There’s a simple reason why Lambda Legal is producing this action kit for parents, other concerned adults, and students.
More and more school districts are replacing real sex education with unproven and misguided “abstinence-only” programs that deprive students of basic information, and the health and lives of young people across this country are being endangered in the process. Among those most threatened by this “head in the sand” approach to teen sexuality are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth (whose lives are erased from existence by messages that sex can only happen in marriage) and teens at risk for HIV infection (all teens who are sexually active and don’t protect themselves).
Replacing real sex education with “abstinence-only” sloganeering throws decades of experience with health instruction out the window. That experience tells us that young people make better choices about sex and protecting their health when they have the information they need. Hiding information about sex from young people, or giving them only half the story, has neveraccomplished anything good.
The vast majority of parents want their kids to get sex education in high school. But right-wing ideologues don’t agree. They want students to be spoon-fed slogans about “no sex until marriage” and nothing else. Unfortunately, the right-wing ideologues, with their friends in high places, will win if you let them. You have the power to make sure that your school district provides realsex education, not just abstinence slogans.
Whether you’re a parent, a student, or an interested member of the community, this “action kit” provides you with the tools you need to make sure your school district’s sex education is just that – education, not slogans and propaganda. We hope you’ll find this kit helpful, and that you’ll pass it on to students, teachers, family and friends.
Contents:
- Differences Between Real Sex Education & Abstinence-Only Programs
- The Facts: Real Sex Education vs. Abstinence-Only
- Action Sheet
- Working With Your School Board
- Youth Action Sheet
- Questions To Ask
- What Others Are Saying
- Sample Testimony/Letter to Your School Board
- Sample Op-Ed for Your Local Newspaper
- Resources