Kansas Sex Education Owes Youth Better

Recently the Lawrence World Journal asked Dr. George Turner, sexuality educator and certified sex therapist to comment on sex education. Lawrence Journal World

Here are some additional comments by him.

Kansas is at it again. No sooner than we put behind us a bill allowing businesses to refuse service to gay customers and we are back in the public spotlight as a sex negative state. Now sex education is open for debate. A state senator introduced a bill recently to require parents or guardians to "opt in" for their children to receive sex education. This sets a harmful precedence and is not quality education.

I support parents being involved in their child's education and I think sexuality education needs to be

Robie Harris' book, Its Perfectly Normal

culturally sensitive. However, we MUST move beyond fear and shame informing educational policy. The world is NOT flat! Period!!! Best practices should be leading the call for sex education with professionally trained sexual health experts at the forefront of classroom implementation. In no other subject deemed valuable and fundamental to student success, do we wait until high school to provide instruction and then suggest that it is an elective to be approved by parents. In order for kids to appreciate Shakespeare, we begin teaching them their alphabet, in order for kids to excel in algebra we start with the basics of adding and subtracting. Sexuality education needs to be elevated to the status of reading, writing and arithmetic.

While parents should be the primary sexuality educators, most are often not prepared or too embarrassed by the topic. Most parents welcome the help and support of trained sexuality professionals to provide a formal age-appropriate, medically accurate comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. It is a minority voice that often sets a conservative policy in sex education and this is unfortunate. Great resources for parents are a series of books by Robie Harris.
Also check out these organizations:SIECUS and Advocates for Youth

I often urge parents to recognize that with the absence of sexuality education from parents or the school, youth are still learning about sex. First they receive a take away lesson from us that includes: "it is not safe to discuss this topic here", "your sexual health has little value", "we (adults) are too uncomfortable", and finally "go figure it out for yourself". Second, we place youth at the mercy of social media and peers who become the default sexuality instructors. Adults should be very concerned with WHAT is the content of this informal education and WHO is providing it?

Comprehensive sex education is more than teaching intercourse. And, research has demonstrated the effectiveness of these programs. It helps youth make responsible decisions. A sexually literate public is a sexually healthy public. Illuminating sexual health as public health addresses a multitude of issues including: STIs, sexual misuse, body shaming, bullying of marginalized youth, relationship satisfaction, sexual dysfunction, rape culture, and self-esteem.

I suggests the following changes to our approach to sexuality education:

A. Stop making this a cultural war where our children are the causalities.

B. Remove shame and fear approaches

C. Elevate sexual health to the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

D. Don’t forget our youth in special ed!

E. Make it a goal: prepare sexually literate, healthy, graduates capable of critical thinking.

G. Lead a new dialogue to redefine and reframe sexual health and well-being to reflect a holistic, rights-based approach throughout the lifespan.

 

Our commitment should be to provide comprehensive sexuality education that supports the attainment of sexual health and well-being throughout the lifespan. Placing our head in the sand doesn't fulfill this and neither does the ineffective and incomplete"Abstinence Only –Until Marriage" curriculum, which are often fear and guilt based. Parents generally want a better life for this kids. The question is, wouldn't you want your children to have a better, more sexually healthy relationship?