Our Story

---

How We Came To Be

Ten years ago, I picked my 13 year old son up from school. This particular day, he had Sex Education class in lieu of P.E. As he got into the car I asked him, “So… How did it go?”

“It was fine,” he replied. “But wow, if a girl gets pregnant it’s kinda her fault.”

I immediately felt myself flush. Is that what they taught my son? I pulled the car over.

“No, no mom! What I mean is that if a girl gets pregnant, she is the one who is stuck with the situation. It’s all on her.”

Oh my god, I thought. He’s right. Women are almost always solely blamed for unwanted pregnancies. I  turned around to face the backseat and said, "If you get a woman pregnant, it is as much your ‘fault’ as it is hers! I expect you to know where your sperm are at all times. In a sock in the laundry hamper, on the wall in the shower, anywhere. KEEP A LOG! You have a responsibility to know where your sperm are!”

This led to an “AHA” moment for me as a mother of both a son and daughter. If I do not teach my son that it is his responsibility, as much as it is my daughter's, to practice safe sex and birth control, then by default, I am teaching him that as a man, he has less obligation than a woman. If we continue to treat women as solely responsible for safe sex and birth control, we enable their stigmatization for any unwanted pregnancy. Stigmas surrounding sex and unwanted pregnancy shame and degrade women for making choices regarding their reproductive rights. 

In order for women to have control over their own reproductive rights, men must be equally obligated to practice safe sex and use birth control.

What We're About

With all of the recent coverage and debate regarding abortion and the reproductive rights of woman, we began feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the amount of legislation and criticism being thrown around by people without uteruses. Men have always been taught that any kind of responsibility, consequence, or stigma that comes from sex falls on the woman. We came to the conclusion that the only way to maintain authority over our own rights as women was to hold men accountable for their part in reproduction. 

Why should difficulty and shame fall on the shoulders of women with unwanted pregnancies? What would happen to this stigma if men were more obligated to practice safe sex and use birth control? 

So, we decided to test this question. We want to start a lasting conversation about men’s obligation to practice safe sex and use birth control. We want to provide easy access to resources on sexual eduction, safe sex, and birth control. We want to encourage men to educate themselves and learn more about their birth control options. 

Women’s agency is directly impeded by patriarchal culture, and patriarchal culture is maintained by male bystanders. Men must speak up and support women’s agency and reproductive rights in order for women to be heard. We believe, the best way to stand up is to hold yourself accountable.

Now, you can see that this isn't all serious business; Our sperm logs are a bit tongue and cheek and our t-shirts are pretty kitschy. Well, we think that one way to help start that conversation is through something that connects us all: comedy. With a laugh comes a question and with a question comes a discussion. We want to create as many catalysts for discussion as possible, so why not throw a little sperm friend and a reading log parody into the mix.