Sex And Sensibilities with Ana Santos

02/04/2025

Comprehensive S*xuality Education (CSE) is an essential aspect of ensuring that individuals, especially youth, are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to make informed and responsible decisions about their s*xual and reproductive health. A series of events by the UP Center for Women's and Gender Studies will be held under this theme.

Forum on Comprehensive S*xual Education and Menstrual Health
28 March 2025 | 9:00 am-12:00 nn
UPCWGS Conference Room
Register via https://forms.gle/ZPmADbjQWwFoibDY8

Comprehensive S*xual Education (CSE) plays a crucial role in equipping individuals with knowledge about reproductive health, gender equality, and bodily autonomy. One key aspect of CSE is menstrual health, an often-overlooked topic that significantly impacts the well-being, education, and empowerment of individuals who menstruate. Despite advancements in awareness, stigma, misinformation, and inadequate access to menstrual hygiene products persist. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach through education, policy, and community support.

Championing Rights: Why Comprehensive S*xuality Education is a Must
April 8, 2025 from 2pm to 4pm
UPCWGS Conference Room
Register via https://tinyurl.com/CSEandRights

This is an event where a panel of speakers will answer the question: Why should we support comprehensive s*xuality education? They will share their experiences and knowledge about working with youth communities regarding adolescent reproductive health and rights.

Curbing Disinformation: Promoting S*xual and Reproductive
Health Rights on Social Media
May, TBA
Online via UPOU Networks website and UPOU Networks page

Disinformation has become a major barrier to SRHR advocacy, particularly in efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancies, which rose by 35% in 2022 with 3,135 documented cases compared to 2,320 in 2021. To address this, experts in gender studies and family development will share insights on the importance of CSE, the social and economic consequences of rising teenage pregnancies, and how social media can be harnessed to combat disinformation and strengthen public support for SRHR initiatives.

07/03/2025

Dear SASSy Ones,

📺 Kung napanood mo yung S*x and Sensibilities episode sa Rappler about being chronically single, ito na ang IG version mo! 😆

💡 Being single isn’t about kulang—it’s about UNLI. Unlimited choices and options. No jowa, no problem—punong-puno pa rin ang buhay mo! ✨

Tag a fellow unli single! 😘 *xandsensibilities

💖 SASsy 6: Ways to enjoy and LOVE your UNLI Single Era 💖

💌 1️⃣ UNLI BFF – Ikaw man ang designated single friend sa barkada, it just means you have more time to deepen your relationships with the other loves of your life—your friends, your family, your community. Jowa may come and go, pero tunay na connections? Yan ang forever.

🌈 2️⃣ UNLI Love Life – Love isn’t just about romance—it’s a verb. Hindi ka naghihintay maging masaya, masaya ka na. You’re building a life you love, kahit hindi perfect, pero contento at buo.

💆‍♀️ 3️⃣ UNLI Self-Love – Sino’ng may sabing hindi pwedeng i-date ang sarili? You thrive in your own company. Whether it’s treating yourself to a solo trip, a fancy dinner, or a quiet night in, you romance your life. Ikaw ang ultimate Plus 1 mo.

🔮 4️⃣ UNLI Choices – Madami kang choices at ikaw ang magde-decide kung kailan, paano, at kung sino. Deserve mo ang happiness

💃 5️⃣ UNLI Body – Huwag na natin hintayin ang validation ng iba to feel s*xy, strong, and empowered in your own skin. Whether it’s through movement, self-care, or just loving what you see in the mirror— WORSHIP your body.

🌍 6️⃣ UNLI Explore – Ikaw, ano’ng gusto mo? 💫 Being single is the best time to explore what you want and are looking for in a relationship. Baka iniisip mo pa yun desires mo, or discovering new ways to love and be loved, or simply embracing your s*xuality. Explore mo lahat yan at enjoy mo 😊

07/03/2025

Keeping your s*x drive alive without a partner | *xAndSensibilities

WATCH: You haven’t had s*x for years now, how do you keep your s*x drive alive? This might be the dilemma of those who have been chronically single, or those who haven't had a partner for a long time.

Rappler's s*x and gender columnist Ana P. Santos shares tips in this new episode of 'S*x and Sensibilities.'

Here are tips from Rappler's s*x and gender columnist on how you can be the best lover to yourself

07/03/2025

Dear SASSy Ones,

📺 Kung napanood mo yung S*x and Sensibilities episode sa Rappler about being chronically single, ito na ang IG version mo! 😆

💡 Being single isn’t about kulang—it’s about UNLI. Unlimited choices and options. No jowa, no problem--punong-puno pa rin ang buhay mo! ✨

Tag a fellow unli single! 😘 *xandsensibilities

💖 SASsy 6: Ways to enjoy and LOVE your UNLI Single Era 💖

💌 1️⃣ UNLI BFF – Ikaw man ang designated single friend sa barkada, it just means you have more time to deepen your relationships with the other loves of your life—your friends, your family, your community. Jowa may come and go, pero tunay na connections? Yan ang forever.

🌈 2️⃣ UNLI Love Life – Love isn’t just about romance—it’s a verb. Hindi ka naghihintay maging masaya, masaya ka na. You’re building a life you love, kahit hindi perfect, pero contento at buo.

💆‍♀️ 3️⃣ UNLI Self-Love – Sino’ng may sabing hindi pwedeng i-date ang sarili? You thrive in your own company. Whether it’s treating yourself to a solo trip, a fancy dinner, or a quiet night in, you romance your life. Ikaw ang ultimate Plus 1 mo.

🔮 4️⃣ UNLI Choices – Madami kang choices at ikaw ang magde-decide kung kailan, paano, at kung sino. Deserve mo ang happiness

💃 5️⃣ UNLI Body – Huwag na natin hintayin ang validation ng iba to feel s*xy, strong, and empowered in your own skin. Whether it’s through movement, self-care, or just loving what you see in the mirror— WORSHIP your body.

🌍 6️⃣ UNLI Explore – Ikaw, ano’ng gusto mo? 💫 Being single is the best time to explore what you want and are looking for in a relationship. Baka iniisip mo pa yun desires mo, or discovering new ways to love and be loved, or simply embracing your s*xuality. Explore mo lahat yan at enjoy mo lahat!

18/02/2025

Dear SASsy Ones,

Are you caught up in the heated S*xEd debates? Teen prégnancy is a public health problem that the Philippines has been dealing with for a long time.

I break it down here —

📝 The heated debates about Comprehensive S*xuality Éducation taught in schools are causing a moral panic in the Philippines

📍 Manila/Puerto Princesa, Philippines

💡 Some highlights:

📌 Ok, as always, the good stuff first. , a women’s healthcare facility in Palawan has been teaching CSE for years using tailored and culturally appropriate made matériels. Palawan has seen a drop in teen pregancies. Woot, right? CSE (which is essentially knowing how your body works) when combined with access to judgement free services and access to contraception works. 😊

📌 Ok, here’s where it gets a bit sticky. The Philippines has one of the highest teen prégnancy rates in the région. About 500 teens become pregnant every day. Teen prégnancy was declared a national health priority in 2021. A Teen Prégnancy Prévention Bill was filed in Congress to bolster CSE as an intervention.

📌 Incorporating CSE is already mandated by the Reproductive Health Law of 2012. The Éducation Dept has already rolled CSE out to over 1.6M learners.

❓So what gives❓

📌 A conservative religious group (led by a former Suprême Court justice) is claiming that CSE will teach children how to ma******te, and positioning CSE as corrupting young people

📌 I spoke to Kessa, who is a mother of 2. She is 17-years-old. Kessa lives in the Manila fish port area known as Market 3. Its streets are filled with the pitter pattér of tiny feet scampering about. Kessa wishes she knew more about birth control. What she knew was based on hearsay and romance. ”…if you’re meant to be with someone, you will get pregnant. Even if he puts it in just a little bit.” Misconceptions about s*x are still rampant.

Full report on here - https://shorturl.at/sGL9J

Disclosure: The Executive Director of Roots of Health and I are both Atlantic Fellows under the Equity Initiative in SE Asia Program of the Atlantic Institute.

11/12/2024

📣 13 December, Friday at 9am GMT: S*x and S*xuality Rights in the Broligarchy Era

Speakers Anne Philpott of and Ankita Anand

Hosted by and moderated by well, me 😊

📍Zoom Registration Link here

https://rb.gy/p6x39r

📝 In the Broligarchy* era, global s*xual health and rights are under attack. Join us to resist, persist, and stand in solidarity to fight back

*A small group of men who control political structures

⏰ - Check this schedule converter to see the time equivalent in your area

https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

10/08/2024

Thank you to Youth Voices Count and Probe Media Foundation for inviting me to be part of this Y-Talk webinar about trans and media representation.

Learned so much from .__.__ and bhattarai about lived experiences of transpeople.

The video documentaries shown in between our talks gave us an insight into everyday life of being a transparent and transperson. By showing these everyday experiencies through stories we see points of similarity and solidarity rather than lines of division and difference.

In the photo is my article in Metro Magazíne about Dee, transpinay and Founder of STRAP (Society of Trans Women in the Philippines). Dee, with kindness and graciousness, gave me my first SOGIE orientation. In the second photo is me meeting up with Dee and Rica in London the year I was getting my másters in Gender and S*xuality. Talk about full circle. 😊

16/06/2024

✨ A TRAIL OF RHINESTONES AND GLITTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES TO EUROPE ✨

That’s what I wore to the Taylor Swift concert. Totally DIY and improvised. (My friend said the outfit could be called: Swiftie, but make it KitKat. Berlin folks will understand.)

This is for the small battalion of female friends and my sister who put Ana’s version of Midnights together.

Production planning: Issa
Sourcing: Mapsy
Logistics and transport: Alyx
Costume design: Kay

From making friendship bracelets as a teenager to squeezing into bodysuits in mid-life. The everyday wonder and POWER 💪 of female friendships is forever.

###,
Ana

*xAndSensibilities

13/06/2024

Nalalapit na tayong matapos! Narito ang Part 5 sa mga 6 G ng s*x.

Balik tayo sa usapan ng pleasurable s*x. Paano nga ba natin mae-experience ang s*x na masarap ulit-ulitin? 😉 Isang paraan diyan ay ang pagiging sensitibo sa nararamdaman ng partner mo. Ang pag-iisip at bigay importansya sa kasiyahan ng bawat isa ay bahagi ng isang masaya at malusog na relasyon.

Ano sa tingin mo ang magiging paghuling G?

Maraming salamat sa Likhaan Center for Women's Health Inc. sa impormasyon! ❤️

###,
Ana

—

ENGLISH

We’re almost to the end! Here’s Part 5 of the 6 Gs of s*x.

Let’s go back to the topic of pleasurable s*x. How do we achieve that kind of s*x that you want to experience again because it’s pleasurable and well, makes you happy? 😉 One important way is to be sensitive and aware of your partner’s response before, during and after s*x. Thinking of and giving importance to your partner’s pleasure and reactions is the secret sauce of a good and healthy relationship.

What do you think will be the last G?

Thank you so much to Likhaan Center for Women’s Health for this info! ❤️

###,
Ana

*xAndSensibilities *xeducation

05/06/2024

A master’s degree in your 40’s? In the words of feminist icon Elle Woods: “What, like it’s hard?” 💅

A lot have asked me how I got into my graduate school program. I got a Chevening scholarship to study Gender (S*xuality) at the London School of Economics and Political Science. It actually took me three tries to clinch it. Here are the three things I did differently the third time. Because you know…I’ve always been kind of a late bloomer. ✨

How about you, do you have your own tips you want to share? Or do you have questions about grad school later on in life?

Never too late to chase your dreams. The right time in your own time.

###,
Ana

*xAndSensibilities