It’s easy to miss seeing the good news about sex in politics and media these days. A week ago we saw some great news about sex ed in America finally materialize: NPR reported about the Obama administrations’ coming changes in Proven Sex-Ed Programs Get A Boost From Obama. Many of you will remember the article I wrote in the SF Chronicle circa 2008 that got republished on UN sponsored health site RH Reality Check: Obama’s National Sex Ed Program. In it I proposed five things, starting with:
(…) So, here’s how Obama can put an end to the war on public school sex education and the sharing of accurate sex information to people of all ages:
1. Kill the abstinence programs. Period. Think of them as creationism in schools: optional to include in curricula but privately funded only. Fire the f— out of anyone with a religious agenda in a position of power in relation to public health. We are a nation of many faiths — most of which are not being served with this nonsense.
2. My best friend’s daughter is 5, and brags that she has a boyfriend. Craft programs that are age appropriate so kids understand what they’re doing every step of the way. Take a cue from England, where the Sex and Relationship Education program centers on “All About Us: Living and Growing” videos for 5-7-year-olds, 7-9-year-olds and 9-11-year-olds, with workbooks about healthy sexual relationships for kids (and adults) with learning disabilities.
3. Require all sex ed programs to include practical information about reproduction (including a woman’s right to choose and male responsibilities of parenthood), contraception, STDs and STIs, sexual pleasure, masturbation, consent, homosexuality, sexual tolerance, and gender identity. Kids are dealing with all this stuff; adults need to stop lying to themselves and have honest discourse with kids about it. (…read the rest, sfgate.com)
It looks like they’ve started with #1! Probably not intentionally, but you know how this feels to all of us who care. Now if they want abstinence-only money, the government says only if you “show me the money” —
Under the Obama administration, the U.S. is shifting gears on teen pregnancy prevention. Everyone is still on-message that abstinence should be the core message of any federally funded program, but comprehensive sex education is about to get a boost from the federal government.
This year’s federal budget is devoting more than $114 million to what it calls an “evidence-based approach.” Abstinence-only programs will still be funded, but most of the money will go to communities that choose programs that have shown they reduce teen pregnancy. (read more and listen to the broadcast, npr.org)
Photo: African-American Barbie by Steve Diet Goedde.
