The Evolution of Sex Ed — Abstaining from Abstinence-Based Programs
One of the many common experiences that American public school students have is the cherished sex ed class — whether it was having your class divided by the girls and boys, the class laughing every time the teacher said, “penis,” or those awful videos about abstinence that looks like they were made when color film had just come out, pretty much every person I’ve talked to who went to a public high school has had some strange story about sexual education in grade school.
Regardless of its cringy nature, the concept of a sexual education class seems beneficial — it gives students of all backgrounds a trusted, safe source of information about a subject that can have some very dangerous consequences if not approached properly. The only issue is that the very second school systems do not uphold the ideals of being trusted and safe, teenagers are prone to either not properly understand how sex works, or find more dangerous and unhealthy means to find out.
Sex ed classes were introduced to US public schools in 1912, and since then have promoted the same general concept: abstinence. Abstinence-only programs promote avoiding sex until marriage, and typically involve a curriculum that only scratches the surface of sexual interactions, identities, and other genuinely important factors of a healthy relationship. Most who advocate for abstinence-only programs claim it is the most surefire way to combat issues regarding teen pregnancy and STIs by simply eliminating sex completely. It also upholds many moral codes in accordance with numerous religions, cultures, and older generations. About 30 percent of high school students report they have had sex, though, so abstinence is not reaching a third of its target audience. Yet to this day, most US public schools still teach sex ed following abstinence-only guidelines. These guidelines are no longer applicable to the modern American youth, and sexual education programs need to adapt.
Out with Abstinence, in with Responsible Curriculum
The concept of abstinence has been around for the longest time, based upon the fact that practicing abstinence was beneficial on a health standpoint, prevented unwanted pregnancies and STIs, and that it generally was the social norm, applying to many religions and philosophies.
Some time has passed, and while sex is absolutely still something that should be taken seriously, the fact is that modern society has changed — adults are choosing to marry later in order to start their careers, general health education has improved greatly, and the recent changes in American social culture has pushed for more sexual freedom and openness. Yet hundreds of millions of dollars are still being spent on abstinence only programs, and while only 27 states have a mandated sexual education program, 39 states require that abstinence be taught in health classes.
An increase in demand for a change in these programs has been seen as well. Recent studies have identified that more than 80% of parents and 90% of teens disagree with abstinence programs, directly correlating with a desire for more responsible sex education. So clearly the first step is to establish abstinence as an option rather than a priority.
Expanding the Curriculum
Once the reinforcement of abstinence is lifted, there are more grounds to talk about genuine solutions to the problems that abstinence initially solved– safe sex practices can be more openly discussed in depth, contraception can be destigmatized as a symbol of bad behavior and seen as a responsible choice, and those with or scared of having STIs don’t have to be afraid of getting shunned for taking a test.
From there, we can start to look at ways to implement more important subjects such as consent and boundaries into the curriculum, and give a basis for sexual orientation, gender, and identity discussions to be held. Out of the 27 states with sexual education curriculums, only 11 require consent, 10 require inclusive coverage of sexual orientation, and 0 require the coverage of gender and sexual identity. Unsurprisingly, this is a result of sex being such a rigid and sacred concept that any diversion from the “normal” path is considered taboo, which is once again burying an inevitable aspect of humanity until it finds other sources of information and fulfillment, and it’s not okay. According to Michelle Slaybaugh, director of social impact at social work group Sex Ed for Social Change (SIECUS):
“Abstinence-only programs do not teach communication and negotiation for consent… it does not teach about what healthy relationships should look like and what they don’t look like. They do not include affirming lessons around LGBTQIA+ individuals. They’re ostracizing a large part of the youth population” (Michelle Slaybaugh, Sex Ed for Social Change). Slaybaugh and SIECUS has been working toward comprehensive sexual education and has been one of the leading groups advocating for curriculums to cover information regarding the LGBTQ community, consent, and harassment.
The Importance of Discussion
The only problem is that pushing for such a controversial change is near impossible in such an opinion-diverse parent body, and some school systems do just fine with their current curriculums. Public schools are the best opportunities for students to access this kind of information, there just needs to be a higher number of state regulations that mandate a safer, more diverse discussion of sex.
Overall, sex just needs to be talked about more. We need an updated system that accepts the reality that sex is no longer a sacred subject, and it needs to be talked about with more normalcy. That being said, in order to do that sex ed systems also need to apply lessons on boundaries and establish that while the subject of sex is not taboo, it is still a sensitive topic and comfortability ranges from person to person.
Just like how parents, teachers, and school systems have differing opinions on the matter, the students do, too. The only way to safely account for all students is by considering every opinion as a part of the fascinating subject of sexual health. There’s so much work to do since sex as a whole needs to be destigmatized first, but if both the social and educational standpoints on the subject can slowly change together over time, they can complement each other and remove that original contradiction.
The reality that needs to be faced is that if there isn’t positive grounds to talk about something inevitable, it’s only going to be done in a potentially harmful way.
