A Note To Wannabe Sexologists [EXPERT]

If you asked me if being a sexologist is hard, this is what I would say....

Last December, I facilitated a session which defined sex, sexuality and intimacy during SlutTalk, a fringe event under SlutWalk Singapore. It was the inspiration for an earlier piece on publichouse.sg with the same title here. After my session, I thought I was off-work, resumed my civilian status, and was easing into my seat. An undergraduate lady sitting next to me began small talk by first remarking that I look nothing like my namecard/ website/ media pictures.

Last 9 Things I Wish I Learned In Sex Ed—Part 4 of 4 [EXPERT]

What exactly is “normal,” “correct,” and “acceptable” when it comes to sex and sexuality?

One does not set out to be a sexuality educator, not one coming from a typical Chinese family anyway. I became one to help people because I was tired to sex always talked about in negative ways.

Another 9 Things I Wish I Learned In Sex Ed—Part 3 of 4 [EXPERT]

Other than sex ed from The Silent Scream, what else is there to learn about sex and sexuality?

I was probably 11 or 12 when I watched a video called “The Silent Scream” in primary school (or grade school in the U.S.). It is a documentary video which depicts the abortion process via ultrasound and shows an abortion taking place in the uterus. During the abortion process, the presenter dramatically paused the video as the 11-week fetus opens its mouth in the uterus – in what appeared to be an outcry of pain and discomfort – and went, “There, there, there is the silent scream!”

9 More Things I Wish I Learned In Sex Ed—Part 2 of 4 [EXPERT]

What does this sexologist wish she learned about sexuality besides menstruation growing up?

The only sexuality education I received in secondary school (or high school in the U.S.) was in the form of annual school talks presented by pharmaceutical companies promoting sanitary pads or tampons (depending where they were from). The boys got to first jeer at us, as they went out to play in the sun. We, the young ladies, had the burden of listening to instruction on menstruation and the need to clean up after ourselves.

9 Things I Wish I Had Learned In Sex Ed [EXPERT]

What might a sexologist wish she learned about sex and sexuality growing up?

Growing up in a relatively typical Chinese family in Singapore, I received very little sexuality education. Let me give you the context: I did not know that what I had "down there" was called the vulva even though I had the "bits." I did not attempt to pronounce the word penis until I was 26, and as if that by itself was not awkward enough, I was then told that I said it wrong! Here are nine things that I wish I had learned in sex-ed as a teenager...

safe sex — Safe sex is vastly underrated.

"I Don't Care How Drunk You Are: Use A Friggin' Condom!"

Study says that condom use (or non-use) has nothing to do with drunkenness. So no more excuses.

One would think that, after years of condom-on-banana sex ed in our schools, we'd finally get that condom use is kind of a smart idea. And when I say "kind of," I really mean "just wrap it up, you idiots."

Go Ask Alice: The 10 Most Sexually Healthy Colleges In The U.S.

Columbia University was named an "institution of higher banging" by Trojan.

Our Ivy League neighbor down the road, Columbia University, has been named the most sexually healthy college in the country for the second year straight, according to rankings from Trojan.

New York Schools Will Require Sex Ed For First Time In 20 Years

One of the lessons will be how to put on and use a condom.

New York City schools will be required to have sex-education classes for middle and high school students this year. They will include lessons on using a condom, city officials say. The classes mark the first time in almost two decades the city will require sex-education classes.