The Center for Positive Sexuality condemns racism, white supremacy, and violence against Black lives in all forms. We condemn the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. We condemn police violence and the violence of incarceration. We condemn the violence of systemic bias and apathy to the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black communities. We believe that Black lives matter, and we support protests and actions to affirm that Black lives matter.
The Center holds humanizing and peacemaking as two of our core values. We recognize the pivotal role that civil unrest can play in building a society that is ultimately more fair, just, and peaceful. We believe that every person has unique strengths, and we see that all too often Black lives are devalued. Social justice demands that we recognize the full humanity of every Black person.
It is important for our organization specifically to address issues of race because sexuality and race are often intertwined. Racial minorities may face disparate access to sexual health resources, and individuals with both minoritized racial and sexual identities face exacerbated stigma and discrimination. To do justice to issues of sexuality we must talk about race and we must center the voices of people of color in this work.
We are committed to addressing issues of racial justice both through our research and education programs and within our own organization. This year, we will offer a research grant focused on race and sexuality, highlight intersectionality in our educational panels, and conduct racial bias training for our board and volunteers. We hope as well to offer free, virtual panels this summer focused specifically on racial justice and sexuality. We will also conduct a review of our programs and operations to identify other actions we will take as we work to do better.
Please follow, support, and uplift the voices of Black sex educators and sexuality organizations centering Black and POC experiences: