We have spent most of November saying “Thank You” to birth control and being appreciative of strong Trans voices, but this Thanksgiving we have even more to be thankful for! Here’s TeenSource’s list of reasons to be thankful for this “Turkey Day!”
FREE Condoms
Condoms help prevent both pregnancy AND STDs! Condoms can also be used in addition to other methods of birth control like the pill or IUDs. If you live in California, you can pick up FREE condoms at a location near you by using our condom pick-up map. Teens in some parts of California can even get free condoms mailed to them! Find out where you can get FREE condoms this holiday season!
Birth Control
When it comes to birth control, we are thankful there are so many options! Be sure you find the one that is right for you. Remember, if your method is not working for you or your partner, you can always try another one that might work better! We are also thankful that teens in California can get their birth control for FREE! Visit TeenSource or a clinic near you to learn about all of your options!
Clinics and Clinic staff
We want to say a huge THANK YOU to clinics and health center staff who provide birth control, STD testing, condoms, and lots of information! Clinic staff work hard to provide all of these important services while making sure your information is kept confidential, or private. Visiting a clinic is easy. Find a clinic near you to take advantage of all that they offer! Remember, you can always bring a parent or other trusted adult with you to visit a clinic, but it not required.
Rights!
Did you know that teens have a right to confidentially access health care like STD testing and treatment or birth control for free? That means that if you visit a clinic, your information stays private and will not be shared with a parent or guardian without your permission. It is always great to bring a parent or other trusted adult with you to visit a clinic but if that is not possible or if you would prefer not to, that is ok! Teens in California also have a right to leave school to receive these services without their parent’s permission. Learn about all of your important rights that we give thanks for!
Different Identities
As you may have learned in last week’s blog, there are more and more people coming out as not cisgender or heterosexual and we are so thankful for those who are paving the way to make these identities more acceptable. You might remember, cisgender is when a person’s gender matches their sex assigned at birth, for example, a person assigned male identifies as a man. Someone who is not cisgender is called transgender. While it is not always possible for everyone to be out, we are thankful of those who have used their voice to start these conversations. And remember, you have the right to be yourself, if you feel comfortable.
Teen Friendly Information
We are so thankful for websites like TeenSource that provide medically accurate, teen-friendly information for everyone! If you haven’t already, sign up for The Hookup, our weekly text messaging program where you get health information straight to your phone, by texting “Hookup” to 877877 to get weekly information straight to your phone! You can also follow us on Instagram (@teensourceorg) and twitter (@teensource).
What are you thankful for this holiday season? Let us know on Instagram and stay up to date with TeenSource!