You Need To Know: Sex Ed and Politics Have Always Been In Bed Together
You Need To Know: Sex Ed and Politics Have Always Been In Bed Together
A Timeline of Sex Ed in America
Hello Dear Readers ~ I am officially in summer mode and in Maine this week. I have a brief thought to share, then it’s back to feeling grateful for the abundance that is summer.
Sexuality Education has historically been intertwined with politics. Sort of strange when you think about it. Why does the government have so much say over our personal bodies and what we learn about them?
Here is a brief history of sex education to ponder on our country’s birthday:
Sex Education Timeline - from the National Sex Ed Conference
1918: The Chamberlain-Kahn Act mandates soldier education on syphilis and gonorrhea .
1919 – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Children’s Bureau releases a report suggesting sex education during school could have better protected soldiers from STIs.
1920s- Sex education is introduced in high schools.
1930s- The US Office of Education first publishes sex education materials and trains teachers.
1930s-1940s: Human sexuality courses appear in colleges.
1964: Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) is founded.
1968: The US Department of Education gives NYU a grant to develop graduate programs for training sex education teachers.
1960s-1970s: Sex education becomes a political issues; parents start protesting it in schools.
1980s: The AIDS crisis strengthens sex ed advocates™ case.
1981- 1981: Adolescent Family Life Act passed; funds “chastity and abstinence-only education
mid-1990s: Every state has a mandate for AIDS education
1990 – SIECUS convenes National Guidelines Task Force.
1991- The first Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education – Kindergarten-12th Grade is published.
1993- SCOTUS rules that federally-funded sex education programs must delete direct references to religion
1994: US Surgeon General Joceyln Elders endorses teaching about masturbation and subsequently is forced to resign
1996: The Welfare Reform Act includes a provision that provides tens of millions of dollars to abstinence-only programs
2000: The Special Projects of Regional and National Significance Community-Based Abstinence Education adds $31 million to the federal funding stream for abstinence-only programs.
2004: The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Education Programs (The Waxman Report) is released and shows such programs contain inaccurate and misleading information.
2006: The Government Account Office (GAO) releases a report showing that most abstinence-only programs were not reviewed for scientific accuracy before funding and implementation.
2007 – The Trenholm study finds four federally-funded abstinence programs are ineffective at changing young people’s sexual behaviors
2007- UNAIDS/WHO evaluation finds 13 abstinence-only programs for HIV prevention are ineffective
2007- Emerging Answers published; evaluates 56 programs
2008- President Bush requests $242 million for abstinence-only funding; Congress approves $176.83
2009- Obama administration budgets $114.5 million to support evidence-based programs. The majority of the funds are earmarked for replicating these programs.
2011- Polling shows 90% of US parents support sex education in high school while 75% support it in middle school.
2014: 22 states and the District of Columbia mandate sex education while 11 more mandate HIV education.[4]
The Stakes are HIGH for this coming election in November.
Jessica Valenti of Abortion. Every. Day. reports on the fight for human rights to healthcare on state and national levels.
On July 4th we celebrate FREEDOM🇺🇸
America was born from people seeking freedom. Freedom of expression🌈.
The creation of a democratic state where people have the power. Please remember to use your right to vote this November. Our democracy is at stake.
Thank you for caring about sexuality education and the world we create for our young people. Thank you for being here. Happy Birthday America!
Today, I’ll be wearing sweatbands like this, running a little road race and feeling hopeful that people who uphold human freedom and dignity will win elections this November.
xo
Tara
