BIOLOGY
We got bodies! And we need to know how the hell they work!
Everyone’s body parts look a little different.
The size and shape of your exact biology may differ from these drawings, but the inner workings are all the same.
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS
Respect, honesty and communication are what make the foundation of any healthy relationship.
Respect
When we interact with people, it’s important to respect their space, personality, and opinions. Other people are your equal, so treat them as equals.
Honesty
Being honest makes our intentions clear. Being honest helps each person understand each other truly, which can lead to a deeper connection. If you are looking for a romantic partner, choose someone you trust and agree with on these basic relationship values.
Communication
Understanding each other is a key part of being respectful and honest. Telling the other person what you are thinking, and hearing what they are thinking, is going to help you have a healthy relationship.
Equality
All humans are equal. Understanding this, and interacting with other people who know and believe this will help you find a healthy relationship with anyone you come in contact with.
Trust
A person who is respectful, honest, a good communicator, and believe everyone is equal, is a person you can trust. Trusting another person is how you know you are in a healthy relationship.
ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Let’s talk about romantic relationships.
You meet new people all the time, and when you find a special connection, it can be really fun. A special connection can give you the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of another person, and a romantic relationship can begin to form.
It is exciting when you let each other know you both feel that connection. Every relationship has a different flavor, and is a new journey. To keep your life peaceful, it’s important to follow the same foundation in romantic relationships, as in all human relationships.
Respect, honesty, and communication are the key to all healthy relationships. Healthy relationships mean stronger romantic relationships, which can lead to better, more fulfilling physical interaction.
If you’re in a relationship, ask yourself if it’s a healthy relationship that makes you feel good about yourself and each other. A healthy relationship is made up of these things:
RESPECT, TRUST, HONESTY, EQUALITY, & GOOD COMMUNICATION
SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS
Let’s say you like a person and they like you back, and you are attracted to each other. Luckily you trust and respect this person so it’s going to be really fun spending time with them.
It’s normal to like other humans and finding someone you like who likes you back is a magical feeling. The important part is that you like them and want to hang out with them, and they like you and want to hang out with you too. If that is happening, it will feel right because you both respect each other as equals, and being equals is sexy.
Sometimes, if everyone involved is into it, exploring your bodies together can be a really fun next step. Movies, tv and porn, can make it seem like you’re just supposed to know what sex will be like. But just like everything else in movies, they’re not real.
The way sex is depicted in movies and porn is fiction. It’s hard to fully illustrate the best and worst parts of sex. They don’t show the awkward moments, the sticky moments, and it’s impossible to show how great an orgasm can really feel.
The awkward, sticky, and best feeling moments are all very intimate. That’s why you want to make sure you are doing these things with someone you respect, trust, and have good communication with.
SEXUALITY
You don’t have to be IN LOVE with someone to have sex with them, but you should like them!
There are many different ways of having sex. Sex doesn’t have to be intercourse.
Sex is also the kissing and touching that can lead to penetration, but it doesn’t have to end in penetration.
People can be comfortable with any level of sexual play. However you do it, it’s im- portant that you and your partners level of comfort is communicated and understood by both of you.
It can be very sexy to talk about how turned on you are and what level of intima- cy you are interested in.
ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS
Let’s talk about abusive relationships.
If you feel you’re being treated badly, you probably are. If you’re in an abusive relationship, you need to safely get out of it. If someone you know is in an abusive relationship, the best thing you can do is be supportive, listen, and get them help from parents, teachers, or other trusted adults.
INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE (IPV) is when someone repeatedly does hurtful things to get power or control over their partner. IPV or dating violence can happen in relationships that are serious, not serious, short-term, or long-term. IPV can cause physical injuries, a lot of stress, and make you depressed. It can make you do poorly in school, and abuse drugs and/or alcohol.
Remember that a relationship can be abusive without physical violence. Also remember that both partners can be abusive to- ward each other.
TYPES OF ABUSE
There are many different types of abuse.
ISOLATION (keeping you from family and friends)
EXTREME JEALOUSY (or stalking)
VERBAL ABUSE (name-calling, yelling, and put-downs)
EMOTIONAL ABUSE (making you feel like you don’t deserve love, saying it’s your fault that they treat you badly)
DIGITAL ABUSE (controlling what you do on social media, stalking your profiles)
INTIMIDATION OR THREATS (threatening to break up with you, threatening to “out” your sexual orientation)
PEER PRESSURE (pressure to use drugs/alcohol or do other things you don’t want to do)
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE (hitting, choking, pushing, breaking or throwing things to express anger, blocking the door or not letting you leave when you want to)
SEXUAL VIOLENCE (pressuring or forcing you to have sex or do sexual things when you don’t want to, or preventing you from using birth control or condoms when you want to).