Incorporating Inclusive Sex Education

Mia Steinbaugh staff writer

Although it should be, sex education is often a class that is not taken seriously. It is a class that should be implemented as a part of every health curriculum. The content has grown over the years, but it is still focused predominantly on heteronormative interactions and excludes a large part of the population who identify as LGBTQ+. Not including this group leaves this demographic at a disadvantage and more at risk. During these courses these students may feel like they are the minority within these class discussions.

A common complaint regarding sex ed curriculum is that it is very biased and only touches on heterosexual sex. As an anonymous source stated, “Gay sex is always made into a joke.”

This Sheldon student said they feel left out and uncomfortable during the class. They described the classroom environment as “being very straight sex oriented.” They also added, “A lot of times in class, people make fun of gay sex and make many hurtful jokes about it.”

Additionally, within the curriculum, abstinence is typically pushed, instead of how to stay safe. In some schools and households, religion plays a big role in this topic. This same source shared that in their household, sex is a taboo topic that is avoided and “religion does play a role, in which abstinence is always the main message. It affects how people think.” This is a problem in society because if the topic of sex is avoided and is viewed as a negative thing, young people may not be prepared to keep themselves safe when the time comes. While sex ed has evolved in positive ways over the years, it has a lot of room to grow. Consent is a subject that needs to be added to the curriculum. This same student added that stigma around this topic needs to be reduced so that people are not emotionally isolated or harmed. When discussing concepts that should be included in the curriculum, they said, “Stigma needs to be reduced. I would also like to see the district add queer or more welcoming and understanding teachers.” The class is very surface level and needs to be a bit more in-depth, especially in topics that are non-heteronormative. Finally, they touched on the fact that contraceptives other than male condoms are not talked about or offered at Sheldon. survivors of sexual violence. Kubu said, “Students as a collective should be calling other students out who are in the wrong, involving the issue of assault and harassment.” Additionally, being considerate of how victims could possibly respond to their experiences is important because as Drews opened up about her story and voiced that she’s a victim of sexual assault, she stated, “... it’s one of the hardest things to come back from.” Drews also said, “A lot of the time it affects [victims’] mental health and how we think of ourselves.” Putting in effort to create a safe space for the victim to talk, being there for them when they need it, and providing resources for students and survivors, could potentially benefit the school environment and reporting process. However, it is crucial to understand that every victim’s experience is different; sexual assault and harassment is anything but universal.

Sheldon teacher and GSA facilitator Kate Tierney built on this and said, “I have never heard about condoms being available to students. Around 2007, we used to have a functioning health department as part of the school and this was a place students could go to get sports physicals, prescriptions, STD testing and condoms, but now I don’t know who students would go to if they needed support.”

Even though sex education has room for improvement, it has evolved significantly over the years. Tierney described her personal experience during the 90s very negatively: “We just learned that girls were victims. Although I don’t know what is currently taught, I would hope that safety is the main message and there is an understanding that students should not feel pressured into having sex when they are not ready.” In schools’ education about sex, sex is often viewed as a bad thing, but as Tierney stated, “It should be about empowerment and affirming people’s experiences and desires and normalizing sex. It should also be about respecting other people’s bodies as well as your own.”