“No Justice” Strategy Meeting, New Orleans

On July 22, 2009  WWAV held it’s first NO Justice Project city-wide strategy session. We hosted 25 community allies and came togegther to dicuss positions and a plan of action to challenge the Crime Against Nature Statute.

Tulane School Of Public Health Hosts V-Day Foundation Fundraiser

VDay Foundation recently hosted a fundraiser at Tulane School of Public Health with the proceeds benefiting New Orlean’s own Women With A Vision.

What Is Harm Reduction

Harm reduction is a public health philosophy that seeks to lessen the dangers that drug abuse and our drug policies cause to society.

A harm reduction strategy is a comprehensive approach to drug abuse and drug policy. Harm reduction’s complexity lends to its misperception as a drug legalization tool.
In 1997 the New Mexico state legislature passed the Harm Reduction Act, which provides for a statewide needle exchange program. Needle exchange is a small but highly recognized part of a harm reduction strategy.
• Harm reduction rests on several basic assumptions. A basic tenet of harm reduction is that there has never been, is not now, and never will be a drug-free society .
• A harm reduction strategy seeks pragmatic solutions to the harms that drugs and drug policies cause. It has been said that harm reduction is not what’s nice, it’s what works .
• A harm reduction approach acknowledges that there is no ultimate solution to the problem of drugs in a free society, and that many different interventions may work. Those interventions should be based on science, public health, common sense and human rights .
• A harm reduction strategy demands new outcome measurements. Whereas the success of current drug policies is primarily measured by the change in use rates, the success of a harm reduction strategy is measured by the change in rates of death, disease, crime and suffering.
• Because incarceration does little to reduce the harms that ever-present drugs cause to our society, a harm reduction approach favors treatment of drug addiction by health care professionals over incarceration in the penal system .
• Because some drugs, such as marijuana, have proven medicinal uses, a harm reduction strategy not only seeks to reduce the harm that drugs cause, but also to maximize their potential benefits.
• A harm reduction strategy recognizes that some drugs, such as marijuana, are less harmful than others, such as cocaine and alcohol. Harm reduction mandates that the emphasis on intervention should be based on the relative harmfulness of the drug to society.
• A harm reduction approach advocates lessening the harms of drugs through education, prevention, and treatment.
• Harm reduction seeks to reduce the harms of drug policies dependent on an over-emphasis on interdiction , such as arrest, incarceration, establishment of a felony record, lack of treatment, lack of adequate information about drugs, the expansion of military source control intervention efforts in other countries, and intrusion on personal freedoms.
• Harm reduction also seeks to reduce the harms caused by an over-emphasis on prohibition , such as increased purity, black market adulterants, black market sale to minors, and black market crime.
• A harm reduction strategy seeks to protect youth from the dangers of drugs by offering factual, science-based drug education and eliminating youth’s black market exposure to drugs .
• Finally, harm reduction seeks to restore basic human dignity to dealing with the disease of addiction.

Compiled by Drug Policy Alliance. March 2001.

Condoms And Communication Make Sex So Much Safer

Safer sex is a general term used to describe methods for reducing the chance that you will spread or catch sexually transmitted diseases (STDs, also known as sexually transmitted infections or STIs). The idea is that with a few simple tools and strategies, you can increase safety without sacrificing your sex life.

Use condoms
The first and best line of defense is to use a latex barrier whenever you have sex (if you have a latex allergy, use polyurethane instead). That means using a condom on the penis or on a sex toy; latex gloves on your hands; and when engaging in oral sex, dental dams or plastic wrap to cover the anus or vagina.

Get tested for HIV and other STDs
Knowing your own status is the only way to approach the next point honestly.

Communicate
Safer sex also involves talking with your partner, discussing activities and risks and making educated choices together. Of course, sex raises a number of other questions. Do you trust your partner?

Sexual Self Esteem And Body Image

Let’s Talk About Sex

SEXUAL SELF ESTEEM

Sexual self esteem requires a positive, respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.

For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.

Do you fear close relationships/sexual intimacy?

Are you to aggressive or shy?

Do you try to hide your feelings from your partner(s)?

BODY IMAGE

Body image has to do with how one feels about anything physical, from their weight, sin or hair color, height, and the changes that come with aging, to the appearance of their genitals, to how their body may appear as a result of a physical disability or illness, and much more. One thing is for sure- the better a women feels about her body, the more satisfying her sexual expressions and relationships will be.

• How you feel others perceive you?

• What you believe about your physical appearance?

• How you feel about your body?

• How you feel in your body?

• How you feel others perceive you?

• What you believe about your physical appearance?

• How you feel about your body?

• How you feel in your body?

I Am My Sister’s Keeper A Huge Success

Women With A Vision and N’R Peace spear-headed the first conference dedicated to the health and community building of African American lesbians in the city of New Orleans.

With speakers throughout the day, a meet and greet mixer, pajama party, and worship service, the women of New Orleans gathered like never before.  Stay tuned for next years conference and enjoy the moments we captured from this year.

Our Space Launches

Our Space is a new initiative of Women With A Vision.  Its mission is to offer safe, respectful, free of judgment spaces for women and girls impacted by the sex trade and street economies to recognize and develop their goals, dreams and desires.  We also hope to use Our Space to foster community building and strategic action within the queer women’s and transgender communities in New Orleans.

There are five components to our program: self care, empowerment model, harm reduction, social justice, and popular education.

All of our activits are FREE. We receive fuind gfrom private contributions and foundation source to make it possible fo offer services completely free of charge.

Most of our activities are held at 1515 Salcedo.  Contact us to find out about our next event.

Lesbians And Breast Cancer

Are lesbians more at risk for Breast Cancer than our straight sisters? That depends. It is uncertain whether or not lesbians get more breast cancer. But what is certain, is that lesbians as a group have a higher incidence of certain risk factors known to be linked to breast cancer.

Those risk factors are:

• having nerver birthed a child,
• obesity
• smoking
• alcohol use

Medical studies show:

• The risk of breast cancer is reduced by as much as 50 percent for women who have had one child.
• Nearly 30 percent of lesbians are obese compared to 20 percent for women overall.
• Lesbians do not drink more than the general population, but have a greater history of problems with alcohol.
• Lesbians are also more likely to use tobacco.
• Lesbians are less likely to perform self-breast exams, get clinical breast exams and mammograms.

Another complicating factor is that lesbians are less likely to have health insurance, partially because many businesses do not offer domestic partner benefits.

Lesbians may be less likely to visit a doctor for fear of homophobia, or simply the uncofortableness associated with coming out.

For straight women, primary contact with the health care system is through reproductive health. since most lesbians do not use birth control or have children, they may miss early detections of breast cancer or other diseases that women who regularly visit the doctor may be screened for.

2008 Program – Women With A Vision And N’R Peace Presents I AM My Sister’s Keeper

N’R PEACE Inc. & Women With A Vision Inc. PRESENTS: “I AM MY SISTER’S KEEPER” 2008

Greetings to Our Women’s Health Conference Participants,
Women With A Vision Inc. and N’R PEACE  are thrilled to host a Women’s Health Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. We are having this conference to promote health, wellness and to empower lesbians of color in the south. You can look forward to a variety of workshops with an outstanding selection of speakers. We hope that you have a wonderful time.

Hotel New Orleans Convention Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
December 12-14, 2008

AGENDA

Friday, December 12th
Afternoon
4:00 pm        Registration
Registration is $35(includes lunch on Saturday)
6:00-9:00pm        Meet & Greet

Saturday, December 13th
8:00-9:00am        Continental Breakfast
9:15-10:30am        Monica Dillon: “Does Your Mama Know?”
9:15-10:30am        Michele T. Guerin: “Financial Awareness”
10:45-12:00pm     Wendi-Autumn O’Neal: “Race and Class As It Relates To Us”
10:45-12:00pm     S. Mandisa Moore: “What’s it like being a young black lesbian in New Orleans?”
12:15-1:15pm         Lunch
12:15-1:15pm         Reverend Debreita “Brei” Taylor: “Key Note Speaker”
1:30-2:45pm        Brittany Jones: “Lesbian Networking in New Orleans How and Why”
3:00-4:15pm        Dimitre Blutcher & Deon Haywood: “Lesbian Health/ Safer Sex”
10:00-2:00am        Pajama Party (Cost $10)

Sunday, December 14th
8:00-9:00am        Continental Breakfast
10:00am        Worship Service at Freedom Fellowship UCC

What Are Lubricants For – Healthier Lesbian Sex

Women do produce their own vaginal lubricants, but sometimes a little extra is needed.  Lubricants help prevent irritation from friction during sex. with lube, sex toys will slide in and out easier, fingers and fists will glide inside her without tearing her vaginal tissue.  since the anus produces no lubricant of it’s own, lube is essential for any kind of anal penetration.

Some notes about lube:

• If you are using latex, such as a c condom or dental dam, be sure to use a water-based or silicone lubricant. pil based lubes will break down the latex.
• If you are using a silicone sex toy, do not use silicone lubricant. The silicone will break down your toy.
• If you are having oral sex, avoid lube with nonoxynol-9, as it may make your lips and tongue numb.

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