My body is MY body

I discovered the art of masturbation at age 7, that's as far back as I can remember anyway.

On several occasions I was caught masturbating by my mother at which point she explained to that I shouldn't touch myself because 1) it was not okay and 2) I could injure myself...!? For the next 9 years of my life I felt guilty for merely pleasuring myself, an act that only seemed natural to me. Mean while I found myself having multiple sexual experiences with my female playmates in the disguise of games such as "doctor" and "house." Needless to say, I felt guilty about those indulgences as well.

When I finally started to think for myself around 16, I realized that masturbation was in fact a natural and healthy practice...one that I should not feel guilty and perverted about!

I share such a personal story to demonstrate how parental figures depict sexual acts as forbidden behaviors. How often do parents encourage sex or at least speak of it in front of a child younger than 15 years old? Very rarely...

Could this be fostering unsafe practices...because youth want so badly to feel pleasure, but they fear getting caught and being punished?? I don't doubt it!

It is very difficult to ask questions about sex in the first place if we are taught from such a young and influential age that it is forbidden (i.e. bad). If we were to ask, wouldnt that implicate us as lewd and promiscuous, even if we had no intentions of participating in sexual acts? Never-mind going to buy a condom, because that most definitely indicates intentions of sexual acts which portrays you as...what? a...slut, pervert, whore, sexually deviant...?

Sexuality is socially constructed. It is constructed to control us by filling us with shame, guilt, and fear. It just another way for the neo-conservative, radical christians to control us for their own benefit.

My body is MY body. Ultimately, I should decide what I do with it so long as it does not legitimately hurt others. The bottom line is, we should be able to be open about our sexuality without being stigmatized.