This week I sent out my June 2020 Dr. Jenn’s Den newsletter. There’s a lot going on for all of personally and societally right now, at a level that can feel overwhelming, confusing, and certainly stressful. Below is the introduction to my newsletter this month, talking about how race, gender, and sexuality are all intimately entwined with sexual health and sexual happiness.

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Race and racial injustices are intimately intertwined with sexual and gender rights, oppressions, & experiences.
We all exist in bodies that are racialized, gendered, sexualized (or de-sexualized), and judged on their appearance and meaning to others -- whether we know it or like it, unfortunately. This shapes our experiences with our own bodies and our interactions with others.

The three components of sexual well-being, as espoused by organizations like the World Association for Sexual Health, are sexual health, sexual rights, and sexual pleasure. Our racial identity, racial history, and how others treat us based on race are highly connected to these and our ability to access health resources, good education, reproductive rights and health, financial stability, and more. This is all related to being able to live a happy, safe, connected life with meaningful intimacy.

For BIPOC folks, this meditation by Dr. Candice Nicole may be helpful right now for your self-care and a brief respite from stress: Black Lives Matter Meditation for Healing Racial Trauma.

And for while folks or others who may be new to taking an active role in being part of the solution, a friend put together this list of resources, videos, books, etc. earlier this year: Taking Responsibility.

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These were the other components of the newsletter this month. You can view the entire Dr. Jenn’s Den newsletter online.