I mind faux empowerment laced with the persistent whine of victimization.
Seems to me empowerment-victimization is the MO of many women’s womyn’s groups. And, apparently, now the Girl Guides, too.
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Andrea updates: The guide itself. “Happy, Healthy, Hot”–the title really does tell you a lot about priorities for International Planned Parenthood.
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Andrea again: Sorry, it’s actually “Healthy, Happy, Hot”. My mistake. That changes everything.








Good heavens.
The pamphlet starts with this: “S*xual and reproductive rights are recognized around the world as human rights.S*xual rights relate to a person’s s*xuality, s*xual orientation, gender identity and s*xual health. Reproductive rights relate to a person’s fertility, reproduction and reproductive health. There is some overlap between the two concepts. Every person living with HIV is entitled to these rights and they are necessary for the development and well-being of all people and the societies in which they live.”
And it gets better from there.
According to PP, “Some countries have laws that say people living with HIV must tell their s*xual partner(s) about their status before having s*x, even if they use condoms or only engage in s*xual activity with a low risk of giving HIV to someone else. These laws violate the rights of people living with HIV by forcing them to disclose or face the possibility of criminal charges.”
Really? Because I thought PP was all about choices. And in order to make a well-thought-out choice, you need to know a bit about the risks you are taking before you act. And a potential partner’s HIV status definitely falls under risks you should take into consideration before doing the mattress-mambo.
I’m speechless. I actually had the thought that PP put this pamphlet out there just to get a rise out of people like me, that maybe they thought it would be fun to watch us go apoplectic. They can’t possibly think that putting this information out there would somehow improve the lives of people living with HIV, or would make young people act more responsibly with their sexual behavior, can they?
(Edited to try to get around the spam filter.)