At Planned Parenthood, we believe that everyone deserves to feel loved, supported, and valued. That’s why we’re proud to join PFLAG and CenterLink to bring you Q Chat Space — a digital online community where LGBTQ+ teens ages 13 to 19 can chat with like-minded peers going through similar experiences in real time.
We know that not everyone has an LGBTQ+ student group or community center easily available to them. Q Chat Space is a way for LGBTQ+ teens to connect with each other through live-chat group sessions — no matter where they are. The conversations on Q Chat Space are digital, and are run by experienced staff who work at LGBTQ+ centers around the country.
Q Chat Space aims to create an environment of learning and acceptance, where LGBTQ+ teens can make friends and build community in a safe space. Group agreements like respecting people’s identities and pronouns, keeping conversations confidential, welcoming new ideas and different perspectives, and owning up to and forgiving mistakes help make everyone’s experience welcoming and positive.
Upcoming sessions include discussions around gender identity, diversity, being out at school, trans issues, and healthy relationships.
Find a session with a time and date that works for you.
Once logged in, choose a username that fits your personality and helps you maintain the level of privacy you’re comfortable with.
Meet new friends and get support!
To learn more or to participate in a live group session, visit the Q Chat Space website.
-Attia at Planned Parenthood
Birth control is kinda our thing. And when it comes to sexual health, we’re experts. Want to find a birth control method that works for you? Let us help with the search>>
Our expert health educators are trained to answer your questions about sexual and reproductive health!
A robot that answers your sexual health questions accurately, doesn’t judge, and is freakin’ adorable? Yes please!
What’s a chatbot? It’s a computer program that you can have a conversation with. We’ve taught our chatbot, Roo, to answer your sexual health questions. 24-hours a day, 7-days a week — it’s totally confidential, anonymous, and free.
I lived far from my family for seven years. I got married during that time, and my son was born shortly thereafter. I would never have used the word at the time, but my husband abused me from day one. He belittled me, isolated me from family and friends, forbade me from leaving the house, and took away my control of my own finances.
He was an alcoholic and would shout at me for suggesting he address the problem. I felt unsafe, small, and powerless every day. I witnessed him physically and verbally assault children in our family. I thought that because he was not hitting me, he was not abusing me — but he was.
In 2015, I returned to my home town with my toddler son to find work here, expecting to bring my husband with me soon after my arrival. As we spent more time apart, I began to realize how much better my life was without him, and was shocked when people I met liked me. Regardless, I was convinced that we had just been having a rough patch and that I needed to toughen up.
During our marriage, my husband was personally offended if I ever wanted to have an appointment to be tested for STDs, despite the fact that I was almost certain he was having sex with other women. When I came home, I decided to make an appointment for the STD testing that I had been forbidden from getting. I went to the only place I knew I could go hassle free: Planned Parenthood.
At my appointment the nurse asked, “Do you feel safe at home?”
I burst into tears on the spot. I realized that I DID feel safe at home — for the first time in years. The thought of him joining me and my son filled me with dread and fear.
The nurse asked me what was going on, and listened to what I had to say. She encouraged me to get help, and to find a good therapist. She took me seriously, which nobody else had done. She made me realize that my experience was real, my feelings were real, and the abuse that I experienced was real. Now, two and a half years later, I am divorced, and am dealing with the PTSD that I was diagnosed with shortly after that appointment.
The emotional and verbal abuse that Lizzie experienced is a form of domestic violence (sometimes called intimate partner violence). Sexual and reproductive control, like preventing someone from getting health care, is also a form of domestic violence. Sexual and reproductive control includes things like:
preventing you from getting health care, like STD tests
forcing your partner to have sex, or do something they don’t want to do sexually
threatening to break up with someone if they don’t have sex with you
refusing to wear a condom, or pressuring your partner not to use one
hiding or throwing out birth control
taking off or purposely breaking condoms (AKA stealthing)
lying about using birth control
threatening a partner who doesn’t want to get pregnant
forcing a partner to have an abortion when they don’t want to
forcing a partner to carry a pregnancy to term when they want to have an abortion
All of these actions prevent you from making decisions about your own body — and all of them are abusive behaviors.
If you’ve experienced sexual or reproductive control in your relationship, or any other kind of abuse, you’re not alone, and there’s help available. You can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline, or if you’re a teen, check out Love Is Respect. Or, like Lizzie, your local Planned Parenthood health center may be able to help you find the best resources for you in your area. Planned Parenthood health centers also offer birth control methods that are private, like the implant and shot, as well as STD and pregnancy testing.
If you’re worried about someone in your life who may be in an abusive or unhealthy relationship, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is also a great resource to help you figure out how to help.
Are you an LGBTQ+ teen (13-19)? Are you interested in helping create a welcoming space online for others? Apply to be a part of the Youth Advisory Panel for Q Chat Space, a new digital LGBTQ+ center.
As a member of the Youth Advisory Panel, you will:
Set up and produce content for social media profiles for Q Chat Space
Promote Q Chat Space to your own social circles
Attend support groups regularly and provide input and feedback to facilitators about how groups are going
Hop on over to our inbox to ask Jack Knoxville, one of the incredible digital organizers at Planned Parenthood, your questions about all things voting.
Voting isn’t just a political act, it’s a personal one. It’s your opportunity to be heard, keep elected officials accountable for their decisions, and have a say in important issues that affect your community. From registering to getting to the polls, we’ve got the info you need.
Jack Knoxville is a very OUTspoken advocate who grew up homeless and became the first trans guy to ever run for office in Tennessee. In 2016, he launched a nonprofit focused on providing resources for the Trans community in Tennessee. He loves Planned Parenthood because they provided him with access to hormone therapy when no one else would. His work is focused on using the interwebs to organize young people and marginalized folks to improve reproductive health care access and outcomes.
During the Answer Time, we’ll publish everything right from our ask box, so if you don’t want your question tied back to your profile, be sure to make yourself anonymous.
Did you know: We have a whole bunch of resources for teens on our kickass website. Learn all about sex, coming out, the ins-and-outs of puberty, and relationship dos and don'ts. Plus there are quizzes and games! Check it out>>
At Planned Parenthood, we understand that your period is a normal (if not always welcome) part of life — and that it can be harder to track your period and manage your birth control method in the midst of vacation schedules and travel. This summer, Spot On, Planned Parenthood’s free period tracker and birth control app, makes it easier for you to understand your unique cycle so that you can rule it, instead of it ruling you.
Here is a helpful guide to having the best summer ever, period or no period.
By Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Swimming? Use a tampon or menstrual cup if you’re going to be in the water while on your period.
During summer, you don’t have to avoid cooling off in the water just because you have your period. Tampons or menstrual cups should keep you leak-free.
Remember to change out of your bathing suit or wet clothes to avoid infection.
It’s actually normal for yeast to live and grow in your vagina – as well as your mouth and intestines. A yeast infection occurs when yeast, also called candida, grows too much – often when the normal conditions of the vagina have changed and the balance is thrown off. It can happen for a lot of reasons: certain antibiotics, changes in hormone levels, pregnancy, etc. Yeast likes to grow in damp places, so one way to prevent an infection is to keep your genital area as dry as possible: rinse and dry thoroughly after showers, use dry towels, and – you guessed it – avoid sitting around in a wet swimsuit.
In addition to avoiding sitting around in a wet pair of underwear or a wet bathing suit for very long, you should be cautious about spending too much time in fabric that doesn’t breathe well – like some exercise shorts – which can trap moisture and heat and put you at a higher risk of yeast or bacterial infections.
Symptoms of a yeast infection include abnormal vaginal discharge that is thick, white, and odorless, as well as itching or burning. There are many different treatments for a yeast infection including pills, creams, suppositories and vaginal and oral tablets, and many of these are available over the counter. Check with your provider or a Planned Parenthood health center before picking up over-the-counter medications so you can be sure that you’re following the right treatment plan.
It’s ok to go commando.
Giving your vulva a chance to breathe can be a good thing – and there’s nothing inherently unhealthy about going without undies. Vaginal discharge is perfectly normal, but it can leave a stain on underwear or clothing. Most people wear underwear to feel comfortable and keep their clothes clean, but it’s totally up to you.
If you do wear underwear, make sure you change into a clean, dry pair every day. The most important thing is to wear what makes you comfortable while simultaneously keeping your vulva clean and dry. You can do this by wearing cotton underwear or clothes, or a similar fabric that wicks away moisture from the skin. If you’re not inclined to give up daytime underwear, you might want to lose your underwear at night and just wear a comfy pair of cotton pajamas.
Traveling can mess with the timing of your period.
Sometimes when we’re headed out on vacation, our periods can be late catching the flight. There are a lot of reasons your menstrual cycle may change, including your birth control method, illness, medication, over-exercising, poor nutrition, stress, sudden weight gain or loss – and traveling.
So it’s normal to see differences in your period if you’re traveling – but if you’ve had unprotected sex or think you might be pregnant, take a pregnancy test or visit your local Planned Parenthood health center.
If wedding season is cramping your style, know that you don’t have to get your period every month.
That’s right: If you are using hormonal birth control, like birth control pills, the implant, or the IUD, there’s no medical reason why you need to get your period every month. Combination birth control pills can be used to control when and how often you have your period. Some pills are specially packaged for you to have only a few periods a year, and others can also be used continuously to prevent having periods.
Sometimes periods cause severe health problems (like anemia or painful cramps), and sometimes people just simply don’t want to bleed or have cramps every month. Sometimes you have a really important date with a bridesmaid dress and you don’t want to be thinking about your period. Either way, it’s totally fine to use hormonal birth control to regulate or eliminate your period. If you want to skip or stop having periods, talk with your doctor or nurse about how this is done.
Nix the sex on the beach.
Sex on the beach or in a pool might seem romantic in the movies but, sex and water – chlorinated, natural, or salt water – generally don’t mix well. Water washes away your natural lubricant, so you could experience more chafing and discomfort. If you’re using a condom, less lubrication means more risk that the condom could rip or tear. The odds are even worse in a hot tub, since heat increases the risk of tearing.
The natural water of lakes and rivers contains bacteria, which could find its way into your vagina during sexual activity, putting you at risk for infections. Chlorinated water can also contain bacteria, so pools aren’t necessarily safer. And the chemicals used in pools and hot tubs could disrupt your body’s natural balance and cause a yeast infection, as well as irritate your more sensitive regions. Bottom line: it’s best to stay out of the water if you’re planning to get intimate.
Wherever you get lucky this summer, remember to use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
Stay away from “feminine washes” or douching, year round.
You don’t need to use feminine washes or douches to be fresh and clean – and they can actually actually be harmful to your body. Scented products often have harsh chemicals that strip away the natural and healthy bacteria that are in the vagina. This can irritate vaginal skin, and leave the vagina prone to infection from other bacteria. The vagina is self cleaning, so you don’t need to add all of these cleaning products. Just use a mild soap and rinse thoroughly.
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