S3: E32: Navigating Pain and Pleasure with Rachele Manett

Hey, Cis!

'Do disabled people get to have pleasure? And, you know, there's also all these other rules that go along with how people get it on; how people have sex and feel pleasure together.

And one of the biggest myths that come up is around this idea of like spontaneity, where like every time we have sex, there should be no conversation that happens...' reflects Rachele Manett, on early childhood perceptions around the way sex is 'supposed to be'.

In this episode of Hey, Cis! we are talking about the intersections of ability and the accessibility of accessing pleasure; the privilege that accompanies ability when it comes to connecting sexually with others and ourselves.

Isaac (He/They) and Cyn (She/Her) are pleased to welcome Rachele Manett (she/they) to the show. Rachele is a queer, Jewish, disabled sexuality educator. They are currently the education coordinator for Venus Envy; an education-based sex shop and book store located in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia, where they organize and deliver workshops on all sorts of sexy topics.

Rachele has a particular interest in accessible sex practices and pleasure experiences.

"I think that once sort of disability became a part of my life, my existence, I was like, Oh, I can throw this entire rule book that I thought existed out the window because it's clearly not working for me anymore. Like, I had to rethink a lot of stuff, but I also think that that has had a big effect on how I see queer sex existing.'

Promoting healthy conversations around body parts and body types plays a big role body positivity and body autonomy. But what happens when body terminology doesn't work for you? Or there isn't representation out there that supports your identity? What kind of barriers form and why are they harmful?

Listen up folks! This episode is a tip of the iceberg around conversations that should be happening around sex and pleasure and we're excited you're here!

If you're a parent or a caregiver of a transgender or non-binary youth, teen or young adult, or you're an educator; this episode is all about inclusion, pleasure, accessibility and breaking down myths and stigma linked to cisnormative bias. We also talk about tools, toys and supports promoting body euphoria for trans youth. Because.... if we're not talking about it, you may never find out.

Hey, Cis! is changing the narrative, one conversation at a time; and building better humans along the way. Thanks for tuning-in.

Head over to our Blog THE BRIDGE on Sunday for more.

Credits

This episode is hosted by Cyn Sweeney (She/Her) and Isaac Cook (He/They).

Cyn is a cis, straight beyond binary educator and author focusing on 'beyond binary' inclusion and breaking heteronormative and cisnormative practices. As a storyteller and community writer Cynthia is inspired by peoples stories - and listening fully. In her late 20s she felt insulted to be described as a 'bull in china shop,' when it came to pushing barriers and cutting through red tape. More than two decades on, she realizes it's served as one of her best assets in role-modelling for her 3 children and family.

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Isaac Cook is a transgender, non-binary, queer person with a passion for making change. With a degree in Linguistics and Criminology, Isaac has more than six years of communications, marketing and web development experience with a particular passion for STEM- focused and non-profit organizations. Outside of his work with Cyn at Simply Good Form Inc., Isaac enjoys cooking, travelling, astrology and hanging out with his dogs Aspen and Timber.

Produced and edited in-house.

Proudly sponsored by TD Bank Group.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simply-good-form/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SimplyGoodForm

MUSIC:

Hey, Cis! thanks musical artist Craymo for our intro/extro song: Be Myself

Written by: Craig Stephen Raymo/Brandon Jarrett/Joshua Daniel Hershfield (c) (p) 2015 Craymo Music, BMI/Moho Music, ASCAP

Website: http://www.Craymo.com