HMH Foundation Awards 

Woodhull Board Members and staff attended the HMH Foundation First Amendment Awards on September 15th. The HMH Awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to the vital effort to protect and enhance First Amendments rights for all Americans. Among the honorees, was Author Amy Sohn, who we featured in one of our Sexual Freedom Week programs. Woodhull applauds all the nominees and looks forward to continuing our work on preventing censorship of sexual expression.

(Group photo: From left to right: Woodhull Board Member Ben Benavides, Woodhull COO Mandy Salley, Woodhull CEO Ricci Levy and Woodhull Board Member Ted Bernhardt)

Pressure Mounts Against HIV Criminalization as Prosecutions Continue (Source) 

Adam M. Rhodes focuses on recent efforts to change HIV laws: “In the past five years, states such as Georgia, California, and Virginia have reformed their laws to lessen punishments while still maintaining avenues for prosecution in some cases. HIV activists say these changes don’t go far enough and are in broad agreement in their support for fully repealing the laws. They also note that because many states also use general criminal laws to prosecute HIV-related crimes, reform efforts specifically targeting HIV criminal statutes may not be sufficient.”
Read more.

America’s Censored Classrooms (PEN America) 

Jeremy C. Young, Ph.D and Jonathan Friedman, Ph.D. share the key findings from their research into educational gag orders: “There is a legislative war on education in America. At the heart of this war are educational gag orders—state legislative attempts to restrict teaching, training, and learning in K–12 schools and higher education. These bills, which generally target discussions of race, gender, sexuality, and US history, began to appear during the 2021 legislative session and quickly spread to statehouses throughout the country. By the year’s end, 54 bills had been filed in 22 states, of which 12 became law. In 2022, these battles have intensified.” Read more.

Clinics in Anti-Abortion States Struggle to Stay Open (Rewire News Group) 

Garnet Henderson covers clinics in anti-abortion states: “Less than three months into this post-Roe world, each week brings news of more abortion clinics shutting down and moving away from the states that have banned or are expected to ban abortion. [...] But some independent clinics in states that have banned or are expected to ban abortion are fighting to stay open in an attempt to ensure that the end of legal abortion doesn’t mean the end of access to contraception, obstetric and gynecological care, and miscarriage management, especially in rural and other underserved areas.” Read more.

Trans Kids Finally Scored a Victory in Texas (Mother Jones) 

Samantha Michaels highlights trans kids’ victory in Texas: “A district court judge in Texas put a pause on the governor’s witch hunts by issuing a temporary injunction that prohibits child welfare officials from investigating any parents who are members of the group PFLAG, a national LGBTQ organization that sued to try to stop the investigations.” Read more.

9 LGBTQ+ Sex Ed Facts All Queer Teens Should Know (them.) 

Quispe López shares LGBTQ+ sex ed facts targeted at queer teens. On masturbating, López writes: “Understanding sex often begins by understanding what makes your own body feel good. Often, this takes place way before you add another person to the equation. Dr. Evan Goldstein, founder of the gay men’s sexual health practice Bespoke Surgical, tells Them that masturbation can be an important tool for figuring out what you like and what you don’t, all without the added pressure of having another person in the room.” Read more.

Tess’ Take: Censorship in Schools (Woodhull’s Sex & Politics Blog) 

Tess Joseph writes about censorship in schools: “In the last year, educational gag orders—defined by PEN America as “state legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics such as race, gender, American history, and LGBTQ+ identities”—have increased by 250 percent. PEN America notes that those bills are also increasingly punitive, including hefty fines, loss of state funding for educational institutions, and for teachers, termination of employment or even criminal charges.” Read more.