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Looking at my Padlet wall, the first theme that stood out to me in my posts was gender and gender equality. Of the thirteen posts, four of them touched on this topic. I believe that so many of my posts had to do with this topic because I am very passionate about removing the stigma that surrounds the LGBTQ community. My second, third, and fourth posts were all videos that dealt with gender. In my first video I posted, the concept of gender was discussed, including the biological, social, and cultural aspects associated. It also discussed the classic "nature vs nurture" argument and how that relates to gender. This video was incredibly educational and was extremely useful and helping me understand the difference between sex, gender, and sexual orientation. The next video I posted interviewed parents and children to examine their views on gender roles. This was a very eye-opening video to watch as it showed the subliminal messages we, as a society, are sending to our impressionable youth. Most gender stereotypes go without explicitly stating them, and many times in the video when asked why one sex could not engage in a certain activity, the answer was "because they are a boy/girl." To me, it was saddening to see the boundaries and limitations children believed existed because of one's gender. The last video I posted on gender was about a transgender girl who's father was a pastor. I found this video to be incredibly eye opening to the reality of transgender people and the struggles that they face. Additionally, I found it even more interesting that her father was a pastor, and that he supported his child's transition so publicly. My other post that dealt with the topic of gender was an article that discussed one company's announcement of a transgender male as the face of their menstrual campaign. The goal of the campaign was to eliminate the social stigma surrounding menstruation, and I believe they were very innovative to include a transgender man who has not undergone FTM sexual reassignment surgery, and thus still experiencing monthly periods. I personally believe that this is a incredibly honorable act and is a step in the right direction of recognizing the LGBTQ community and creating an inclusive society.

Another theme that I saw in my posts was discussing sexuality within a Christian context. Of the thirteen posts, three of them directly dealt with Christianity. I think that there was a theme of Christianity within my posts not only because I identify myself as a Christian, but also because I wanted to know more about how Christianity and human sexuality could coexist. Specifically, because I made a commitment to remain abstinent until marriage, I was interested in Christian articles that had to do with singleness and purity. In my first article, the protagonist is a woman who was saved later in her life and had become a "born-again virgin". She was wrestling with the reality that she was now a single woman in her sexual prime who had just committed herself to abstinence and was very frustrated that God had not sent her a healthy relationship to satisfy her desires. At the same time her friend whom she has met in church is getting married and she is a very conservative person when it comes to sex. This situation is extremely frustrating for the protagonist and ultimately, she realizes that in order to be whole and complete in every aspect of her life, including her sexuality, he must fully rely on and trust in God's plan for her life. This was a very insightful article for me as I can somewhat relate to the protagonist in the sense that I too would like to be in a healthy marriage that includes sex, however I must also learn to be content with the Lord and trust him fully with my life. The other article that dealt with Christianity and especially purity was the story of a woman who blamed her commitment to remain abstinent for the failure of her marriage. When reading the article, it became very apparent to me that the woman did not take a "vow of purity" because she felt compelled to do so by the Holy Spirit or because she felt that it would benefit her relationship with God, but rather she had a very shallow faith and made the commitment because she felt, at the time, that she had the moral upper hand on her peers by being a virgin. When I read why her marriage fell apart I can see how she may have thought that premarital sex could have prevented their marriage. However, their sexual problems were not caused by her commitment to remain pure. The sexual issues were more likely indicative of underlying relationship problems.

The other posts on my wall were a bit random and didn't follow any overarching theme. However you could categorize some of them into smaller sub categories such as two of them that dealt with how to improve relationships and two of them that dealt with exploring statistical data surrounding various types of sexuality. The remaining three posts where miscellaneous and included a satirical comic about the sexual-harassment in Hollywood, an educational video explaining how abortions are performed, and a booklet that discusses the versus typically used to condemn homosexuality found within the Bible and how they may not be as "black and white" as previously thought.

When looking at the sources discussed above, it is important to acknowledge that there are pre-existing biases in the material that we chose to post to our Padlet. For example, the video about Rebecca and her family is very clearly biased towards a pro LGBTQ stance and the woman who blames her failed marriage on her "virginity mistake" has a very obvious negative bias towards Christianity, monogamy, and abstinence. There was a clear and intentional bias in my other Christian post because I wanted to explore this issue from a Christian perspective. Additionally, I also chose academic videos about topics such as abortion and the concept of gender because those are such emotionally charged topics and I wanted to try to educate myself without to sort through the opinions of a biased author.

Overall I really appreciated this public experience and I really learned a lot about a variety of different topics. Not only was it educational for me to explore different sources before I deciding to post on my own Padlet, but the opportunity to engage and interact with classmates and their chosen posts was an area in which I experienced great personal growth by establishing my own thought on a post, and by reading the responses of others.

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In this article a women describes her “virginity mistake.” As someone who is waiting to have sex until marriage, I was very intrigued by this article. I would first like to point out that from a sexual perspective, she makes some valid points. However, I think that there absolutely is merit in waiting until marriage, and her unhappiness is probably more indicative of underlying issues in her relationship. What do you think about waiting until marriage? Do you think it was a mistake for her to wait until marriage? Do you think her relationship with Christ affected her satisfaction with her marriage?

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"Are you not exhausted?" I yawned into a pillow. "Is having sex tomorrow an option?" I asked, only half-kidding.

"Really? You only get one wedding night, Jess." Even then, I doubted that would be true.

As he began to kiss me, my mind shut off. I felt his movements and I heard heavy breathing but I thought nothing, it was as if it was something that was happening next to me, or to someone else entirely. It didn't hurt, I remember that much. Three minutes later when he finished he appeared pleased with himself and I was glad that it was out of the way. I smiled and asked if we could get something to eat. My wedding day began with my face leaning over a toilet and ended in a Waffle House.

Then, as if Jesus were punishing me for moving on, I got a urinary tract infection on the second day of our honeymoon. I sighed in relief when the doctor told me that I should not engage in any sexual activity until I had finished the antibiotics. Seven days later, my wifely duties resumed and almost every time our clothes came off, my mind seemed to check out. I soon noticed that during those few-minute intervals of sex, my mind was focusing on something else, anything else.

"Do you like that?" he would ask after light repetitive movements.

"Yep," I answered. Lettuce, milk, paper towels ...

"Are you close?" he was anxious to know.

"Uh-huh," I lied. Buy stamps, get my oil changed, send thank-you cards ...

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"Are you not exhausted?" I yawned into a pillow. "Is having sex tomorrow an option?" I asked, only half-kidding. "Really? You only get one wedding night, Jess." Even then, I doubted that would be true. As he began to kiss me, my mind shut off.

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In this article, researchers begin to explore the effectiveness of mindfulness in improving sexual relationships. While it has been shown to help with other psychological disorders like anxiety & depression, there is not much research about its affects on sex. What do you think about the article’s findings? As Christinans, do you think we should practice mindfulness, as it stems from Buddhist practices? What are you thought about mindfulness & meditation?

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" Mindfulness" is a buzzword in psychology these days. Based on Buddhist practices, mindfulness is about being fully aware in the moment and letting go of any thoughts that aren't relevant to the current experience. Research shows some evidence that mindfulness training can help people suffering from depression or anxiety to overcome their negative thoughts and unpleasant feelings. It may also help couples in high-conflict relationships to negotiate more productive ways of interacting with each other.

But can mindfulness also improve your sex life? This is the question that University of Tennessee psychologists Alexander Khaddouma and his colleagues explored.

Going into the study, the researchers predicted that mindfulness would be correlated with both sexual and relationship satisfaction. In other words, the hypothesis was that participants who reported high levels of trait mindfulness would also report high levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction.

Furthermore, the researchers noted that mindfulness is a complex concept that includes a wide range of behaviors, not all of which may be relevant or conducive to sexual or relationship satisfaction. Previous studies have shown that the mindfulness concept can be broken down into five factors, or clusters of behaviors:

Observing of Experience. One aspect of mindfulness is paying attention to feelings as they arise within us as well as to our sensations of the external world, such as sights, sounds, and smells. For example, you're acting mindfully when you take the time to enjoy the beauty of a breathtaking vista as opposed to trying to capture the moment in a selfie with the scenery behind you.

Describing with Words. Feelings and sensations occur without any language attached, and in fact it can be quite difficult to express our emotions in words. But the act of describing forces us to be in the moment and attentive to details. In fact, sometimes we don't really even know how we feel until we try putting them into words. Attempts to describe feelings, either to ourselves or to others, can also help us achieve a deeper level of self-knowledge.

Acting with Awareness. Oftentimes we act out of habit, without thinking at all. Although cultivating good habits can lead to a healthy lifestyle, all too often bad habits get in the way of living a satisfying and meaningful life. Part of being mindful entails thinking purposefully about our behavior. In particular, this means considering the consequences and acting accordingly.

Non-judging of Inner Experience. We all experience thoughts and feelings that make us feel uncomfortable. After a setback, you may think "I'm no good" or "I don't like myself." But rather than responding by thinking "I shouldn't feel that way," being mindful means acknowledging those thoughts as existing. This doesn't mean, however, that you have to accept them as true indicators of self-worth. Instead, a mindful approach would be something like: "I'm not happy with myself right now, but I know I can overcome these bad feelings."

Non-reactivity to Inner Experience. Many times our behaviors are driven by our emotions-we do things for no other reason than because we feel like it. While part of mindfulness is paying attention to our emotions, it's also mindful to think intentionally about what we're doing. In other words, we shouldn't ignore our emotions, but we shouldn't be a slave to them either.

For this study, the researchers recruited more than 300 college undergraduates in committed relationships to respond to three questionnaires. The first measured what's called trait mindfulness, or the tendency to engage in behaviors that are generally considered to be mindful. Specific questions targeted each of the five traits of mindfulness. The second questionnaire measured sexual satisfaction, and the third measured relationship satisfaction.

It seems reasonable to assume that being mindful in your interactions with your partner would lead to better relationship outcomes. For example, if you're aware of a growing feeling of annoyance within yourself, and if you can be careful not to let loose a snarky comment, you might actually be able to resolve the current awkward moment with your significant other. But this isn't what the researchers found with this group of participants. In fact, none of the mindfulness components predicted relationship satisfaction.

It also seems reasonable to think that too much mindfulness could be detrimental to an enjoyable sex life. After all, sex is all about giving in to sensual pleasure-feeling, rather than thinking. In fact, the data showed that some aspects of mindfulness are not related to sexual satisfaction. However, two of them were. Can you guess which ones?

These are the results:

Observing of Experience. This aspect of mindfulness did predict sexual satisfaction. After all, if your mind is on problems at work, there's no way you can enjoy the experience. The sexual act demands your full attention to the task at hand.

Describing with Words. This mindfulness trait did not predict sexual satisfaction. Sex is about feelings, which are notoriously difficult to put into words. So the effort of finding words is likely to detract from the enjoyment of the moment.

Acting with Awareness. In most cases, it's best to think before you act. But when it comes to making love, it's better to go with the flow.

Non-judging of Inner Experience. Many people have hang-ups about specific sexual acts or feelings that occur during sex. The only rule in lovemaking is that anything goes as long as both parties want to do it. And you need to be non-judgmental of your own feelings as well. Sex isn't always about love and desire, even in committed relationships. Sometimes couples also work out petty annoyances in the rough-and-tumble of sexual intercourse, and it's nothing to feel guilty about.

Non-reactivity to Inner Experience. Although the general rule is not to let yourself become a slave to your emotions, the conjugal bed is one place where that rule doesn't apply.

In retrospect, these results make intuitive sense. Because sex is all about doing what feels right in the moment, we need to be aware of our feelings and sensations, and we need to remain non-judgmental of our own and our partner's desires.

There are several weaknesses with the study, which the researchers admit. Most importantly, the participants were college students, so necessarily their committed relationships were of relatively short duration. Other research has also shown that sexual frequency and satisfaction are stronger predictors of relationship satisfaction, especially when the relationship is in the early stages. Later on, feelings of attachment and companionship tend to compensate for reduced sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships.

It may still be the case that mindfulness is important in mature relationships. After all, early on when the flames of passion are burning strong, couples can be motivated to work through (or overlook) their differences because of the intensity of their sexual union. But as the flames of passion fade, couples in successful long-term relationships may need more intentional methods for working out inevitable conflicts.

The take-home message seems to be that mindfulness behaviors can sometimes help us successfully negotiate our relationships, but at other times they just get in the way. In other words, we need to be mindful about when to be mindful, and when to give our passions free rein.

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" Mindfulness" is a buzzword in psychology these days. Based on Buddhist practices, mindfulness is about being fully aware in the moment and letting go of any thoughts that aren't relevant to the current experience. Research shows some evidence that mindfulness training can help people suffering from depression or anxiety to overcome their negative thoughts and unpleasant feelings.

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In this article they discus the social stigma that surrounds menstration & one transgender man’s experience with menstration. What do you think about the taboo surrounding women’s periods? How important do you think representation is in advertisement? How important is it in the advertisement of feminine hygiene products?

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A transgender male model has been announced as the face of a new campaign aiming to challenge the stigma around periods.

Kenny Jones, 23, appears alongside activists, fashion designers and writers in the 'I'M ON' campaign launched by period subscription service Pink Parcel.

Jones, who was christened Kelsey, has spoken out about how he suffered with his periods when transitioning at a young age - he was 14 when he came out as trans and 16 when he shaved his head and changed his name.

Before he started taking hormone blockers at the age of 17, the north west London-based model still had periods every month.

"During my transition I did have to deal with experiencing periods each month and many of the negative stereotypes that can come along with it," Jones said. "Assuming periods are inhibiting to people tends to perpetuate period shame even more, and makes people even more reluctant to talk about them.

"I always found the fact that no one seemed to openly talk about periods quite difficult and made me want to hide mine even more. That's why I wanted to be involved in the I'M ON campaign.

"We need to encourage everyone to talk about periods, whether they experience them directly or not. Sparking conversation is the first step to normalising periods within society."

He also says he believes trans men should feel more comfortable discussing periods with one another.

Jones attended an all-girls school, where he refused to wear a skirt. He was sent to see a psychiatrist at the age of 11, but says he never understood what gender was as a child.

As a teenager, Jones dropped out of school in year nine and went to college with older teens, where he says people were more open and understanding.

At the age of 20, Jones started growing facial hair which helped him finally feel comfortable with his body.

He now joins high profile women in Pink Parcel's campaign, including British fashion designer Olivia Rubin, style influencer and activist Natalie Lee, and journalists and podcast hosts Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton.

The line-up model a range of slogan T-shirts designed to change the belief that periods are inhibiting and shouldn't be discussed.

Research by the brand has found that just eight per cent of period related online content depicts the experience of the trans community, with 92 per cent viewing periods from a binary perspective only.

A poll of 2,000 British adults also found a third (34 per cent) of Brits still see periods as a taboo subject and a quarter have experienced feelings of shame or embarrassment while on their period.

What's more, 50 per cent of Brits have never spoken to their partner about periods, with 44 per cent avoiding the subject with friends.

£5 from the sale of each T-shirt will go to Bloody Good Period, a charity which donates menstrual products to asylum seekers and refugees in a bid to tackle period poverty.

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Trans man revealed as the face of a new period campaign

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A transgender male model has been announced as the face of a new campaign aiming to challenge the stigma around periods. Kenny Jones, 23, appears alongside activists, fashion designers and writers in the 'I'M ON' campaign launched by period subscription service Pink Parcel.

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What do you think of this satirical take on the #MeToo movement? Do you think this is an accurate representation of all options available to victims of sexual assault?

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In this document, the author references 7 of the most common scriptures that are used to condemn homosexuality and uses the historical and social context of the time in which they were written to argue that the bible does not explicitly condemn a loving, covenantal, homosexual relationship. As I have expressed in class, I am not fully convinced that homosexuality is sin and I believe that this article makes some valid arguments. What do you think about the arguments made in this text? Based on this document, do you believe that there is more discussion needed about homosexuality in the context of a loving, God-honoring relationship?

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In this article, Shea Gregory talks about her struggle as a 30-something-year-old woman who is now living a life of purity after being saved later in her life. She talks about how life experience differs from that of her friend Diane, who is kissing her husband for the first time at the alter.  When reading this on has to wonder, is she sex-starved, or starved of emotional intimacy? What is the Christian's response to these feelings of looniness & how can we live a life a purity until we meet our spouse?

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My friend Diane got married recently. Walking down the aisle, smiling big, she winked as she passed me. She was stepping into a new season of life-a husband, a new home, new responsibilities ... sex. I chuckled at the thought of the "s" word. Diane and Bill hadn't even kissed yet. They wanted to wait until their wedding day. Hence, their dating intimacy had consisted of lingering handshakes, brief hugs, and very few moments completely alone together. "We hold hands and look at each other a lot," Diane once confessed. (Oh, please!) To this day I shake my head every time I think of it.

We've always been different, Diane and I. My mind drifts to the time when a man like Bill was nothing more than a whisper of hope hidden in Diane's heart. Back then we talked about men, marriage, romance, and sex. I was the verbal one; Diane, more modest. I'll never forget how her mouth flew open when I approached our pastor's wife with a fairly provocative question about sex. "I don't want to hear this!" Diane protested adamantly. She covered her ears and stomped away before the pastor's wife could answer. Me? I had no shame. God would send me a husband one day; I wanted to be ready!

Diane says I think about sex too much and must learn to master my bodily urges. I tell her I'd rather let a man do that. She says I'm carnal. I say I'm passionate. She says I must wait on God. I tell her I think God's watch must be broken because he's running a bit late. She says I'm silly because God invented time and doesn't even need a watch. I hate it when she gets theological on me.

Read more articles that highlight writing by Christian women at ChristianityToday.com/Women

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My friend Diane got married recently. Walking down the aisle, smiling big, she winked as she passed me. She was stepping into a new season of life-a husband, a new home, new responsibilities ... sex. I chuckled at the thought of the "s" word. Diane and Bill hadn't even kissed yet.

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ASAP Science talks about the actual statistics that surround abortion & how the procedure is actually carried out.

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What Actually Happens When You Have An Abortion?

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A relationship therapist delivers a TEDTalk on infidelity & it’s consequences. This video touches on a lot of what the book touched on, from a more secular perspective.

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Rethinking infidelity ... a talk for anyone who has ever loved | Esther Perel | TED

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A video about a transgender child who’s father is also a preacher.

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‘I’m The Scary Transgender Person The Media Warned You About’ | MY TRANS LIFE

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This is another video about gender roles. I think that its very interesting to see a child's perspective as well as the parent's perspective on this issue.

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In this video the concept of gender is discussed, including the biological and sociocultural aspects. It explores whether the basis of gender is found in biology or in society. Additionally, the video discusses the classic "Nature vs Nurture" argument and how that relates to gender.

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Is Gender a Social Construct? in 7 Minutes

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In this article, the sexual fluidity of both men & women is explored in presence & absence of alcohol. Studies have traditionally shown that women are typically more sexually fluid than men. In this article they explore a more recent study that in reality, male sexuality is not as rigid as one may believe based on traditional beliefs & social standards.

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Over the past two decades, women's sexuality has become increasingly seen as more fluid than men's. Many studies have offered evidence confirming this. Take, for instance, a 2010 survey of college-aged women that found 84 percent have fantasized about same-sex encounters or have had a same-sex attraction. See also: A study by Meredith Chivers in which women participants (irrespective of what sexual orientation they identified with) became aroused in response to all types of stimuli-ranging from straight and lesbian porn to videos of copulating bonobos.

By contrast, men's sexuality is still often seen as less flexible. Only 51 percent of the aforementioned college women's male peers reported ever having a same-sex attraction or fantasy. And in Chivers' study, men who identified as straight were less likely to become aroused in response to pornography that didn't correspond with their explicitly stated preferences. Researchers haven't quite agreed on whether this is evolutionarily ingrained or whether social stigma and traditional gender-based roles shape men's expression and experience of desire.

Adding a further insight to this complicated picture is a recent study by researchers at Wayne State University and Western Illinois University, who planted themselves outside bars in a "Midwestern town in the United States" to recruit 51 men and 32 women for an experiment on sexual willingness.

The first step of the study was determining whether interested participants were sober enough to consent-to the study, that is. Sobriety was determined by a few coordination tests similar to that a campus security official gives to suspiciously intoxicated students (think: rubbing your belly while patting your head without issue) and the ability to remember the researcher's name and major after he or she stated this to the participant.

After proving themselves cognizant enough, participants were shown a brief PowerPoint presentation depicting an attractive young man or woman alone in a bar, chatting up the bartender. (Thirty-two percent of males and 23 percent of females saw an attractive young male; 29 percent of males and 16 percent of females saw an attractive female.) Some slides in the presentation had an audio component narrating a typical night out-think: "You walk into a bar. You sit down at an open seat at the bar..."-and describing the attractive other in the photos as stating to the bartender that he or she "wanted to see where the night would lead."

Participants were then briefly surveyed about how likely they might be to do the following: a) buy the individual depicted in the PowerPoint presentation a drink, b) knock back a few drinks with the person, c) go home with the man or woman, d) spend the night, and e) sleep with this individual.

Then they were asked about their sexual orientation, assigned sex (e.g., male or female), age, student status, and recent consumption of alcohol (e.g., how many servings and how recently did you last drink)?

Concurrent with previous research-such as a famous experiment conducted by Clark and Hatfield in 1989 that found women are markedly less willing to go to bed with strangers than men are-female research participants were, overall, less willing than their male counterparts to engage in any sexual activities with the fictitious person seated alone at the bar. That reluctance decreased, however, with each successive drink female participants consumed.

Not so surprising, right? (In case you yourself haven't replicated this, alcohol consumption has been proven to make us find more attractive those we might not "swipe right" on in a soberer state.) What was intriguing about participants' willingness to hook up with a stranger was the difference along male and female lines: Women's interest in hooking up with the fictitious individual at the bar increased with each drink regardless of that individual's gender -despite the fact that all women in the study identified as heterosexual.

By contrast, men's interest in hooking up with fictitious others remained stable with each drink when that fictitious other was a female. (In other words: alcohol had an insignificant effect upon a male's willingness to sleep with a woman. They wanted to just as badly, regardless of their sobriety level.) Men's willingness to experiment with another male sitting at the bar, however, was responsive to alcohol-meaning: the more men in the study drank, the more open they became to having some type of sexual encounter with a man. Keep in mind that, like all the women in this study, every male participant identified as heterosexual.

The researchers believe that alcohol may loosen the constraints some men place on themselves that, when sober, enable them to conform to the sexual scripts they associate with traditional masculinity.

Such a propensity to explore options outside the straight and narrow may also increase over time, as o ther research suggests men's attraction to same-sex partners rises with age. (Interestingly, the same study observing this trend found that women's sexual interest in same-sex partners decreases with age, albeit only slightly.)

The takeaway of this study is that men's sexuality isn't necessarily as rigid as we all may think. Nor does one's stated sexual orientation determine or fix who and what one is attracted to. Especially (or at least) not when alcohol is involved.

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How Sexually Fluid Are Men and Women, Really?

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Over the past two decades, women's sexuality has become increasingly seen as more fluid than men's. Many studies have offered evidence confirming this. Take, for instance, a 2010 survey of college-aged women that found 84 percent have fantasized about same-sex encounters or have had a same-sex attraction.

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In this article, Dr. O'Sullivan discusses what asexuality really is. According to the article, "asexuality is defined as a lifelong lack of sexual attraction and is often considered to be a sexual orientation.
The author dives into whether it should be classified as a disorder, what types of behaviors they exhibit, and what differentiates asexuality from other sexualities. She also discusses how the internet has brought asexuals together in online communities and what we, as a society, could learn from asexuals.