If you haven’t already listened to the previous episode, Sex in the Church: Part I, then I strongly recommend you do. This episode is a continuation of the conversation I had with Andrew Williams, about how his live changed when he found out at 17 years old that his girlfriend at the time was pregnant with his child.
Andrew and I are both black men, and in addition to his experiences as a co-parent and dating again, we also talk about how our similar cultures have shaped our attitudes towards sex.
Generally speaking, religion (Christianity, in our case) is a significant cultural factor within many Afro-Caribbean communities. Conversations within church about sex, sexuality and sexual conduct are almost always deeply conservative, and often not very open. This, to some extent, influences how open (or not) conversations between parent and child within our communities about sex can be.
As black men, often we learn about sex through our peers, porn and our own experiences, which can be both damaging and unhealthy. And while not explicitly discussed in this episode, there are numerous studies available which show that young black men are disproportionately at high risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections. Equally, issues such as violence, abuse and a diminished view of the meaningfulness of sex or relationships are outcomes of poor sex education within our homes and the church.
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