A lack of understanding from sex-ed

photos by sky stockton

In 7th grade, every Upton Middle School student is forced to endure the dreaded health class. After an uncomfortable rotation, students are left well informed on the dangers of chewing tobacco and sunscreen under 25 SPF. Unfortunately, when it comes to sex and gender, they leave less educated than they should be.

“We as a society don’t talk enough about women’s health, women’s hygiene, and women’s bodies,” Mikayla Davis, 12, said.

Nationwide, most sex-ed courses still separate males and females. Typically, when courses are split into two groups, male groups do not learn about women’s health and development, which creates a lack of understanding leading into adulthood. Additionally, when boys and girls learn this information separately, lessons can be skewed—whether intentionally or not—depending on the audience.

Furthermore, only 13 states currently require a medically accurate sex-ed curriculum, meaning that, again, courses are able to be skewed depending on which gender group is being taught. Furthering the issue, 15 states base their sex-ed classes around “abstinence only” programs, sometimes called “sexual risk avoidance” (SRA) classes.

These classes consist of an eight-point plan that shames sexual behaviors and presents sex as a standard of marriage. Some of the eight points include teaching that sexual relationships outside of marriage create psychological damage and that abstinence is the only way to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)—despite both of these claims being false.

While the goal of the SRA curriculum is to avoid not only teenage sex, but pregnancy and the spread of STDs too, it’s wildly unsuccessful. Uneducated teens end up engaging in these “risky” behaviors anyway, but without vital knowledge that can keep them safe. They are unaware of contraceptives, birth control, and safe practices.

Ultimately, the lack of knowledge has led states that practice abstinence-only education to lead the nation in teen pregnancy rates. Similarly, these courses have done nothing to reduce the rate of STDs.

Another fault to abstinence-only education is its gender bias. Though, this problem is prevalent in more than just SRA based classes. Circling back to the separation of genders, segregated classes make it even easier to push the notion that females must be submissive while males are aggressive. Stereotypes taught as a lesson plan can create both misunderstanding between genders and dangerous situations for teens who are struggling to navigate the unknown.

Also, when students are placed into a group and only taught “male specific” or “female specific” information, transgender and gender neutral students have both their identities invalidated by the curriculum as well as no access to information about their experience with puberty.

“For kids who don’t fit into straight male or straight female categories [puberty] is hard. They’re just ignored by schools,” an anonymous student said. “I wasn’t taught anything relevant, since my class was separated by gender.”

“For kids who don’t fit into straight male or straight female categories [puberty] is hard. They’re just ignored by schools.”

They also felt that if schools educated everybody on more than just their gender, students would have a better understanding of their peers struggles and lives.

“I think it would be good if they didn’t separate groups,” they said. “Also for cis-gender students to learn both about the opposite gender and that it is possible to be gay or trans. Even just mentioning it could be helpful.”

Sex-ed was instituted into schools to help students. The goal was to teach students what changes they’re facing, what they’re feeling, and how to safely and responsibly have sexual relationships. But, when schools lace these courses with their own medically inaccurate or censored beliefs, lessons can be skewed and leave teenagers at risk. Students end up entering the rest of their lives with unfit knowledge about how different genders function—sometimes even their own—and what measures need to be taken to ensure safe practices, both sexually and in plain life. What should be taught to students in a safe environment is often learned outside of school, with “truths” based on rumors and fictitious stories.

It’s time that sex-ed switches from a gross, passing memory, to an informative class that prepares teenagers for the real, uncensored world.