Action Alert

by Shaker Quixotess

Shakers,

I have just received a plea for donations from Heather Corinna of Scarleteen, the feminist sex ed website. Scarleteen is the most popular sexual health website online; it specializes in providing free resources and education to teenagers and young adults of all walks of life. Most Shakers know what a valuable resource this free online service is in a time when sex education in schools is so unreliable and when so many families will not or cannot properly educate their children on sexual health.

Heather Corinna, much like Melissa, maintains Scarleteen and keeps it an independent media as a full-time job, surviving on donations and some freelance writing. She has recently had healthcare bills that put her in the financial hole, and therefore needs the money to make a living wage, but she also wants to expand the services that Scarleteen provides and that teenagers so desperately need. My favorite of her ideas for 2010 is Find a Doc:

Find-a-Doc is a user-fueled database we'd like to build to help young people find the in-person sexual and reproductive healthcare, counseling, LGBTQ support, rape and sexual abuse survivor support and other services related to sexuality they need. Unlike many adults, young people often lack the ability to get a recommendation from a friend: many of their peers and partners do not often yet use or know where to get these services, either. Some do, but are reluctant to disclose they have used them. This database would allow a user to enter one of these services they have used and would reccomend to another young person. Scarleteen staff will validate the service/provider by phone before publishing the listing. Our users in need of these services will be able to search for these services by choosing the type of service they are looking for and entering a zip code. They will also be able to read comments from others who have used these providers/services to help them make their best choices in care. Find-a-Doc has been on our list of to-do's for two years now, but the budget has not yet allowed us to pay a tech developer what would be needed to build it.

Lots of Shakers, those with disabilities and TABs alike, know how valuable a safe, helpful doctor is. In my opinion, this sort of community review and connections is the best way to find one safely. I am wild about the idea of such a big website working to make this service happen. But first we need the fundraiser to succeed!

Donate what you can to Scarleteen, and spread the word to possible donors you know.