Theoretically, the park might have been a good idea. It was restricted to adults and would likely contain a mixture of statues, sex education signs and posters and even host workshops on sexual technique. There are some obvious issues here, most notably the opening of the park gate with a pair of legs in some tiny underwear didn't seem overly welcoming to most women. 

The park was inspired by a similar attraction on South Korea's Jeju island, also called Loveland. The island was known as a honeymoon island for young couples from Korea, but now hosts a adult theme park featuring erotic statues, exhibits, and other sexuality features. 

The sexual educator in me wants to celebrate ventures like these because they did and would have sparked quite a few conversations around sexuality in China. However, those conversations seem likely to have only further demonized sexuality as perverse or tawdry rather than the educational value promised by park owners. 

National Masturbation Month was started by Good Vibrations in 1995, to protest the firing of sex-positive U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders. If you remember, Elders suggested that masturbation should be a part of sex education and was then fired from her post.

Although I'd like to think the climate of fear around sexuality (and masturbation as a part of a healthy sexuality) has changed somewhat, we have to keep in mind that it's only within the past month that abstinence-only education has been de-funded. Small victories.

Here are just a few reasons to celebrate National Masurbation Month:

- Masturbation can help you learn about your body and what feels good for you. Whether it is getting comfortable with your basic anatomy, learning what parts of your body like to be touched during sexual play, or getting used to a new sex toy.

- Masturbation can also help you learn about your partner's body. Watching a partner masturbate can help you learn about what they enjoy, how they like to be touched, and can be a fun alternative to your normal sexual routine.

- For those couples concerned with this, masturbation can also be a great form of sexual release that has no risk of pregnancy or STIs (this only includes masturbating yourself, not a partner - you can still come into contact with bodily fluids that carry STIs). 

- It's fun! Free! And good for you!

Other fun masturbation tidbits from Bitch Blogs:

- Every year in San Francisco there is a Masturbate-A-Thon (also started by Good Vibrations in 2000) to raise awareness and funds for safe, accurate, comprehensive sex education. Fun fact: The record-holder in this event masturbated for 9 hours and 58 minutes straight! Now there is a dedicated philanthropist.

- Feminist sex shop Early to Bed is hosting a masturbation haiku contest this month with some great prizes on the line.

- Think you're a semi-professional masturbator? Test your skills with this masturbation quiz!

Photo by  Abulic Monkey on Flickr.

A good summary of a great series that speaks to not only teens but people of all ages about important sexuality topics using frank language, humor, and facts. 

We can't wait to watch the show this fall! You can watch all the hilarious MTSS videos by clicking on the link in their name above. Enjoy! You can also follow them on Twitter to keep up with the latest news.

We hope to keep them involved blogging, and wish them all the best as they take off from their midwest nest. 

 Samantha needs a job, so keep her in mind!  Natalie's off to graduate school in medical sociology, off to the wild west coast, and will be learning more, no doubt, about sexual communities. 

May the Kinsey Institute stamp of approval come in handy someday!

We are currently redesigning and editing a new, fresh site for Kinsey Confidential. It will feature an entirely new layout, updated resource pages, more interactive content and a fresh, clean layout. However, this means that for the next few weeks our blog posting will slow down considerably while we put most of our efforts into this redesign.

Please be patient with us and continue visiting and interacting with our social networking sites on Facebook and Twitter.

KINSEY CONFIDENTIAL welcomes Amanda Millis, guest blogger from AIDS Walk NY:

Many people no longer view AIDS as a crisis. During the past few years, I have heard statements such as “It doesn’t kill people like it used to…” and “The medications are so much better now…” from friends, family, and peers in San Francisco, L.A., Texas, and New York. The general consensus is that the topic of AIDS is not as relevant as it was fifteen years ago.

My dad died from pneumocystis carinii (AIDS related pneumonia) on October 8, 2002. Nobody knew he was positive because he did not seem sick. He died on his bathroom floor and had been diligently working everyday throughout his secret illness to ensure posthumous financial security for his loving partner and me. I believe that my dad actually died from the shame associated with STDs— he never received treatment.

I was 21 years old and my dad was only 47. I felt like my heart was missing. I went through the motions of making funeral arrangements, moved to California, and slept on my couch for months. One of the strongest sensibilities my dad helped to instill in me grew as my depression lingered. I realized the only way to grieve for my dad with the remembrance he deserved and heal from the most devastating experience in my life would be to reach out to others affected by HIV and AIDS.

I am an artist, and for a long time after my father’s death, did not see the importance of making things anymore. I began creating again by making an AIDS awareness poster that depicted my dad’s life and the circumstances surrounding his death. On my dad’s first birthday after his death I dressed up, bought hundreds of condoms, and printed 50 copies of my poster. I went to West Hollywood and gave out the condoms and posters while telling patrons at the local gay establishments my dad’s story. I was surprised when much of the younger crowd didn’t want to have anything to do with me, saying things like, “You just ruined my night” or “I was planning to hook up.” I did find solace in the leather and bear crowds. Most of them were contemporaries of my dad’s generation and gave me the support I needed to continue my journey.

While I was out that night, I saw an advertisement for AIDS Walk Los Angeles and jotted the date in my calendar. I was still overwhelmed with sadness and didn’t do much to prepare in the months preceding the event. I didn’t sleep at all the night before and could only think of my dad. I may have gone to the Walk by myself, but I was carrying my dad in my heart. The only person I spoke to was at the Sign-In Area where I made a donation of $25 toward my personal fundraising. Thousands of participants caused me to no longer feel alone in my grief as I sobbed behind big sunglasses, and dozens of partnering organizations set up at the finish line catalyzed the healing spirit of service inside me. I picked up a pamphlet for every volunteer opportunity I could find.

These volunteer opportunities have merged with my artistic nature and have sparked a passionate flame for HIV and AIDS social justice. Now I create media and PR opportunities at AIDS Walk New York. I help to circulate the very type of advertisements that began my journey. By partnering with organizations such as Kinsey Institute, the distribution of these messages will cause HIV/AIDS awareness to grow. These actions we take together fight shame and complacency while building dignity and awareness for all human sexuality. I am proud that Kinsey Confidential and The Kinsey Institute are media partners with AIDS Walk New York (the world’s biggest AIDS fundraiser), now in its 24^th consecutive year. The reality of personal experience is the strongest tool we can use to build a community around the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Dictionary.com defines crisis as, “the point in the course of a serious disease at which a decisive change occurs, leading either to recovery or to death.”  Together, we are a point in the course of HIV/AIDS leading to recovery. If one child who has lost his or her parent to AIDS or even one HIV+ parent who is afraid to seek treatment sees an AIDS Walk advertisement or reads this story, we are succeeding in helping to eradicate indifference. One day we will live in a world without shame. We will walk side-by-side, en masse, caring for each other.

Amanda Mullis, AIDS Walk NY

"Dining Out For Life^® is an annual fundraising event involving the generous participation of volunteers, corporate sponsors and restaurants. In exchange for their financial support, restaurants are listed in a city wide marketing campaign in an effort to increase customer traffic.

More than 3,500 restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds from this one special night of dining to the licensed agency in their city. Nearly $4 million dollars a year is raised to support the missions of agencies throughout North America. With the exception of the annual licensing fee of $600, all money raised in these cities stays there"

Check out the website to see if your town/city is participating.

Today also marks the end of National STD Awareness Month. If you're sexually active, did you get tested? Fine out more here. 

And, on April 24th, another young man committed suicide after repeated bullying despite the efforts of his family to get the school to address the problem. His name was Jaheem Herrera, from DeKalb County, Georgia. All three of these young men were harassed, taunted and had what seemed to be pretty miserable school environments and had unsuccessfully tried to address the issue with school authorities.

Not only is this type of bullying horrifying but I think it points to a larger issue of sexual orientation and gender identity as key pieces being left out of current harassment, hate crime, and discrimination policies. In fact, the house is set to vote this week on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which addresses sexual orientation and gender identity in a couple of ways - according to the Talking Points Media (TPM) blog the bill:

1. Expands the existing definition of a "hate crime" to include gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability . (Under existing law, if someone commits a violent crime against someone which is motivated by the victim's race or religion, then that crime receives a harsher sentence than it would otherwise. HR 1913 simply expands the classes protected by this rule.)
2. Gives federal law enforcement greater leeway and resources to investigate and prosecute hate crimes, in case local law enforcement lacks the resources to, or chooses not to, investigate.

 While this blog addresses issues around sexuality and gender, I recognize that it isn't focused on advocacy efforts around specific causes like gay marriage or abortion rights. However, I do think that people involved in sexuality research and sexual health outreach have a responsibility to bring up issues around discrimination and harassment based on any characteristic (be it race, religion or sexual orientation) that impacts a person's access to basic human rights like safety, healthcare, and freedom of choice. Ultimately, it is access to these basic rights that determine your sexual health and ability to express your sexuality without fear of harassment, violence and, in the case of these two young men, death.

Photo by  Eddie~S on Flickr.

The article from the Daily Mail (UK) tells the story of 36 year-old Natalie Read, who had the operation after a series of miscarriages while trying to have her third child. The operation is being touted as the equivalent to the vasectomy in terms of ease and speed of recovery, much shorter than that of a traditional procedure for women which is major surgery and generally requires a hospital stay. Many tubal ligations are done after a caesarean section (c-section) delivery of a baby but they can be performed at any time once a woman decides she wants to permanently remove her ability to get pregnant.

This new procedure (which requires no incisions), called the Adiana Permanent Contraception System, uses radio signals to make a lesion in each fallopian tube followed by insertion of a piece of silicone. Healthy tissue grows around the silicone (forming scar tissue), creating a permanent blockage which prevents eggs coming into contact with sperm. The procedure uses hysteroscopy, which allows a gynecologist to look inside and operate within the uterus via the cervix.

The system is currently under FDA review but seems to be getting close to the approval process after safety trials in the US, Australia and Mexico performed well.

Permanent sterilization is a huge choice and not one to be made lightly. For more information about other forms of long or short term birth control, check out Planned Parenthood's main contraception information page.

 Photo by steve heath on Flickr.

 The United Kingdom's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists issued a report last week in an attempt to address the possible medical issues around excessive hairiness in women, beyond the cosmetic "problem."

Five to 15% of women have excess hair (called hirsutism), and can often be linked to a  hormone disorder. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the cause in 70% to 80% of cases.

PCOS, according to CDC Women's Health, a health problem that can affect a woman's menstrual cycle, ability to have children, hormones, heart, blood vessels, and appearance.

With PCOS, women typically have:

• high levels of androgens (sometimes called male hormones, although females also make them).
• missed or irregular periods
• many small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) in their ovaries

PCOS is a systematic illness, which means that many parts of the body are impacted. Most directly, the female reproductive system (ovarian cysts, irregular periods, infertility), but also the body's ability to process insulin (insulin resistance or Type II diabetes), growth of excessive hair (on the face, chest, stomach or back), weight issues (obesity, extra weight around the waist, difficulty losing weight), and the skin (thickened and dark brown/black skin on neck, arms, breasts, or thighs).

The disease has no known specific cause but it can run in families. Treatments mainly focus on addressing the specific symptoms of each woman which can vary widely. These might include birth control to regulate periods, diabetes medications to treat the insulin resistance, fertility drugs for women trying to get pregnant, or anti-androgens to help reduce hair growth and clear acne. Lifestyle modifications can help with weight loss, which might reduce symptoms as well. If the ovaries have multiple cysts, ovarian drilling can be done to induce ovulation which might reduce some symptoms.

Considering this disease is becoming more common (about one in ten women of childbearing age has PCOS. & is the most common cause of female infertility), I'm glad to see the BBC news and researchers there are picking up on it and trying to increase awareness around this disease.

For more information, check out Soul Cysters, a support website for women with PCOS.

Photo by Foxtongue on Flickr.