Let's talk about sex... just not in schools.

I'm going to put this bluntly, and you can decide if you want to take it as fact or a matter of opinion:

ABSTINENCE ONLY EDUCATION DOES NOT WORK.

It doesn't. I promise. The people on Capitol Hill are lying to you. It DOES NOT work. Let me present my case...

In 1992, California launched the Education Now And Babies Later initiative, which taught abstinence without teaching about contraceptives. They collected data throughout the initiative, comparing the sexual attitudes of the students in the sexual education program to a control group that received information not of a sexual nature. By 1996 California terminated the program because they found that it was ineffective. Kids were still having sex. This was 1996... now stay with me.

Later in 1996, an act was passed that included a section about abstinence only education. This act provided $250 million to an education system that taught abstinence until marriage as the ONLY socially acceptable standard. No, really. I'm serious. The money goes to programs that contain the following standards:

A) Has as its exclusive purpose teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity;
B) Teaches abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage as the expected standard for all school-age children;
C) Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems;
D) Teaches that a mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of sexual activity;
E) Teaches that sexual activity outside of the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and physical effects;
F) Teaches that bearing children out of wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the child’s parents, and society;
G) Teaches young people how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increase vulnerability to sexual advances, and
H) Teaches the importance of attaining self-sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity.

This is still in effect, and every year millions of dollars are dumped into this education program. At the end of the first 5 years, the government was supposed to release a report divulging the successes and failures of the program in the schools receiving the funding. The report was not released, and the act was extended without much notice. Of course, this did not stop many other states and organizations from publishing their findings, all of which showed that the program DOES NOT WORK. It just didn't matter. Abstinence only education is still in effect, and to this day it is illegal for comprehensive sexual education to be taught in schools that receive federal funding in many locations. Ridiculous, right? You're not the only one that thinks so.

A quick google search for "abstinence only education" will yield 100's of articles on why abstinence-until-marriage education doesn't work, including one from the Journal of Adolescent Health. Pediatricians have denounced the program. One Ph.D. writing for MSNBC stated, "There may be a sillier strategy for dealing with sex among teens than promoting the choice of 'abstinence-only-until-marriage,' but I am not quite sure what it is." A Washington Post article reports that these programs "mislead" teens by offering inappropriate statistics and spinning facts to make contraceptives seem ineffective. I can personally say that I have talked to people that are currently receiving sexual education in public schools, and they don't know squat. When I said something about gonorrhea of the throat, one person exclaimed, "That can happen?!" (Yes. It can.)

Are you on my side now? Hopefully by now you're as upset by this as I am. At the very least I hope you're concerned. So how can we fix it? You can start by going to www.nonewmoney.org and clicking the "Take Action!" button. You can also write your congressman/congresswoman to find out what they are doing to stop this nonsense. With the upcoming election, this is a time when you really can make a difference.

Back in the saddle again

Sadly, shortly after setting this blog up circumstances beyond my control took over and prevented me from posting anything. My shiny new blog (our shiny new blog) was abandoned. It would have been easy to just let it slide into that place where old blogs go to die, but sexual education is something I'm REALLY REALLY passionate about, to the point that I want to make it my life work. It would break my heart to just see this blog disappear. If just one person reads it, and learns something from it, then this will have been worth it for me.

With that said, I think it's time to get back on track. New posts! A fresh start! Fun facts! I know you're excited!

Happy STD Awareness Month!

It recently (i.e. 5 minutes ago) came to my attention that April is STD Awareness Month!

I know, you're as excited as I am. It's pretty intense.

While we're on the subject... let's talk about STD testing. Back in March, MSNBC reported that AT LEAST 1 out of every 4 girls between the ages 14 and 19 have/have had an STD. This, my friends, is a huge huge deal.

As a sexually active person, it is your duty to yourself and to your partner(s) to be healthy and responsible. If you have multiple partners, if you don't use condoms EVERY TIME, or you've been feeling a little weird *down there* then you should make it a point to be tested. It's quick, painless, and easy. No really, I promise. Most student health clinics will be happy to perform these tests for you, or you can go to any planned parenthood clinic. Check out the link on the right for locations and other information.

Introductions: Part 1

I think it's best to start by saying why I wanted to start a blog like this...

For years I've been fascinated by sexual education, and I've also been rather passionate about giving people all of the information they need to make healthy decisions. It's such an important part of human life, but many people don't have the access to information, or the desire to seek it out.

The DC community has the highest population of HIV positive people in the United States. If it were a country, it would be 11th in the world, right behind Rwanda. Add to that the new studies that show 1 out of every 4 young girls has an STD, and you'll quickly see the odds are not in your favor. This isn't just about doing what feels good. It is about taking care of your body and figuring out what will make you happy while keeping you healthy.

Just like everything in life, it's different for everyone. No one can tell you what will be best for you. However, we CAN help you make informed decisions. I'm not a doctor, I have no medical degree, but if you have a question I'll get an answer from someone that does.

And now, with the formalities out of the way, let's move on to the fun stuff!