your kid is hearing much more distasteful words for the beautiful womanly body part…what, it’s okay because it’s from their peers rather than from a teacher? Oh yes, because your child’s peers are absolutely going to give your kid the proper education. If I had received my sexual education from my peers, I probably would have lost my virginity before I turned eighteen. I probably would have freaked out when I started my period. I probably would have had many more children than I did. But no, I received my sexual education from my parents and teachers. I knew that those sores…well I didn’t want them. I knew that I was in charge of my body. I knew that it was my responsibility to keep myself healthy, mentally and physically…when it came to my sexuality. I have never had one of those moments of “Oh I really shouldn’t have slept with that guy” because I feel empowered in my choices regarding my sexuality.

It scares me that in this day and age, parents are still wanting to believe that their children aren’t sexual beings, when in fact, sexuality is beautiful, elegant, fun, sweet, gentle, fierce and everything in between. Shouldn’t we teach children to embrace that part of being human, of being touched by the divine in the ways that our bodies work? Shouldn’t we teach them the proper names for body parts, that the word vagina is as benign as the words elbow or heart? Shouldn’t we teach them that knowing your body and what you can do with it is as important as the what you can do with it part? Shouldn’t we teach them that they are in charge of their reproductive health, that they are empowered and in control of who they share it with? Doesn’t that start with knowledge of how things work?