Nearly seven years ago, my supervisor gave me the okay to facilitate puberty and sex ed workshops for teens at my branch. I had not planned on becoming the “Sex Ed Librarian” when I started here 17-years ago, but here I am offering to help you answer some of your biggest sex and puberty questions.
My kiddos were on the cusp of puberty and starting middle school nearly a decade ago. Since they have so much access to information at their fingertips, I didn’t want them to enter into a new social world with inaccurate information. Sure, they knew how babies were made, that people with penises were sometimes called boys, that people with vaginas were sometimes called girls, and that menstruation was something that happened monthly when girls got older. The world has changed since I was 12, and they needed more reliable information in order to make appropriate decisions about their sexuality and their bodies.
Sex is more than just biological functions and reproduction. It can be a pleasurable physical act between two consenting people, but that’s just a small piece of what sexuality is. It is a huge pie that includes how we feel about our bodies; our sexual orientations; our spiritual beliefs; our communication skills; and how well we form both platonic and romantic relationships. There are so many aspects of our lives that play an important role when we decide to become physically intimate with someone. Heck! What does physically intimate even mean? Is it hugs and kisses or hand holding and snuggles? How does one even determine? I rationalized that if my children had these questions, then so do many other teens.
So I’m bringing my Sexuality Education from out of the library and onto our social media spaces. I want to help you help yourself! Questions and answers will be featured on our Bklyn Future Teen Blog and Instagram account. Your names will not be attached to submitted questions. If requested, answers will also be emailed directly to you. Please send your questions to Ms. Rakisha to bklynfuture@bklynlibrary.org.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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