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Scarleteen
@scarleteen.com
4.5K followers 1.1K following 710 posts
OG progressive, inclusive and independent sex & relationship education, information, advocacy and support for young people everywhere. Fighting the good fights & keeping it real since 1998 🖤

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scarleteen.com
Scarleteen @scarleteen.com · Oct 8
Scarleteen has long been the one of the only sex education sites and organizations that offers FREE direct support services, provided and moderated by real people, not bots. We can offer support whether you're looking for community or when you're wanting to talk 1-on-1 with our trained team.
Text: "Got a sexuality, gender, sexual health, or relationships question you want a personalized answer for? Want safe, sensitive and informed people - not bots! - you can trust to talk with about some of the most personal parts of your life? We got you," next to a red landline telephone and cord. Text: "Our free direct services are: our safe, moderated message boards, our private text line at (206) 866-2279, our advice columns, our one-on-one live chat, currently offered on Tuesdays from 9am - 12pm CST, Fridays from 1pm - 4pm CST, and on Sundays from 12pm - 3pm CST," next to a red landline telephone and cord.
Reposted by Scarleteen
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
“.. He cared about people deeply ..,” said Michael Pretti, Alex’s father. “He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong ..”

@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/national/202...
January 24, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
startribune.com
Anti-ICE protesters fill the streets of downtown Minneapolis during an "ICE Out" rally on Jan. 23.

📷️ Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Continuing coverage: bit.ly/3ZsrBxQ
January 23, 2026 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
themountaingoats.bsky.social
solidarity forever
jphillll.bsky.social Read the book Read Raising Expectations (and Raising Hell) @jphillll.bsky.social · 1d
Today is the day. Right now hundreds of Minnesota businesses and institutions are shut down. Thousands of people are refusing to work. There’s a massive picket at the airport. Minnesota’s resistance to ICE today is changing the tenor our fight against fascism.

www.jphilll.com/p/the-first-...
The first General Strike in 80 years
We're at war, and now people are fighting back like never before
www.jphilll.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
thosjleeper.bsky.social
National media should really be covering the fact thay every major school, museum, and arts institution in the Twin Cities, and hundreds of local businesses are closed tomorrow to protest federal occupation.

Nothing like this at this scale has happened anywhere in America anytime in living memory.
January 22, 2026 at 8:25 PM
scarleteen.com
A user asked for help with finding safety within and between in the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse. Heather offers gentle advice and a reminder that healing looks different for every body. www.scarleteen.com/read/abuse...
Text: "I was sexually abused a lot as a child and suffer from complex trauma⁠ as a result. I have an amazing partner⁠ who has been incredibly supportive in helping me work through my trauma, we’ve been together for five years now. I’m a very sexual⁠ person, I think about it all the time and I masturbate a lot, but I find it incredibly difficult to be sexually intimate with my partner. I just can’t relax, I feel self conscious and my body sometimes goes numb. Horrible feelings come up. It feels really unfair. I don’t like that I can’t have the sex⁠ life I want just because some people abused me, it feels like they stole something from me. The whole situation sucks. Do you have any advice on how to feel safe enough to like having sex?," written on lined paper on a leopard print background followed by "Read Heather Corinna's Answer at Scarleteen!" and tag-line: “Queer Sex Ed For All Since 1998."
January 20, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
prisonculture.bsky.social
In advance of King Day tomorrow, I am resharing a piece about Coretta AND MLK as a reminder that they were a team. open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Coretta Scott King and Looking Backwards
No MLK without CSK
open.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:04 PM
scarleteen.com
Mikaela Duffy interviews award-winning sex educator, entertainer, and speaker Dirty Lola, who encourages our readers to learn to find a home within their own body, especially when it feels like the world is against you. www.scarleteen.com/read/bodie...
Text: "No matter what level of self-love you begin at, making the choice to make peace with your body and the things that bring it pleasure is sometimes the hardest, but absolutely the most rewarding step you can take,” alongside the Scarleteen "S" logo and a black and white picture of Dirty Lola surrounded by colorful flowers.
January 17, 2026 at 6:01 PM
scarleteen.com
Erections can be a sensitive subject. For people with penises, a simple physical process can come with lots of feelings, pressure, and expectations. This new piece by @lizduckchong.bsky.social & Juniper Miller takes a nonjudgmental, open look at erections.
www.scarleteen.com/read/sex-s...
Text: "No boners about it, erections can be a sensitive subject! Want the bigger picture on erections? Read Liz Duck-Chong and Juniper Miller only on Scarleteen," alongside a halfway peeled banana.
January 15, 2026 at 5:01 PM
scarleteen.com
Many of us will need to protect ourselves; many others will need help, protection, and solidarity from others. We're turning to this article in the Rebel Well series to remind us of ways we can help each other and improve this godawful mess we're in. www.scarleteen.com/read/cultu...
Text: "Rebel Well: A Starter Guide to a Trumped America for Teens & Emerging Adults. Written & Compiled by Heather Corinna and s.e. smith with help from: Edith Corinna, Jaclyn Friedman, Karyn Fulcher, Riley Johnson, Carson Jones, Pam Keesey, Pamela Merritt, Ashleah Nelson, Cassandra Quick, Karen Rayne, Isabella Rotman, Sam Wall and Wagatwe Wanjuki," alongside an illustrated lifesaver surrounded by leaves, protest signs, and news headlines.
January 13, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
amityf.bsky.social
Hey, if you don't know them yet, now is a really good time to walk down the street or hall, knock on your neighbor's door, and introduce yourself to them. Exchange contact info, check in, and you can even try the new greeting: fuck ice.
January 12, 2026 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
startribune.com
Students at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis are walking out to protest ICE days after a clash between U.S. Border Patrol agents and protesters at the school.

📸: Jerry Holt
January 12, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
mikkipedia.bsky.social
For facts and daily lived experience from the reproductive rights front lines, stick to @autonomynews.co, @robinmarty.com @scarleteen.com and independent providers--and verify what they say, too
susanrinkunas.com Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 16d
Thousands of people read this newsletter hoping to stay informed about reproductive rights, yet time and time again, there are glaring factual errors.

This Alabama woman is still in prison as the linked release plainly explained. Getting to a point where folks need to double check what’s printed
Screenshot from Jessica Valenti’s Substack: ABORTION, EVERY DAY Subscribe Sign in Alabama Woman Freed After Five Years in Prison for Stillbirth 1.7.26 Source: https://archive.is/2026.01.08-164238/https://jessica.substack.com/p/alabama-woman-freed-after-five-years The headline has since been changed with a correction added to the bottom. You can however see that the URL reflects the old incorrect headline
January 9, 2026 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
josie.zone
Renee Macklin Good's wife, Becca Good, released a statement and it moved me to sobbing tears:

archive.is/ur35j
First, I want to extend my gratitude to all the people who have reached out from across the country and around the world to support our family. This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind, In fact, kindness radiated out of her. Renee sparkled. She literally sparkled. I mean, she didn't wear glitter but I swear she had sparkles coming out of her pores. All the time. You might think it was just my love talking but her family said the same thing. Renee was made of sunshine, Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it Where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow Renee was a Christian who knew that all religions teach the same essential truth: we are here to love each other, care for each other, and keep each other safe and whole. Like people have done across place and time, we moved to make a better life for ourselves. We chose Minnesota to make our home. Our whole extended road trip here, we held hands in the car while our son drew all over the windows to pass the time and the miles, What we found when we got here was a vibrant and welcoming community, we made friends and spread joy: And while any place we were together was home, there was a strong shared sense here in Minneapolis that we were looking out for each other. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever. We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renee lived this belief every day. She is pure love. She is pure joy. She is pure sunshine On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns. Renee leaves behind three extraordinary children; the youngest is just six years old and already lost his father. I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him. That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way. We thank you for the privacy you are granting our family as we grieve. We thank you for ensuring that Renee's legacy is one of kindness and love. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love. E
January 9, 2026 at 4:40 PM
scarleteen.com
Your rage for the injustices in the world can co-exist alongside your hope for the world you know is possible.

They need each other and so do we.

www.scarleteen.com/read/culture...
Text: "Your rage for the injustices in the world can co-exist alongside your hope for the world you know is possible. They need each other and so do we. Join Mikaela Duffy as she interviews Kalaya'an Mendoza on the discipline of hope," alongside a butterfly perched on a red flower.
January 9, 2026 at 5:47 PM
scarleteen.com
In the wake of militarized policing, terrorizing of our communities, and occupation of ancestral lands, there is so much to feel and grieve in the everyday. Today, we're revisiting Mikaela Duffy's piece on the discipline of hope to remind us of ways to embrace hope amidst all the pain and grief.
Wonder in a World of Worry: The Discipline of Hope
Kalaya’an (Kala) Mendoza talks with Mikaela Duffy about building chosen family and community.
www.scarleteen.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:48 PM
scarleteen.com
Today, we mourn the loss of countless lives taken from our communities by ICE.

Renee Nicole Good. We remember you.
Keith Porter. We remember you.
Jaime Alanís Garcia. We remember you.
January 8, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
wired.com
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
scarleteen.com
If you woke up today, like many of us, still shaken, scared, sad, and angry about this latest killing by ICE or other terrible events happening in this world that is so hard to live in lately, remember that we’re always here for you to listen, talk, be in community with you.
Ask for help
Ask us or our moderated peer community your own questions through advice columns, message board discussions, SMS messages, Reddit replies or live chat.
www.scarleteen.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
translifeline.org
We dare you to practice peer support today (use the peer support bingo board if you'd like a few ideas!). ✨

We double-dog dare you to connect with a peer supporter in the next year! ✨

We triple-dog dare you to post the bingo card and tag us when you complete one of the squares. ✨
Green background with a bingo board and text that reads: Receiving Peer Support Bingo -Reached out to a trust person to ask for support - Spent time doing a hobby or activity that fills my cup - Practiced getting consent before sharing a potentially triggering or heavy story - Set a boundary with someone in my life - Considered and partnered with my body during hard conversations - Expressed myself with someone provided care that didn't resonate with me - Felt understood by someone providing support to me - Allowed myself to pause, breathe, and rest before, during or after sharing a part of myself / my story. Green background with a bingo board and text that reads: Receiving Peer Support Bingo - Chose presence, radical patience and listening over fixing - Offered options, not ultimatums - Asked "what do you need right now?" or "What's on your ideal care menu?" - Co-created solutions rather than impose them - Shared a story from personal experience in a consent-centered way - Provided resources or information that could help someone make choices - Shared/gifted a zine that help validate a person's experience - Apologized when I caused hurt or harm and tried again
January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
scarleteen.com
If you don’t know what sexual attraction is, how are you supposed to know if you’ve felt it or not? We get this question a lot actually so Scarleteen’s founder Heather Corinna wrote an advice column all about this topic! Read it here: www.scarleteen.com/read/what-...
Text: "Dear Scarleteen, I identify as asexual⁠ and I always wonder what sexual⁠ attraction feels like since I probably don’t feel it. If I don’t know what sexual attraction is, how am I supposed to know if I have it or not? Even though I know for certain I am ace⁠, no one has properly answered what sexual attraction feels like. I assume it is different for everyone. It seems like it is not only based on their body, but also who they are as a person and being horny at the same time. This makes it hard to describe, since it sounds like either having a romantic⁠ attraction or the desire⁠ for sex⁠, which is obviously not the same. What is sexual attraction? Would it mean that you want to share the same mutual desire with the other person when doing sexual activities as well? If so, how does that differ from being horny? Please let me know. - a confused ace" followed by "Read Heather Corinna's Answer at Scarleteen," below main text.
January 6, 2026 at 8:01 PM
scarleteen.com
Young people from all over the world come to Scarleteen for help with big (& small) questions about their gender and sexual identity. Today, we’re highlighting some of our favorite examples of personal and caring info and advice about identity from our archives.
www.scarleteen.com/read/identity
Text: "Conversations about identity are an important part of the work we do at Scarleteen. Young people from all over the world come to us with questions about sexual and gender identity. Whether it’s a disabled trans teen seeking some support with living safely in a conservative area, a parent who wants to support a lesbian child, or a young person who’s feeling conflicted about their sexuality... We’re here! (and, incidentally, majority trans and queer)," alongside a bunny looking into a mirror.
January 3, 2026 at 6:01 PM
scarleteen.com
Head to the link below to learn more about us and to donate to or otherwise help support progressive, independent, sex ed for all today! www.scarleteen.com/contribute
scarleteen.com Scarleteen @scarleteen.com · 24d
We are incredibly thankful for you and your unwavering support of our work, especially in our current political context. Thank you for all your contributions in keeping the heart of Scarleteen alive and beating. 💓
Text: "By people, for people (not bots) since 1998," alongside a reel of pictures of Scarleteen volunteers and Scarleteen logos.
December 31, 2025 at 5:15 PM
scarleteen.com
As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on what the work we do means to us:
Text: "Original, smart, caring, inclusive, shame-free, body-loving, learner-led, holistic, feminist, progressive, independent, pleasure-foward, brave, real & comprehensive. By people, for people (not bots) since 1998," alongside Scarleteen logos.
December 31, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Scarleteen
robinmarty.com
Which is why places like @scarleteen.com matter SO much. This year WAWC provided a $25k grant so they can continue helping those in states like Alabama where there is no other option. You can help, too… www.classy.org/give/566676/...
December 29, 2025 at 2:06 PM
scarleteen.com
Growing into ourselves means learning what we actually like—and unlearning the idea that there’s one “right” way to touch or feel pleasure. Volunteer Anya speaks on ways to center pleasure in T4T sex, and how to prepare for dysphoria if it enters the room.  
www.scarleteen.com/read/sex-s...
Text: "I am transmasc and my partner⁠ is transfem. I was just wondering: how would we both go about sex⁠ together whilst both feeling euphoric? I just wanted to know how we could go about this while feeling connected to our gender identity⁠ without the risk of dysphoria and especially without the risk of pregnancy⁠. I am still new to this stuff as a young adult, so I would appreciate the advice. Anya Answers: The relationships⁠ we have with ourselves and our bodies are, really for all of us, the longest relationship⁠ we’ll ever have. For some transgender⁠⁠ folks, this can usher in an added element of complexity to the already confusing process that is growing into our sexuality. Through this process of growing up and into ourselves, we begin to learn about our preferences and desires...," written on lined paper on a leopard print background followed by "Read Volunteer Anya's Answer at Scarleteen!" and tagline: “Queer Sex Ed For All Since 1998."
December 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM