Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Girl
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://karenrayne.com/
CITY: Austin
STATE: TX
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.unhushed.net/about-unhushed/dr-karen-rayne/ * https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenrayne/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2017007818
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2017007818
HEADING: Rayne, Karen
000 01305cz a2200217n 450
001 10374384
005 20170923073811.0
008 170210n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2017007818
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca10705675
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |d WaU
100 1_ |a Rayne, Karen
370 __ |c United States |2 naf
372 __ |a Education |a Sex instruction |a Written communications |a Editing |2 lcsh
373 __ |a Center for Sex Education
373 __ |a Carnegie-Mellon University |2 naf
374 __ |a Teachers |a Authors |a Editors |2 lcsh
375 __ |a Females |2 lcdgt
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Girl, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (Karen Rayne, PhD.)
670 __ |a 25 great lesson plans about sexual orientation, 2017: |b title page (edited by … Karen Rayne, PhD) page 3 (Karen Rayne, PhD, is the sexuality education specialist for The Center for Sex Education. A curriculum development expert with more than two decades’ experience in sexuality education … Karen has served as chair of the National Sex Ed Conference and is associate editor of the American Journal for Sexuality Education. She is the author or editor of teaching manuals … national and international parent-child communication curricula; youth-focused comprehensive sexuality curricula; and a federally funded project through Carnegie Mellon University)
PERSONAL
Married; children: three daughters.
EDUCATION:University of Texas, Austin, Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
The Center for Sex Education, sexuality education specialist; National Sex Ed Conference, chair; Unhushed, sex education organizer; American Journal for Sexuality Education, associate editor.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Sex education expert Karen Rayne works at The Center for Sex Education as an education specialist who believes that everyone should have someone to safely talk to about sexuality and receive honest and accurate information. She also runs Unhushed, a sexual education nonprofit that counters the state of Texas’ laws which do not require sex education to be medically accurate and that require schools to portray homosexuality negatively. Rayne is also a curriculum development expert, has been chair of the National Sex Ed Conference, and is associate editor of the American Journal for Sexuality Education. Rayne holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Texas, Austin. She lives in Austin with her wife and three daughters.
In 2017, Rayne published her first book, Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, with illustrations by Ramsey Beyer and Nyk Rayne, aimed at teenage girls and young adults who identify as female. Rayne offers information and advice on gender identity, dating, sexuality, relationships, consent, sexually transmitted diseases, medical knowledge, and sexual assault. The information in the book is based on factual data, and is uncensored and unbiased. Incorporating self-reflection questions, a list of resources, and supplemental materials, Rayne aims to help girls and young women prepare for healthy romantic relationships and self-image as strong females. Six women aged seventeen to twenty-six provide diary-like entries showcasing issues of concern to them.
“Older teens will find this comprehensive handbook to gender, relationships, and sexuality indispensable, according to Jeni Tahaney in a review in School Library Journal. Writing in Publishers Weekly, a contributor observed that “Rayne offers an empowering, thorough, and inclusive guide to sexuality,” and that Rayne’s book provides a breadth and depth of its discussions. In Voice of Youth Advocates, Alicia Abdul noted: “By asking questions and providing thoughtful answers, she addresses sensitive topics plainly.”
To Anya Kamenetz online at National Public Radio, Rayne said, “Having access to all the available information is what allows young people to make wise decisions about their own bodies.” Rayne hopes that women will not make these decisions under peer pressure, but through careful consideration. The hope is that “outside the watchful eye of adult supervision,” and with access to the right information, teens will make the right calls. With advice for parents, Rayne advises not to assume that their children act the same out in the world that they do at home under their parents’ eye. In an interview with Laura Lambert online at Read Brightly, she said: “How we choose to express ourselves can depend on the expectations of people around us — and the opportunities presented by the people around us.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, December 4, 2017, review of Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You, p. S117.
School Library Journal, July 2017, Jeni Tahaney, review of Girl, p. 109.
Voice of Youth Advocates, August 2016, Alicia Abdul, review of Girl, p 79.
ONLINE
NPR, http://www.npr.org/ (June 14, 2016), Anya Kamenetz, review of Girl.
Read Brightly, http://www.readbrightly.com/ (February 1, 2018), Laura Lambert, author interview.
Print Marked Items
Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You
Publishers Weekly.
264.49-50 (Dec. 4, 2017): pS117.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You
Karen Rayne, illus. by Ramsey Beyer.
Imagination, $15.95 trade paper
ISBN 978-1-4338-2339-8
Rayne offers an empowering, thorough, and inclusive guide to sexuality for "older teenagers who identify as
female." Divided into four overarching sections, the book candidly examines gender, attraction, healthy
relationships, hookups, consent, various types of sex, and numerous other related topics. Handwritten entries
from six teens and young women provide intimate and unvarnished first-hand perspectives ("I spent so
many years 'saving myself,' so long ignoring my bodily needs and for what?" writes Blake, a nonbinary
artist/activist). Rayne's book is notable for the breadth and depth of its discussions; readers seeking advice
on or knowledge about virtually any aspect of sexuality and identity should find this to be a valuable
resource. Ages 15-up.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You." Publishers Weekly, 4 Dec. 2017, p. S117. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A518029940/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9e1e189d.
Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A518029940
Rayne, Karen. GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance,
and Being You
Alicia Abdul
Voice of Youth Advocates.
40.3 (Aug. 2017): p79+.
COPYRIGHT 2017 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com
Full Text:
3Q * 3P * M * J * S
Rayne, Karen. GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You. Magination Press/American Psychological
Association, 2017. Illus. by Ramsey Beyer and Nyk Rayne. 368p. $15.95 Trade pb. 978-1-4338-2339-8.
Table of Contents. Illus. Glossary. Biblio. Index. Additional Resources.
Rayne's GIRL provides a comprehensive guide for and about anyone who identifies as a girl. By asking
questions and providing thoughtful answers, she addresses sensitive topics plainly; then, adds a second layer
by including six young adult authors whose diary-like entries are scattered throughout the text. Rich with
depth, there are vocabulary lessons and prompts for discussing delicate topics with others at the end of each
chapter, with additional resources right there, rather than at the end of the book. Some of the topics covered
are gender, healthy relationships, consent, sex, and many more.
The guide is written in an engaging, conversational style that demonstrates Rayne's expertise on the topic.
She is a nationally-recognized educator on sexuality and this text is a welcome extension to her blog.
Providing the personal accounts gives girls perspectives for the information in the text, providing a balanced
approach to all the various ways girls are girls--but the varied handwriting styles and formatting of the
multiple contributors is distracting to the more formal style of the rest of the text. It may be easier for girls
to thumb through topics that interest them rather than read the book from start to finish given the sheer
amount information presented. Rayne's GIRL is an empowering and important manual for young adult girls
in their self-discovery, so purchase for libraries as a nonfiction teen title with the cover facing forward to
maximize visibility.--Alicia Abdul.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Abdul, Alicia. "Rayne, Karen. GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You." Voice of Youth Advocates, Aug.
2017, p. 79+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502000888/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e9242476. Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502000888
Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You
Publishers Weekly.
264.20 (May 15, 2017): p57.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You
Karen Rayne, Illus. by Ramsey Beyer. Magination, $15.95 trade paper (368p) ISBN 978-1-4338-2339-8
Rayne offers an empowering, thorough, and inclusive guide to sexuality for "older teenagers who identify as
female." Divided into four overarching sections, the book candidly examines gender, attraction, healthy
relationships, hookups, consent, various types of sex, and numerous other related topics. Handwritten entries
from six teens and young women provide intimate and unvarnished first-hand perspectives ("I spent so
many years 'saving myself,' so long ignoring my bodily needs and for what?" writes Blake, a nonbinary
artist/ activist). Rayne's book is notable for the breadth and depth of its discussions; readers seeking advice
on or knowledge about virtually any aspect of sexuality and identity should find this to be a valuable
resource. Ages 15-up. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Girl: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You." Publishers Weekly, 15 May 2017, p. 57. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A492435704/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=6e46be09.
Accessed 29 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A492435704
Tahaney, Jeni
School Library Journal. Jul2017, Vol. 63 Issue 7, p109-109. 1/5p.
Book Review
Gr 9 Up–Rayne, an expert in sexuality education, has created a timely, practical, inclusive guide for teen girls that covers a wide variety of topics in great detail, from cultural perceptions of girlhood to the complicated world of relationships and sex. In an opening letter to readers, Rayne challenges the audience to “think about what being a girl means physically, emotionally, and sexually.” An in-depth introduction explains how the work is organized. Peppered throughout are journal entries from real teens (short profiles of the contributors are included in the introduction) that keep the book from being too studious and questions that directly address readers. These segments encourage critical thinking. In addition to the back matter, there’s a short supplemental resource list at the end of each chapter. For the most part, these lists are made up of books, websites, and YouTube videos (which could be an obstacle as the book ages). VERDICT Older teens will find this comprehensive handbook to gender, relationships, and sexuality i-ndispensable.
HIGHER ED
Teen Sex-Ed Resources For Oh, Oh, Those Summer Nights
June 14, 20176:00 AM ET
Waylon Faulkner, a 12-year-old from Jersey City, N.J., is headed off to a sleepaway camp in upstate New York this summer.
"Boys and girls are completely intermingled except for sleeping," says his mother, Genevieve. "And the ages are mixed, which I think is good. It's 9 to 15."
In that kind of atmosphere, and in the throes of puberty, Genevieve knows that stuff might happen.
"Maybe he'll get his first kiss — who knows? I kinda hope so," she says. "I know he's ready. I know he wants it. He gets crushes on girls but it never goes anywhere." (Sooo embarassing.)
Summer is traditionally a time when young people have a bit more independence and a chance to explore and try new things. And there's a new generation of resources out there aimed at parents who want to make sure that teens are armed with the best possible information about their bodies, sex and relationships, so that they can make good decisions away from adult supervision.
A new book titled Girl: Love, Sex, Romance and Being You, and a separate video campaign called AMAZE, aimed at both girls and boys, are both designed to tackle topics that students don't cover in school.
AMAZE is a project of three sexual education nonprofits called Advocates for Youth, Answer, and Youth Tech Health. It first launched last fall, and now there are around 30 animated short videos available on YouTube, with about a million views total. Each tackles a different topic, from coming out as LGBT, to HIV, to dealing with BO.
The goal is to "recognize and acknowledge that sexual development is normal and healthy and people need information that's honest," says Debra Hauser, the president of Advocates for Youth. "Sex education, if it's done well and speaks to young people, can create the foundation for sexual health throughout their lives."
Genevieve Faulkner has been watching the videos with her son. "I like how each video is one topic, so we can absorb one thing at a time," she says. So far, the conversations have been "pretty one way," but she has learned from the topics Waylon chooses; for example, he was curious about girls' puberty.
Nathalie Quezada is 16, from West Palm Beach, Fla., and a volunteer with Advocates for Youth. She'll be visiting New York City this summer, and also hanging out with her friends, taking trips to the beach and bowling. "A lot of families, both parents work, and in the summer kids have more freedom," she says. And sometimes that means making tough calls on your own.
Quezada says her mom, especially, is really open with her. Her mother Ana agrees, in Spanish, that with her older daughter "no topic is taboo."
But since her parents grew up in the Dominican Republic, she says, they might not have covered everything in their own school days. Plus, there's a language barrier around things like the names of certain diseases.
Quezada says she likes the idea of the AMAZE videos because she and her peers need trusted information, which you can't always find on Google. "Broader questions, like, 'If I make out with someone will I get HIV?' most sites have accurate information," she says. "But if you have something very specific, it might not pop up."
Part of the reason groups like AMAZE are looking for ways to reach students outside of school settings is that there are gaps in official sex-ed classes. Quezada says she covered the basics of reproduction and contraception in middle school at a charter school, but some of her public school peers received abstinence-only education.
Almost half of states require that abstinence be "stressed" in sex-ed classes in public schools.
According to research by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports reproductive rights, 40 percent of young women and 45 percent of young men reported receiving no formal instruction on contraception.
And, the state of Texas, where Karen Rayne runs a sexual-education nonprofit called Unhushed, does not require sexual education to be medically accurate on topics such as condom failure rates or the causes of HIV. Texas, along with seven other states, has laws that require schools to portray homosexuality in a negative light.
Rayne's nonprofit creates comprehensive middle school curricula and trains educators in private schools and in churches, where there can be more flexibility on what is covered and how. And, she has now published a book, Girl, to try to reach her target audience head-on. The book takes on a wide range of issues, from sexual consent and decision making, to body image and healthy relationships, and porn and masturbation.
Rayne got help from a group of youthful contributors, aged 17 to 26, who sent in remarkably candid diary entries on the selected topics. "Tonight, I confessed to my pastor that I've been watching gay porn," one starts out.
Even the most open parent might have trouble with that conversation. Yet, Rayne says, "Having access to all the available information is what allows young people to make wise decisions about their own bodies."
Her book asks young people whether they will make these decisions under pressure; by following their guts; or with careful consideration. The hope is that "outside the watchful eye of adult supervision," and with access to the right information, teens this summer will make the right calls.
Understanding What’s Really Happening with Your Adolescent: A Q&A with Dr. Karen Rayne
by Laura Lambert
I have a 9-year-old girl — and almost daily I catch myself in a panic spiral about the years directly ahead of us. Luckily, I — and others like me — don’t have to go it alone. Dr. Karen Rayne is here to help. Sexuality educator, speaker, and self-proclaimed “parent supporter,” she’s written extensively about the adolescent animal, tackling the topical and the taboo in books such as Breaking the Hush Factor: Ten Rules for Talking with Teenagers about Sex and the forthcoming GIRL: Love, Sex, Romance, and Being You.
She’s also the consulting editor of DK’s Help Your Kids with Adolescence, a broad-based compendium of all things adolescence, from changing bodies to cyberbullying, money management to test anxiety — and just about everything in between. It’s meant to be a co-viewing resource for parents who just want to know what the heck is going on with their tweens and teens, and for kids who can’t believe how much their parents just don’t get it. I think of it as an encyclopedia that explains this wild and wooly time.
I caught up with Dr. Rayne after her visit to the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) annual conference, where early copies of Help Your Kids with Adolescence were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
I devoured pregnancy and baby books way back when — and those are fairly universal, developmentally. But puberty! Adolescence! It seems so individual. Are there some universal truths?
Yes, there are universal truths. They are not relevant week to week though — or even year to year. There are 12-year-olds who are much closer to a 15-year-old, and some 12- year-olds closer to a 9-year-old, developmentally. There’s a dramatic range and, I think especially in these pre-teen and early teen years, the range widens [even more] dramatically.
It’s about getting to know your particular teen.
What’s the one thing that every parent gets wrong about adolescence?
Well, I hope there’s not one thing that every parent gets wrong. But, generally speaking, there are two.
One is that parents try to make guesses as to where their kids are in their sexual development. I don’t think that they can, at least not with any reasonable guarantee of being correct. Some parents assume their kids are having sex, and they are not having sex. Some parents think, “There’s no way my kids are having sex” — and those kids are totally having sex.
The other is the assumption that, “Oh, this is what my kid is like at home, so that’s what my child is like everywhere.” All of us, we’re a little different depending on where we are. I’m different when I’m alone with my spouse or out with my friends. How we choose to express ourselves can depend on the expectations of people around us — and the opportunities presented by the people around us. Middle schoolers are no different.
What’s the hardest topic to broach for parents?
It depends on the parent. For me, I talk about sex all day long. It’s fairly easy for me to bring it up. My kids will ask, “What did you to today?” and it’ll be something about sexuality.
But don’t ask me to talk about drugs. My co-parent and I made a deal — I talk about sex, you talk about drugs.
What’s the hardest topic for teens? I’m guessing these are different.
The same thing applies: It depends on the teen. But, if I’m generalizing, it’s hard for teens to talk about personal failure, regardless of the subject area. Kids don’t want to let parents see them failing.
What are some simple tips for starting these difficult or awkward conversations — or for keeping them going?
I love media so much — the representations of relationships and sexuality are so bad, by and large, that it gives ample opportunities for dialogue. I talk with my kids about song lyrics as they come up, but also movies and TV shows, books that are being read, anything related to stories about the human condition. It could be about gender, legal issues, reproductive anatomy, healthy relationships — there’s always a way in. Parents can take advantage of that.
And I love a book like Help Your Kids With Adolescence. Having a book like this around, when a question comes up in the media, you can say, “Hey, let’s go read a little bit about it.” It’s age-appropriate, and not too heavy.
Do you have advice for parents for staying in tune with what the kids are doing these days?
You won’t! I find that acknowledging that and releasing it as something you need is helpful. You don’t have to try and keep up or be watching the same things and knowing the information prior to your teen accessing it. The best thing to do is to try and find out what she’s interested in and what she’s doing — and show interest.
What are her specific interests, which might be different from my teen’s interests? One of the perks of being a parent is that you only have to focus on your kid.
What are some of the resources you recommend? For parents, teens or both?
It depends on the need.
Help Your Kids With Adolescence is a general resource for the preteen and early teen audience. There’s not a lot out there for them, which is why I’m so excited about this book.
There’s a dearth of books in that critical age range. There are lots of books for kids and a decent selection for teenagers in the 15-plus set. But we’re missing that 10- to 14-year-old range. Middle school age, it’s the forgotten years.