May we all find salvation, in professions that heal ~ Shawn Colvin Hello, my name is Breetel Shy, and I have a confession to make. Talking about sexuality scares the shit out of me. I can discuss the history of masturbation, teach a roomful of highschoolers how to use a condom, and debate the implications of abstinence-only education without blushing, but ask me to tell a sexual partner that I want him to go down on me or that sometimes I’d rather masturbate than have sex, and I need to prepare for a week. When talking about sexuality is personal, it’s a whole other ballgame.
I grew up in a very religious household. My mom is so into God, that she named all of her children Hebrew variations of one basic sentiment- God Rocks. In our house, sexuality was not talked about except to say that sex could make babies and it should happen in marriage. In school, the take home message was always, Just Say No…Or else. At nine years old I remember overhearing my oldest sister talk about losing her virginity on the phone. I cried for weeks. I wrote letters to God and put them under my bed, praying that my sister wouldn’t die. My parents never said anything bad about masturbation but because they didn’t say anything, I...
