Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Respect yourself, protect yourself, Latina girls and sexual identity, Lorena Garcia

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-207) and index

index present

non fiction

Respect yourself, protect yourself

bibliography

Lorena Garcia

Intersections

Latina girls and sexual identity

While Latina girls have high teen birth rates and are at increasing risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections, their sexual lives are much more complex than the negative stereotypes of them as "helpless" or "risky" (or worse) suggest. In this book the author examines how Latina girls negotiate their emerging sexual identities and attempt to create positive sexual experiences for themselves. Through a focus on their sexual agency, the author demonstrates that Latina girls' experiences with sexism, racism, homophobia and socioeconomic marginality inform how they engage and begin to rework their meanings and processes of gender and sexuality, emphasizing how Latina youth themselves understand their sexuality, particularly how they conceptualize and approach sexual safety and pleasure. At a time of controversy over the appropriate role of sex education in schools, this book provides a rare look and an important understanding of the sexual lives of a traditionally marginalized group

Acknowledgments viii -- Introduction : studying the "other" girls -- "She's old school like that" : mother and daughter sex talks -- The sexual (mis)education of Latina girls -- "Handlin" your business? : sexual respectability and peers -- Playing Lil' games : partners and safe-sex strategies -- Conclusion -- Appendix A: Profile of research participants -- Appendix B: Methodological notes -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index