Sexual Life Stories Discussion

This discussion was created by Naveh Halperin and Nicole Mazzeo of Pleasure Pie.

Key

• Popcorn Style - Let people speak when they have something to say, in no particular order. Not everyone needs to speak.

Discussion Outline

• Introductions:
  • Everyone goes around and says their name, the pronouns they use, and one thing from their upbringing that has influenced their relationship with sex. 
• Ask people to get into groups of two, preferably with someone they don't know.
  • Prompt: Tell your partner your life story in regard to sex/sexuality. You can include important sexual experiences (like first kiss), something someone said to you about sex that affected you, feelings you had about sex at different points in your life, etc. You are welcome to share as much or as little as you want.
    • Guidelines for pair discussions:
      • Confidentiality: Don't tell anyone what your partner says to you in your pair discussion.
      • You have 6 minutes to speak, and your partner should just listen during those 6 minutes (no responding). Then switch and the listening partner has 6 minutes to tell their sexual life story. We know that there might be some difficult things to talk about, so take care of yourself and don't feel pressure to talk about anything that you're not ready to. 
• Get back into a group.
• Group guidelines:
  • We're going to be talking about some sensitive things here. What are some things that would make you feel more comfortable talking about these things in this group? (Popcorn style)
• Discussion questions: (Popcorn style)
  • What was that like for you?
  • How has your upbringing affected your current sexuality/relationship with sex?
  • So, we talked about your sexual history, and we talked about where you are now in your sexuality. But where do you want to be (in relation to your sexuality)?
• Any final thoughts or reflections? (Popcorn style)