Do you remember that feeling you’d get stargazing as a kid, the one that rushed over you as you realized everyone else in the world—from Taipei to Nairobi to Tightsqueeze, Virginia—shares the same horoscopic horizon as you? It’s a feeling of insurmountable insignificance, sure, but more accurately of interconnection. The feeling that– despite cultural wars, political prejudices, and airfare–the world isn’t so far away.
For those of you who don’t like the great out doors, have lived too long in Manhattan to remember what the starlit sky looks like, or simply think I’m crazy—I offer a different link to humanity: the internet.
The World Wide Web, aptly named, has become the modern star-studded blanket of human connection. From viral videos of dudes dancing around the world to peace protests born from facebook, the internet has become an arena for global conversation and support.
I’d never really thought about sex therapists in other countries until I stumbled upon a recent article celebrating Zoya Amirin, the first and only female sex therapist in Indonesia. And also our second recipient of the Naked Truth Award.
Zoya Amirin, Photo Courtesy of AP
Even though Indonesia is a moderate Muslim country, Amirin faces quite a bit of opposition as a sex therapist. As Chron.com states, “[an Indonesian] hard-liner fringe has become more vocal and violent in recent years, attacking bars, transvestites and anything else deemed blasphemous.” It’s amazing how fringe society can infringe on freedoms, especially when they’re fueled by fear and ignorance.
It is exactly that ignorance that Zoya Amirin challenges with her sex therapy. Amirin has recently extended her practice to a podcast, hoping to combat the myriad of sex-related myths circulated through misinformation, misunderstanding and fear. For instance, many Indonesians believe that uncircumcised girls will become promiscuous, and that gecko saliva can cure AIDS. Not only are these myths obviously inaccurate, they’re also quite dangerous. It’s misconceptions like these that demonstrate the importance of open dialogue and sex-education.
As Indonesian sociologist Julia Suryakusuma summarizes, “The taboo is not against sex, but against making it public and formal.” Sex is fine behind closed doors, but when it creeps into the classroom curriculum, the media, the academic world–people are going to react. Although I’m sure the opposition in Indonesia is much stronger than the censorship we face at Naked Therapy, I couldn’t help but notice we share a surprisingly similar environment. How is it that sex—the most natural act—has become an almost universal taboo?
I don’t know for certain, but I do know that we can fight such limited ideology through people like Zoya Amirin.
In an attempt to determine whether bipolar disorder is hereditary, lots of research has been carried out via twin studies and examining multiple families and adoption records, all of which has concluded that there are definite bipolar hereditary factors at play in the incidence of bipolar cases.