Galadriel looked ethereal as always. I like that she is wearing Nenya. It’s the little touches like that that really make the cosplay perfect.
Jen Desmarais
Blush: Seniors
If you think having “the Talk” with your children is weird (try the card game Blush to help with the conversation!), how would you feel about having that same conversation with your newly divorced or widowed parent?
This article from Arti Patel on Boom 99.7’s website has a bunch of statistics, including that both chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases have all increased between the years 1980 and 2015 (the most recent national data). And while seniors aren’t experiencing all that many STIs, the fact that there are still reports of any cases is worrying.
“Joan Price, sex advocate and author of The Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50: How to Maintain – or Regain! – a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life, says the reason why the community has high STI rates is simple: they’re not using condoms.”
So I did some calculations. If a person is 60 today, they were born in 1957. Add 14 (the approximate age for sex education), and you get 1971. What was sexual education in Canada like in 1971?
This was actually an interesting topic to research. I found a pretty great resource here (page 387), but here’s the most important part:
“During the 1960s and 1970s, most students in Canadian schools received little, if any, sexual health education. During this period, information about sexuality was often provided in programs called “Family Life Education” (FLE), which focused on human reproduction, puberty, and, in some cases, birth control.”
Pearson, p 387
Note that there is no mention of STIs. Why not?
Because the AIDS and HIV scares didn’t happen until the 1980s!
So the senior population would not have learned about using protection against diseases. No matter the sexual orientation, a senior couple wouldn’t consider using a condom, because there wouldn’t be a chance of getting pregnant!
In conclusion, have a talk with your parents, and make sure they are aware of the consequences of not using a condom!
References
Sexual Health Education in the Schools: A Brief History – Chapter 15 (PDF: 1MB)
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
Disneybounding sisters
Do you know what disneybounding is? It’s when you dress up in clothing that is reminiscent of a Disney character.
Madison, Wisconsin
A small town in Wisconsin has come across my radar, because every Labour Day, they screen the 2001 movie Shrek in James Madison Park. It has become quite the event over the past four years, with 2018 being the fifth year. People dress up as characters from the movies, take part in the costume contest and the onion eating contest, eat yummy Shrek-themed snacks, and watch the first Shrek movie with tons of other fans. They note that bug spray is needed – so don’t forget that!
Here is the link to their website – prepare yourself for a garish lime green monstrosity!
Are you interested in travelling to Madison, Wisconsin? You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca
Blush: Recommendation Wednesday
One of my close friends posted a very good article on coming out as asexual last week, and I got permission to link to it for my Blush post this week. Please go and read it, and like her on Facebook (here).
I was greatly heartened after the surprisingly well-attended Asexual Identities panel at CanCon this year. It was really awesome to be on a panel with other people who were so similar to myself, and had similar experiences. It was wildly reaffirming, and helped me a great deal on a personal level. [Read more]
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
Tinkerbell and the TARDIS
Tinkerbell was fascinated by the TARDIS, as I expected. It’s a great Lost Thing!
