Transcript
Rosa: For me taking up space is to not be afraid to express yourself in any environment and to stand proud in who you are.
I actually cannot remember sex ed class.
Jacob: To be honest, I never had sex ed at school.
Aretha: The sex ed that I got, and I only, like left high school two years ago. But the sex ed that I did get was so minimal. It was just like here’s how you not have a baby.
Rosa: There’s a lot of things that were missed, I think like in terms of consent and equality in those sorts of sexual relationships.
Jacob: And also for the LGBTQIA+ community, there’s no real, like, forethought or afterthought. It’s just kind of like, “Oh, that’s a you problem. That’s what you have to figure out” sort of thing.
Sarah: So if we think about our gender, and the way that we express ourselves, our relationships, both with ourselves and with other people, attraction to others, intimacy and pleasure and connection, as well as our bodies. That’s all under the umbrella of sexuality, and sexual well-being.
Rosa: I definitely feel like it was a taboo topic, especially for me culturally. Yeah, it was probably a bit more shameful to talk about those, those things with your family. With friends, it was wasn’t so much.
Aretha: I suppose slut shaming’s something that comes up a lot in my age group. It’s like women being promiscuous is obviously still seen as being less desirable, which is horrible. And just that men don’t get the same, you know, treatment. And I suppose sexual well-being for me is speaking out against that and going, you know, what, like, you can have as many partners as you want, as long as everyone’s safe and happy and comfortable.
I don’t know, having those discussions and feeling comfortable saying them out loud, in a way that’s not like, “Ooh, oooh”.
Sarah: I think it’s really important that young people prioritise, paying attention to their bodies and understanding themselves and knowing when and how to seek support, if they need it.
There are definitely people out there who will provide services that are genuinely going to be helpful for you. And everyone absolutely deserves the right to seek that and to receive that.
Jacob: Especially in the diverse LGBTI community, there’s been like so much help from them. But also, I guess, just finding things on the internet. I guess watching like porn and stuff, I think is also valuable, at least for me.
As a as a young folk, I guess, we kind of had the opportunity to go on the internet and find things. But mine sort of came from finding things that I guess I shouldn’t have, but also talking to like friends and other people that I trusted, and people who knew me even before I guess I knew myself.
Rosa: So I’m actually a young mother, and I became a young mom at 19. So that was pretty huge for me. I learnt a lot through that process, and sort of had to grow up quite quickly as well. Yeah, just having complete reverence for the female, female form, like how incredible it is, and how much a woman is capable of achieving and doing.
Jacob: My whole thing is just do your own research, have some fun, be safe. But also, don’t be scared to sort of find your own way through life. Find your own way through your journey, because you never know where you will end up at the end of the day.
Sarah: Seek pleasurable experiences, and they don’t have to be sexual. I think it’s just really important that people spend time every day to do something that brings them joy, or makes them feel good and is a way that they can connect with their bodies.
Rosa: Always put yourself first I think that’s really important. And, you know, be respectful to others as well.
Aretha: The thing that I always ask myself, when it comes to my own sexual well-being is if it’s not a definite yes to having sex with someone, then it’s a no. And that way, it always means that I’m totally, you know, in control and I’m listening to my own boundaries. So yeah, if it’s not a definite yes, it’s a no baby.
Take Up Space 