The Nookie
827 College Street M6G 1C9 Toronto, ON, Canada

I can't wait to see you there!

Last week, a woman came in for help to address the long term effects of significant sexual traumas. Her first stop was to her medical doctor. And what was his expert advice? That she treat herself by inserting a pencil in her vagina. Yes. Her MD suggested that the way to heal from trauma was by having sex WITH A PENCIL. (I can't say whether he thought the pointy sharpened side or the ridged metal side with the eraser would be more pleasurable.) . . Although the whole story ma...de me angry, I'm sad to say that I wasn't surprised. The history of the 'helping' profession is full of violations against women's sexual and reproductive rights. Vibrators were invented by doctors to alleviate the wrist strain they were developing from manually stimulating women to orgasm as treatment for 'hysteria' - a catch all diagnosis for any emotional experience a woman may have. (Here, here, little dear. Being legally defined as your husband's property got you down? Let me finger you, you poor emotional darling.) . . When women tear during labor and need stitches, some doctors will put in what's called the husband stitch. It's an extra stitch intended to make the vagina tighter and therefore more pleasurable for their penis-owning partners to penetrate. It can cause the recipient, however, chronic pain, discomfort, and scarring. But, hey. Worth it for the possibility that a penis will experience a few extra minutes of pleasure, amirite? . . You know what else they do with women's vaginas during surgery? Without their knowledge or consent and while they're still unconscious, they allow gynecological students to conduct pelvic exams. Or at least they were doing that in Alberta hospitals while I was working there. I know I signed a petition to get the practice to stop. I'm not sure if it ever did. (How else will the students possibly learn? It's your duty to science, ladies!) . . This is all to say that if you've ever seeked sexual or reproductive help from a doctor and been made to feel broken or emotional or dismissed - you are not what's broken. The medical system is. We're here to help where we can, even if we can only listen. See more