[NABS-L] CABS Membership Call: Let's Talk About Sex

[Cricket X. Bidleman]

Dear students,

Thanks to all who joined us on Saturday for our study night. We had a
discussion that reaffirmed how lucky I am to have been taught
technology skills, how lucky I am to have been given technology
despite the number of letters of justification and phone calls I’ve
had to make, and how I need to get back into Braille. Please remember
that though we often face struggles with the Department of Rehab and
other similar entities, we are fortunate to have the tools to advocate
for others, and that we should represent all blind students with pride
and thankfulness. And of course, we should never settle until all
blind students are able to acquire equal rights as our sighted peers.

And now, let’s get ready to talk about sex. As someone interested in
helping to research and to reform sex education for the disabled, I
have been waiting for this call for a long time. CABS and I are proud
to put on a student-led forum in which we will discuss any aspects of
consensual sex that you, our fellow  students, feel curious about. We
will of course discuss consent. We recognize how insufficient sex
education is for blind students, and we would like for you to feel
safe and comfortable approaching sexual relationships. As an example,
I was shown an anatomy book, but I wasn’t shown how to apply condoms,
and I was never shown three-dimensional models of sexual organs, which
I believe would have been much more useful. Here’s an anonymous Google
form, where you can submit questions ahead of time:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LATAl-0MF1W0RjYIu2Wqbsq1AjnIHlARv4MQYXVIAyM/viewform?edit_requested=true

Please understand that we will be discussing sensitive topics. We will
expect that people refrain from recording this call, and we will
expect that people be respectful of any questions that are asked,
whether those questions concern “kinky” sex, or are asking how to do
things, etc. Be respectful. And we will not, in any way,  discuss how
to conduct nonconsensual sexual activities. Doing so would be
unconscionable and unethical.

Join us on Saturday at 3:00 PM Pacific, 6:00 PM Eastern. Zoom info below:

Date: Saturday, September 25th, 2021
Time: 3:00 PM Pacific
Link: tinyURL.com/CXBZoomRoom

We look forward to seeing you there. Stay sexy!

Cheers,
Cricket

P.S. Don't forget to like us on Twitter (@NFB_CABS) or Facebook.

-- 
Cricket X. Bidleman, B.A (she/her/hers)
M.A Candidate | Stanford Journalism Class of 2022
Accessibility Consultant | Stanford University Computer Science
President | California Association of Blind Students (CABS)
Rebele Intern | First amendment Coalition (FAC)