That's absolutely okay! Hopefully we'll see you soon.

Hi Enphery, I'm glad to hear you're thinking of visiting the counselor once you're in college! I hear you when you say that you don't think what happened with your brother as affecting your daily life. But it sounds like it is effecting you in some ways; the feelings you had that lead to you startin...

I'm glad it's such a positive community for you! And I will say, the more--when you float that information, or just flat out mention your age in the course of talking about something--in a way that treats it as no big deal, the less of a big deal it's likely to be, because you're indicating that you...

It will! It's open right now and will be for the next three-ish hours.

Hi fresariver, I'm so glad Latha's advice was helpful! And I think using those distractions to keep your mind of those behaviors until the interest in them passes is a good strategy! Another thing that can help, if you haven't already done it, is to delete the app you use or block the websites; that...

Hi maybellinerr, I'm glad that you've been able to find a space and people in it who you're able to talk about these things with and, it sounds like, ultimately feel comfortable around! I want to start by saying I don't think anyone in this equation is doing anything wrong, let alone awful. It doesn...

Hi Enphery, Okay, so it sounds like masturbation functionally became a compulsion, or like it was almost trying to be a coping mechanism for other stressors you were facing at the time. That's one of the instances where frequent masturbation is indeed an actual issue that needs to be addressed and m...

Hi S88, Jacob is out for the weekend, but I'll leave them a note that you asked for more detail about the art therapist! With those situations where you're feeling decision paralysis, or even just "I'm so tired, no more questions," I wonder if working with your partner to come up with some...

Hi Brian,

We touched on the other part of your question in chat, but I'm glad the conversation with your girlfriend went well!

Hi Rose, With the demisexuality versus bisexuality, I think it goes back to what was said earlier in this thread, which is that for a lot of bi (and pan, and queer) folks, they don't experience their attraction to each gender in the exact same way. So nothing you describe indicates to me that bisexu...

Hi Enphery, It sounds you have made progress in terms of how you feel about all this! I do want to say that if sex is happening and it's NOT wanted by one of the people involved? Then that actually isn't sex, it's sexual assault. And from what you're describing, that was something your brother chose...

Hello! Cross-posting this from reddit on Orion--the moderator's--behalf since to help get things rolling! Orion, "My name is Orion and I volunteer with Scarleteen! I will be moderating for my fellow volunteer, Cat. Cat is a fat, autistic, and hormonally intersex queer person who has been passio...

Sam, "Since we're still in pride month, are there any pieces of media--movies, music, etc--that you find yourself always returning to as a means of celebrating pride? " Kier, " Ooh, I love reading Pleasure Activism during pride month, and my beloved collection of Audre Lorde poems — b...

Sam, "If you could design your ideal version of sex education--the resources available, where and how it's delivered, what's included, all that jazz--what would it look like? " Kier, " I love this question so much! I think first, I would make the resources available more accessible fo...

Sam, "I really like that as a metaphor for that. And also I applaud your mom for perhaps the best executed joke of all time. With vulnerability, that's something we see users struggle with a lot too. That tension between wanting and needing to be that way with the very real possibility that som...

Sam, "Okay, I'm curious about two things: do you have a favorite piece of that art? And can you share one of the conundrums that became a comic? " Kier, " Yes! My favorite piece on the glory hole is something my mom wrote on it actually — very simple and silly, she said “your mom was ...

Sam, "When we met in person, you were telling those of us there about your, shall we say, creatively decorated bathroom. You don't have to give all the details, though you're welcome to. I'm more curious if you could talk about how you came to have a more playful/more comfortable relationship w...

Sam, "are there any tools for finding providers or for finding healthcare advocates/advocacy groups that you really like or use often? " Kier, "Yes! For therapists and psychiatrists, I like using the advanced search filters on PsychologyToday — there is actually another database too s...

Sam, "Are there things you can think of that are ways queer and trans people can help each other navigate that red tape or otherwise be the advocate the people in their lives and communities? " Kier, in reply, "Oh, absolutely yes! Helping each other navigate red tape can look like mak...

Kier, to GoodTrouble, "Yes, I love this question! I think a great place to start with this is by understanding that doctors are not there to get you in any trouble, and it truly is a confidential space. Looking up the confidentiality policy at your doctor’s office can help a lot of anxiety too....

Kier, to Sam, "Absolutely! I think of patient advocacy as twofold: having the right tools *with* you to tell the doctor/nurse/provider what you need (and truthfully deserve), and potentially having someone else in the room with you who you’ve communicated with and trust to assert your boundarie...

Kier, "Hi there, absolutely. :) I’m a volunteer here at Scarleteen, and I spend most of my time on direct service, working on the message boards, in text, and on live chat! I spend my time helping users with various sexual health questions and concernss, and I love searching our website for the...

Goodtrouble, "I have questions! Kier! I would love to hear what your favorite tips are for young people navigating sexual healthcare, particularly, in terms of how to feel more comfortable, safe and able to be honest with their providers! "

Kier, I also have a question for you that popped up when I was putting in your bio! Can you talk a little more about what patient advocacy for queer and trans folks looks like?

Hi Everyone! Happy Pride! I'm Sam, one of the co-directors here at Scarleteen. And I'm so excited to moderating this AMA with the super-rad Kier, one of our volunteers! Kier is a genderfluid, AFAB, queer person living in Chicago! Their pronouns are she/they and they identify as neurodivergent. They ...