Guest post by Michael Strickland
The Adolescent Sexuality Conference is held each April in Seaside, Oregon. The theme for the 2014 edition was “Building Blocks of Youth Sexual Health”, and they say about 25% of the attendees are youth. Their webpage says the conference:
“Is for educators, health personnel, administrators, counselors, social and youth service workers, parents, clergy, teen parent program staff, teens, community members and others who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in addressing adolescent sexuality issues. Emphasis is on covering a wide spectrum of adolescent sexuality topics.”
One of the primary sponsors and presenters of the conference is the Cascade AIDS Project, which has published several pamphlets for the event. One such pamphlet is called “A Young Males Guide To… An informative zine for guys who like guys“, and though they claim this is intended for those over 18, it is littered with little drawings that appeal more to a 9 year old than a 19 year old…
…Towards the end of the pamphlet is a page on crystal meth. Besides the topic of the substance itself, it’s odd because there are no other drugs mentioned in the publication. On this page, they talk about how to do meth and the forms it comes in. They paint meth out to be a good thing by saying “Meth is widely used for a million reasons… desire to have lots of sex with lots of partners, for long periods. Ability to dance for hours and hours. It’s cheap. The high lasts a while.” For the risk reduction portion, they say:
“Don’t overdo it… Watch your intake; Don’t share works (needles, tuters); Eat. Drink water; Sleep. Allow your body to recover; Don’t hesitate to get help; Listen to what your body is telling you.”
Read the rest at Progressives Today.
