No Shame Movement

No Shame Movement is a platform for sharing stories of leaving behind conservative Christian beliefs about sexuality.

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Good post on Sojourners (No Shame Movement is featured!) about the lasting impact of purity culture

- Their Generation Was Shamed by Purity Culture. Here's What They're Building in Its Place | Sojourners

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“My fear is that the purity narrative causes women to feel disempowered to speak up for themselves in sexual situations, which is part of what lies at the root of many of these #MeToo stories we’ve heard in recent years.”

- Southern Christian Purity Culture Affected My Views On Sex & I'm Still Working Through It

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“[We] were taught that men are weak when faced with the temptation of the female flesh and it was therefore our responsibility to protect men from the threat that our bodies posed to them.” 

Southern Baptist Convention report on sex abuse shines a light on evangelical culture by Linda Kay Klein

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This Is The One Great Virginity Conversation On "The Bachelor"

Colton Underwood's virginity is a constant topic of conversation on "The Bachelor." Yet, the best sex conversation yet has nothing to do with him.

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The denial of female sexuality, buttressed by the Bible, means not only are young women shamed for sexual behavior but that discussions of sexual pleasure and health are verboten.

Tamara Winfrey Harris, Sunday Kind of Love: Sex and Spirituality in the Black Church 

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So when I came out as gay to one of my very Christian friends she said “Gotcha! I am not judging but Please remember that our feelings lie to us a lot and the enemy of our souls is the Father of Lies! Thank you for trusting me!!” And I don’t know what to think about that! What are your thoughts? It’s kinda weird imo and it’s like she’s supporting me but not really idk

First of all, full disclosure: I am a cisgender straight woman and thus don’t want to step out of my lane when it comes to experiences of LGBTQ people. 

Having said that, I have 3 observations:

- I think your friend believes she is supporting you the way purity culture has trained people to do. 

- She seems to operate under the belief that being gay is a feeling, i.e. someone people choose.

- I find her use of the words ‘enemy of our souls’ and ‘father of lies’ (I’m assuming she’s referring to Satan) to be a red flag that her support is conditional on you eventually deny your identity as a gay person.

Is there a trusted person in your community that you talk to about this? Someone who will be affirming of your identity and can give you guidance? I would strongly recommend going to or finding a person like that. 

Also, if there are followers who have experience with coming out to Christian friends, please feel free to weigh in!

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Hi. I'm a trans man. My deadname/deadlife was a girl called Robin. Robin was put in child beauty pageant by her mom. Robin even featured in the local, low-budget version of a tv show that later went beyond Ottawa. I treat Robin as a separate person. It's the only way i can cope.

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Maybe millennial Christian men are finding out that they are imperfect, but still want the reward of the wife they were promised. They are not the husband at the city gate, but still want the Proverbs 31 wife. So women are expected to compromise.

From Abstinence to Raising a Man-Boy Husband? Christianity Asks Too Much of Women by Jameelah Jones for Salt Collective 

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“Why do we call abstinence-only education a type of sex education? That’s like telling someone to stay out of a pool and calling it a swim lesson!”

Why Teach Abstinence-Only Education?

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“Society has spent so much time making girls feel uncomfortable about their sexuality and sexual desires while it has made boys own their sexuality and own their sexual desires.”

(via Whew... Chile PurityKulture)

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Any summit that seeks to change how the church responds to sexual assault must first and foremost contend with the theology that created the culture of silence and negativity in the first place.

Dianna Anderson dissects the issue with the upcoming evangelical summit on sexual violence in the church

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An ethic of shame hurts you–it hurt me, and it took some work to find my way toward sexual wholeness.

Sex Positive Christianity by Nathanial Totten 

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Let the implosion of a cultural touchstone like “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” serve as a lesson, or at least a warning. The next time we’re tempted toward too-formulaic thinking, we’ll know to take it with a grain of salt.

The dramatic implosion of ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ is a lesson — and a warning by Christine Emba via Washington Post

[scarleteenconfidential]

Scotland to embed LGBTI teaching across curriculum

Equality campaigners hail new inclusive curriculum as ‘monumental victory’

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“I define sexual integrity as a state of sexual wholeness that entails a conscious understanding and consistent grappling with personal ideas, biases, and prejudices about gender, sexuality, sexual orientation, and sex.”

Grappling Where Once There Was Silence: Coming to Terms with Religion and Sexuality [via Religious Institute]