彡 Lack of LGBT Sex Education 彡

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✩₊̣̇.                               ੈ♡˳

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𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝙸’𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃 𝚎𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚑.

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               ╭┈ Table of Contents

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                 │ ✎. Introduction

                │ ✎. Debate

                │ ✎. Data and Consequences

                │ ✎. Family

                │ ✎. Benefits

                │ ✎. Conclusion

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︿︿｡꒰ 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙍𝙊𝘿𝙐𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 ꒱ ┈ ❞

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth need and deserve to learn in settings that are inclusive of their experiences and that give them the education necessary to stay safe and healthy.

Far too many LGBTQ youth are sitting in classrooms where their teachers and textbooks fail to appropriately address their identities, behaviors and needs. Nowhere is this absence more clear, and potentially more damaging, than in sex education.

LGBT sex education is currently not covered in many schools. Research has also posited that students often do not find existing LGBT sex education programs to be effective. Teachers all so have differing views on homosexuality, therefore these personal opinions can impact LGBT sex education when it is present.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ 𝘿𝙀𝘽𝘼𝙏𝙀 ࿐ྂ

There is some debate about whether LGBT sex education should be included in sex education curricula.

Advocates of LGBT sex education say that the inclusion of LGBT issues into sex education programs would reduce bullying based on homophobia, improve the health of LGBT people, and decrease instances of problems common in LGBT students such as depression and low self-esteem.

Opponents argue that LGBT sex education programs would force a political point of view on students, misuse tax money, and disrespect religious values. They argue that it is wrong to teach students about the issue of homosexuality because it is too contentious. They say that parents should have control over what their children are exposed to and taught, and allowing public schools to cover LGBT sex education would undermine this right, forcing a particular political view on students. Furthermore, many opponents of inclusive sex ed programs argue that parents are forced to lose control of what their children learn in school. This belief is especially common in households that are religiously d, or identify politically with views against LGBT rights.

✰❛ 𝘿𝘼𝙏𝘼 / 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙎𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀𝙎 ❀❜ ❭

Data from a range of sources including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers and professional organizations show how few sex education programs are inclusive of LGBTQ youth. Only 19 percent of US secondary schools provide curricula or supplementary sex education materials that are LGBTQ-inclusive. Fewer than five percent of LGBT students have health classes that included positive representations of LGBT-related topics. Lastly, during 2014, only 5% of middle and high school students in the United States reported receiving “positive discussions of LGBT-related topics” within their health classes.

This leaves many LGBTQ youth without the skills to maintain healthy relationships and protect themselves if they are engaging in sexual activity. This call to action for inclusive sex education comes at a critical time, when different groups within the LGBTQ youth community are:

• More likely to begin having sex at an early age

• More likely to have sex under the influence

• More likely to experience dating violence

• Less likely to use condoms or birth control

• More likely to contract HIV or other STIs

• More likely to experience teen pregnancy

୧ *·˚ 𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔 ┆↰

Since sex education has been present in health education in schools, many parents expect their children to learn about sex there. Studies show that most families do not engage in conversation about sex in the home, and when they do it is often from a heteronormative perspective. The assumptions of being heterosexual can make LGBT people feel ashamed or lacking from their family. Lack of conversation and knowledge received in the home for LGBT people can often lead them to receive their information for outside sources that contain false or misleading information. The same study showed that many parents don’t have a solid knowledge base on same-sex or LGBT topics, nor do they know of resources to direct their children towards.

But most of LGBTQ youth have a limited number of trusted adults they feel comfortable talking with about sexual health, so they frequently seek information online or from peers. Much of the sexual health information online is neither age-appropriate nor medically accurate, and peers may be misinformed.

↱ ✎ 𝘽𝙀𝙉𝙀𝙁𝙄𝙏𝙎 ࿐

1. Visibility

Navigating growing up can be difficult enough on its own, but not seeing yourself represented in basic classes like health and sex education can complicate high school even more. By establishing inclusivity in these courses, students may see themselves and be more confident in themselves, and their heterosexual, cis-gendered peers will be more likely to accept differences of identity.

2. Vocabulary

Many youth are unsure of how to define themselves because they’ve never known anything other than the heterosexual standard. By expanding curriculum to include terminology and research related to sexuality and gender identity, LGBTQ youth can better find a sense of self and belonging.

3. Culture

By including gender identity, sexuality, and gender expression in curriculum, conversations about culture, media, and history involving the LGBTQ community can occur, creating a more welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds and identities.

5. Health

We’re not just talking sexual health here, although it is definitely included: the more knowledge youth have, the more prepared they are to make decisions for themselves and those around them that would keep them healthy, foster stronger relationships, and a more positive sense-of of self.

˚ ༘ˀˀ  ꒰‧⁺ 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝘾𝙇𝙐𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉 ✎ˀ

For LGBTQ youth to experience comparable health benefits to their non-LGBTQ peers, sex education programs must be LGBTQ-inclusive. Inclusive programs are those that help youth understand gender identity and sexual orientation with age-appropriate and medically accurate information; incorporate positive examples of LGBTQ individuals, romantic relationships and families; emphasize the need for protection during sex for people of all identities; and dispel common myths and stereotypes about behavior and identity.

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