Read My Lips Read Free

knowledge.
    WHAT’S A VULVA?
    If you guessed a car, we understand why; this is a common misperception given how close “vulva” and “Volvo” sound. However, the term “vulva” actually refers to the parts of a woman’s genitals that can be seen from the outside: the mons pubis, clitoral hood, clitoris, labia majora, labia minora, and the introitus, also called the vaginal opening (the gateway to the vagina). If you’re not sure what all these parts are or what they do, don’t worry—you’ll soon find out. Many women lack familiarity with their vulva parts. We certainly didn’t always know a lot about vulvas, but we’re happy that we learned about them so that we can spread the word to other women and men. Case in point: years ago, when Debby was a graduate student at Indiana University (IU), she was tossing a Frisbee with her teammates from the Calamity Janes (IU’s ultimate Frisbee club team) and talking about her sex-education work and what it was like to teach human sexuality classes to college students when one of her teammates asked her where the clitoris is located. Because Debby was standing in the middle of a grassy field without a textbook, diagram, or chalk-board in sight to use as a visual aid, she was forced to improvise.
    People should learn what the vulva is. In the common mind, the vulva is called vagina. I spoke about this to an educated woman who was confused about the distinction between vulva and vagina. I had to get out an anatomy book to convince her. In another incident I had occasion to talk to a sex therapist. She admitted being guilty of referring to the vulva as vagina. The word vagina is now used freely. I heard Robin Williams on a TV show refer to ‘vagina’ meaning vulva. I must say, this makes me angry. It is denial in the guise of freedom to discuss sexuality in public.
    — J OY, 82, New York
    “Imagine my face is a vulva,” Debby said, dropping the Frisbee to the ground. Pointing to her mouth, she said, “My mouth would be the vagina and my lips would be the labia minora, which are the inner vaginal lips.” Next, she pushed her cheeks closer to her lips and said, “My cheeks would be the labia majora, the outer vaginal lips. That would make my nose—just above the vagina but not inside of it—my clitoris.”
    Not only did Debby’s Frisbee teammates learn about the vulva and clitoris that day, but Debby also invented a new way to use her face as an educational icebreaker at parties and a great get-to-know-each-other topic on first dates. Try it sometime (well—maybe not on “first” dates).
    Watch a video of Debby showing how her face can become a vulva on our web site, www.readmylipsthebook.tumblr.com
    Fortunately, we have diagrams available to us here in this book, so there’s no need to rely on Debby’s face for our entire knowledge about women’s vulvas. Check out our diagrams to see where the various vulva parts are located. Then, if you’re a woman, find some time to check out your own vulva (if you’re a man with a female sex partner, perhaps she will be kind enough to give you a guided tour of her vulva). In San Francisco, at the Center for Sexuality and Culture, gay men (mostly—but others are invited) have been able to sign up for and attend a class called “Cunts for Fags.” 4 This class teaches attendees everything they need to know about vulvas and vaginas so that they can effectively teach about women’s genitals alongside a wide range of sexual health topics. Those who have never previously seen a woman’s vulva or vagina before are invited to view and/or touch genitals for educational purposes. If you are interested in attending, find more information from the Center for Sex and Culture (see Resources). We highly recommend the class for everyone regardless of whether you choose to have sex with a vulva-equipped woman.

    As you review the diagrams, notice that, if you’re a woman, your genital parts probably look a little or a lot different