While there are already a large amount of states receiving grandiose amounts of funding to instill abstinence-only education in their high schools, the Senate is looking towards passing a law requiring schools to put more focus on abstinence and brushing over the little facts on safer sex techniques. Which is obviously the only way to go about sex education. Why waste time on a complex topic like safer sex techniques when you can spend two weeks having your students’ chant, “just say no.” Who needs to spend so much time on educating the youth on how to put a condom on, the importance of their body, understanding their basic sexual rights, taking away the taboo of sexuality, allowing them access to proper information to figure out on their own when they’re ready for sex and of course, that cyberskin is a sucky material for a sex toy.
Currently, states like Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina (to name a few) receive an exceptionally large amount of government funding to push the abstinence-only route to teens (over a billion dollars). Most of the states only push the abstinence-until-marriage schtick. Which not only leaves out safer sex techniques for the large amount of individuals who do not wait until marriage, but also ignores LGBT individuals who cannot legally get married. This, of course, not only ignores LGBT students, but also subtly sends the message that LGBT individuals are not worth the time to acknowledge.
Texas, the glorious state I currently live in (but not for long), will only teach this form of education in it’s public schools. Meaning that private schools can have comprehensive sex ed curriculums, but now only affluent teens can have access to information pertaining to a basic human right. Furthermore, because Texas has a large population, along with other states that teach abstinence-only education, they are the largest buyers of sex ed books in America. This only encourages publishers to only produce abstinence-only material more in order to save money rather than publishing two types of textbooks.
Simply spending a few weeks with students regurgitating the Nancy Reagan “Just Say No” campaign for sex would obviously be very appealing to teachers, especially if they are uncomfortable talking openly about sexuality. However, study after study after study has proven that this type of education does not work. Towns like Lubbock, Texas where abstinence-only education is taught have an outrageous percentage of STD’s and unplanned pregnancies among teens. The CDC reported that over half of the new STD cases in the US are among younger adults, and as Dan Savage reported, a Harvard study showed that 52 percent of young adults who take the virginity pledge end up having sex within a year. To boot, more often than not, those who are afflicted by the abstinence-only routine, do not use safer sex techniques when they engage in sex because, obviously, they were not educated on such techniques.
On the other hand, states like California and Oregon teach a comprehensive approach to sex education. Comprehensive meaning that while abstinence is covered a great deal as a choice, safer sex techniques are also equally covered so that when students are ready to engage in sexual activities, they will be ready, willing and able to do so in a safe manner and protect themselves from STD’s and unplanned pregnancies.
Why not just point the kids to the internet, right? Aren’t there are tons of websites with loads of information on sex? Not necessarily. Firstly, being that the internet as a whole does not have an overriding editor to make sure all the content is accurate, any schmuck with a computer can post all the information s/he desires without fact checking (ahem). Secondly, the students who are being most subjected to abstinence-only education and are at risk of STD’s and unplanned pregnancies do not have adequate access to the internet.
So until the HPV vaccine is available along with free condoms and accurate information about sexuality, the youth are pretty much SOL and forced to either masturbate to their hearts content or just fuck unprotected with whomever they want and run the risk of contracting deadly or bothersome diseases.
Even my statement above, which I’ll whole-heartedly admit, is not helpful to those who need proper education. We need to take out fear from sexuality and put pleasure where it belongs. We need to teach people how to be safe, without correlating sex with fear. We need to stop bombarding students with CDC pictures of the worst-case scenarios of STD’s. Pictures that look more like a maimed chicken carcass than actual human genitalia. These images don’t really educate our students; they scare the living shit out of them and make sex even more taboo. Most of all, while showing them worst-case scenario pictures may scare them out of having sex, if they do get a more mild form of an STD, they won’t think much about it because it is nowhere near as bad as the example they just saw.
Simply look through the news about abstinence-only education, you’ll surely become outraged at the disservice to high school students today.
In the meantime, here are some websites that I believe are incredibly helpful:
Sexuality.org:
– A comprehensive site consisting of great information on safer sex techniques along with amazing interviews with some of the most profound members of sex research.
Violet Blue:
- Not only does she write/edit/read sexy stories, Violet Blue also provides a wealth of accurate information. Her podcasts are incredibly well done and filled with sexy erotica, accurate sex ed information and great interviews.
San Francisco Sex Information:
- This organization is a great resource that should be used by anyone with any question in regards to sexuality. The volunteers who answer phone calls and emails are well-trained individuals who very much know their stuff. Be sure to send an email or call if your in the Bay Area. They’re incredibly helpful.
