States

Advocates for LGBT Students Push for More Inclusive Sex Education in Schools

By Evie Blad — December 02, 2015 2 min read
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A coalition of advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students called this week for more inclusive sex education programs that address the needs of all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The push was led by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U. S., or SIECUS, in partnership with Advocates for Youth, Answer, GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Sixty-one additional organizations signed onto the “call for action” policy paper.

“A Call to Action: LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Educationurges educators, advocates, and policymakers to take immediate, concrete steps to provide LGBTQ inclusive education for all students—from crucial guidance for LGBTQ students on protecting themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, to ensuring safe, supportive environments in which to learn about their sexual health,” SIECUS said in a news release. “Programs that overlook LGBTQ students, or worse, stigmatize and stereotype them, contribute to unsafe school environments.”

As I’ve reported previously, a patchwork of state and local policies means many schools don’t teach sex education at all, and those that do don’t always include lessons on contraceptives or medically accurate information. In some places, state laws require that schools must teach only about sex between opposite-sex partners.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, California, Colorado, Iowa, Washington and Washington, D.C., are alone in having state laws or regulations requiring sex education programs to include information relevant to LGBT students.

Twitter users used the hashtag #mysexed Wednesday to share about their experiences and support more comprehensive approaches.


Related reading on sex education:

A version of this news article first appeared in the Rules for Engagement blog.