At a recent brunch with some of my girlfriends, someone said “I don’t have a sex life, so why should I read SuzyKnew!?  What’s in it for me?”

The table fell silent.  I’d been going on and on about one of our guest contributors, so the question was certainly timely. Yet it still took me aback.  I guess since I’m a regular reader of the blog (I do contribute a few posts here and there), I just assumed everyone was.  Yet here was one of my closest friends admitting that not only didn’t she read it, she didn’t even see why she should.

You know how you always think of brilliant things to say to someone after you’ve left them?  When you’re face to face with them, you just sort of babble nonsensically.  But the moment you leave them, you think of a million wonderful and witty things you could have said?

Well, that was me that day.  At the table, I gave my standard plug about the value of SuzyKnew! a safe space for women of color to learn and explore issues about love and sexuality.  I explained how all of us contributors believe in its mission: to help women of color make smart decisions about sex and love, by providing timely, honest and thoughtful information in a relatable manner.

Because honestly, where else can you get all this information that’s sensitive to the unique perspectives of women of color?  Sure, there are millions of blogs and websites for women.  But, once you strip away the ones which focus on politics, celebrity gossip, hair and fashion; and once you eliminate the ones which are euro-centric; you’ll find that the pickings are pretty slim.  As is usually the case with love and sex issues as they pertain to women of color, our voices, concerns and questions go largely unaddressed.

If it ain’t about politics, celebrity gossip, natural hair or fashion, women of color (especially women from the African diaspora) are completely ignored in the blogosphere.  It’s like we’re invisible outside of these four topics!

That’s why a blog like SuzyKnew! is so important.  It fills that enormous void in cyber space.  SuzyKnew! recognizes that women of color fall in love, have sex, and have tons of questions and concerns about both.  SuzyKnew! understands the unique ways that culture and religion affect our relationships as well as our views about sex, reproductive health and family planning.

SuzyKnew! gets it.  SuzyKnew! gets us.

I said all that at brunch.  But, it wasn’t until I was in my car and driving home that I realized I really didn’t answer my friend’s question.  If you’re a single, celibate (or virginal) woman of color, what can SuzyKnew! do for you?  And sitting in traffic for 45 minutes, I came up with a few answers.

First of all, just because you’re a virgin, celibate, single/unattached, or whatever, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn as much as you can about your own sexuality.  And not just the physical aspects of sex, either.  You need to explore and develop your sexuality emotionally, spiritually, psychologically and physically.

You also need to stay on top of new developments in contraceptives and how they can affect you, as a woman of color.  You need to learn about HIV/AIDS, and other STDs.  And guess what?  You NEED to read an erotic article written with YOU in mind every once in a while, too.  (Wink, wink)

Even if you’re not having sex, you still have to maintain your sexual health.  And SuzyKnew! has a team of OBGYN experts to answer your questions about everything from pap smears and how often you really need them , to vaginal dryness, to how to keep your vagina clean and tight.

You may be sexually inactive now, but if you ever plan on having a family, SuzyKnew! is where you can get honest, detailed information on Fertility Awareness (FAM).  If family planning isn’t in your future, but a sexual relationship is, then come to SuzyKnew! to learn how your race and even your weight can affect certain contraceptives.  And did you even know that the Female Condom (FC) has been on the market for a few years, now?  I didn’t until I read about it in SuzyKnew!  And I even tried them and wrote about it, myself!

You may not have a significant other right now.  You may be in the midst of a decades-long sexual drought.  But if you ever want to establish a healthy, physical relationship in the future, then you gotta stay on top of what’s going on out there.  You don’t want to be unprepared when you’re the man of your dreams comes along, do you?  Of course not.  When your King enters your life, you’ll want to be well-informed about all your options, well-researched on how to stay healthy, and even well-inspired by one of my sexy stories!

SuzyKnew! isn’t just for the sexually active.  It’s for any adult woman of color who wants to know herself better.  It’s for you.  It’s for me.  It’s for all of us.

Now get out there and spread the word about SuzyKnew! to your friends!  We could always use more subscribers!