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In This Issue:
Meet Mattise + Orgasms + #BallotBoss
Congressman John Lewis
Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
— Congressman John Lewis
We honor and mourn civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis — a beacon of grace, courage, and fearlessness. Read his encouragement for the next generation, written by Congressman John Lewis himself shortly before his passing.
    
In our last issue, we announced our call for businesses to become a #BusinessForBC by pledging to ensure birth control coverage for their employees, and to support policies that protect sexual and reproductive health care access.

ICYMI: the Supreme Court ruled that your employer or university — based on their personal objections — can decide if your health insurance covers your birth control.

Meet Mattise: she's a recent grad who faced barriers to accessing birth control and reproductive health care while attending a religious university.


At my university, it went beyond birth control. The health center there wouldn't provide prescription birth control, STI tests, or even condoms. Not even when I was sexually assaulted and called the campus health center for help. No emergency contraception, no STI testing, nothing — when I needed it most. When I asked if they knew where the closest Planned Parenthood was, they told me to use my own resources to find out. Thankfully, I have access to the magic of the internet, and the means to travel.

But not everyone has the resources to figure out how to get health care in this country. Health insurance is confusing too, especially when you're a young person, navigating it for the first time. I was lucky to find a Planned Parenthood health center near campus, which I continued to visit for sexual and reproductive health care throughout the rest of my time in college. I even got a Pap test there when my campus health center, of course, refused to provide it.

Getting birth control should be easy. Yet, the Supreme Court is letting the Trump administration's rule affect not just students like me, but women, families, and LGBTQ+ people whose employers have their own moral or religious objections to people accessing this care.”

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What we're listening to:
Sex Ed, Consent and Intimate Relationships During a Pandemic with Dr. Sara Flowers
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Planned Parenthood Federation of America Vice President of Education, Dr. Sara C. Flowers, discusses sex ed, consent, and intimate relationships during COVID-19 with Les Alfred, host of @balancedblkgirl podcast.
"I can't orgasm during masturbation. Is that normal?"
Sometimes orgasms come quickly and easily. And sometimes you might need more time or a very specific type of stimulation. Having and not having orgasms are both normal. Many things can impact your ability to have an orgasm, including:
  • hormones
  • your physical or mental health and emotions
  • past experiences
  • taking certain medicines
  • using alcohol or drugs
Everyone's body is different, and there's no one "right" way to have an orgasm. And you don't have to have an orgasm every time you masturbate or have sex.

Experimenting with what feels good can help you get to know your body, and discover what sexually excites you. You can try exploring entertainment that brings you sexual pleasure, using sex toys, water or silicone-based lubricants, reducing stress to improve your mood, limiting or cutting-out alcohol and drugs, and exercising regularly.

The most important thing to remember is that orgasms happen… and sometimes they don't. Remember to make pleasure, not orgasms, the end goal.

— Attia at Planned Parenthood
Be a #ballotboss in this election. Here's How:
Become a #BallotBoss and make sure you and your squad are ready to hit the polls in November:

Step 1: Make sure you're registered to vote. Double check your voter registration status to make sure you're good to go in November by texting BOSS1 to 22422.

Step 2: Make a plan to vote. Whether you're voting in-person or opting to vote by mail, map out a schedule and make a plan to get to the polls by texting BOSS2 to 22422.

Step 3: Form a #BallotBoss squad. Encourage three friends to join you by texting BOSS3 to 22422 and sharing your commitment on social media.

By providing your cell phone number, you agree to receive calls and texts to that number from Planned Parenthood organizations that may be automatically dialed or prerecorded on Planned Parenthood issues and other ways to get involved. Msg freq varies. STOP to quit. Msg & Data Rates May Apply. Terms.
What we're reading:
+ My ___ Was a Suffragist
+ With a Chronic Illness, Sex Can Play Many Roles
+ In 1920, Native Women Sought the Vote. Here's What's Next.
+ Black Women Are Tired of People Trying to Control Our Bodies — So Wake Up
+ We Asked a Gyno About ‘WAP'
+ Amid the Pandemic, New Moms Aren't Getting the Breastfeeding Support They Need
TBH (To Be Honest) is a monthly newsletter dedicated to learning about our bodies, talking about sex and relationships, and challenging health inequity and injustice. Send us your feedback.

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