I have—as of late—been researching programs that allow women to reclaim their sexuality, and to push back against those who would marginalize them and sexualize them against their will. Among these programs are those on bystander education. It’s a form of social justice advocacy that intrigues me, and which focuses on more than just the same… Read more »
Arkansas Student Receives 25K Signatures Pushing for Required Sex Education A student in Arkansas was inspired by an assignment in her public speaking class that had her researching teen pregnancy statistics across the state. Deciding that the answer lay in mandated sex education, she circulated a petition on the topic, which has garnered more than… Read more »
School Board in Edmonton, Canada Calls for More Comprehensive Sex Ed Folks on the Edmonton Public Schools board in Alberta, Canada discussed sex education at their latest meeting, amid concerns that what was already being offered was sub-par. At the meeting, board members passed a motion to call on the Alberta government for “more comprehensive, medically based,… Read more »
Another week, another story in which power disparities have been abused for personal gain. This time, news outlets are abuzz with the fact that Bill O’Reilly has, at long last, been forced out at Fox News because of numerous sexual harassment allegations. Tales of people in positions of power using that dynamic for sexual gain is… Read more »
Palo Alto Becomes Latest California District To Bump Up Again New Laws Parents in Palo Alto, California, are threatening legal action because of the new sex ed curriculum being offered to middle schoolers. The school district updated their curriculum in order to remain in compliance with California’s Healthy Youth Act. Parents insist, however, that the… Read more »
N.H. Bill Would Require Schools To Give Parents Notice Before Teaching Sex Ed In New Hampshire, a bill that’s on the table would require schools to give parents two weeks’ notice before teaching sex ed or human sexuality. Backers of the bill, which has passed the Legislature, say it would let parents ensure their children are… Read more »
Last time we took a peek into the Let’s Erase Bullying manual, we saw how we might enable teens to puzzle out alternative means of dealing with the drama of their lives. Sometimes, however, problems are too large for them to handle themselves. And they shouldn’t have to. Which is why the second lesson in Let’s Erase Bullying concerns reaching… Read more »
New Sex Ed Curriculum Struck Down in California School District After Parent Uproar We’ve mentioned previously the difficulty in ensuring compliance with California’s Healthy Youth Act in every district across the state. Perfectly illustrating this difficulty is a story out of the Cupertino Union School District. The district has been attempting to vet new curricula,… Read more »
Lebanon Hosting First LGBT Sexual Health Week The Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH) is planning a health week in Lebanon, during which they will focus on how the marginalization of the LGBTI community affects mental health. Although Lebanon is one the most progressive countries in the Middle East regarding LGBT issues, it is still… Read more »
St. Louis Parents Continue To Advocate Against Thrive We’ve been following the controversy over Thrive St. Louis here on the blog for the past several weeks. The latest bit of news shows that parents are really stepping up in terms of educating the public on why they’re so concerned about the curriculum Thrive provides. Next week, they’re… Read more »
This past week has seen the shocking revelation that Miki Agrawal, the former CEO of Thinx (the makers of “period underwear”), was fostering a “hostile environment” for her employees. And the most recent story to come to light is that she was sexually harassing her employees, engaging in unwanted groping, inappropriate office talk, and more…. Read more »
Community Sex Ed Classes Canceled in Maryland In Southern Maryland, local libraries have canceled a series of sex education classes in response to an outcry from parents in the community. The classes, geared toward teens, were to be taught by Bianca Palmisano, a sex educator from Washington, D.C., and owner of Intimate Health Consulting. Parents,… Read more »
Early Childhood Sex Ed to Become Compulsory in UK In England, Education Secretary Justine Greening recently announced that sex and relationships education will be compulsory in all schools. Even as early as the age of 4, children will be taught about safe and healthy relationships. Parents will still have the right to withdraw their children from these… Read more »
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Releases New Sex Ed Manual India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently released a resource kit, which is intended for use by 160,000 young people all over India as a means of training them to teach their peers about adolescent health. This is a bold move for India, where sexual… Read more »
Campus Organization Fills in Sex Ed Gap At Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), campus organization Voices of Choice (a reproductive health advocacy organization) is stepping up to provide sex ed in a community that currently only offers an abstinence-only curriculum. In the coming year, they will provide free condoms, host educational sessions, and… Read more »
This past November, the Center for Sex Education released Let’s Erase Bullying, a teaching manual containing suggestions and resources educators can use to empower both victims and bystanders of bullying, and tips on how to educate bullies on the devastating impact of their actions. It’s a hot button issue at a time when bullying behavior is being legitimized… Read more »
Utah Senator Introduces Bill to Strike Ban Against ‘Advocacy of Homosexuality’ We reported just last week that a bill was struck down in Salt Lake City, Utah, that would give parents the option of opting their children into a more comprehensive sex ed class. Still, Utah representatives slog on, with one senator sponsoring a bill… Read more »
Utah Bill Struck Down After Fierce Opposition In Salt Lake City, Utah, a bill to make sexual health education more comprehensive failed on a 12-to-two vote in the House Education Committee. While many parents came out in support of the bill, just as many parents came out in opposition. The present curriculum is abstinence-focused. Sex Week… Read more »
Utah Pushes for More Comprehensive Sex Ed Last week, House Bill 215 was filed in the Utah State Legislature. The bill encourages the discussion of topics such as consent, body autonomy, and healthy relationships. Currently, Utah uses an abstinence-based sexual education curriculum. 3D-Printing Technology Brings Sex Ed to More People We’ve blogged about 3D-printing technology in the… Read more »
NCAC Objects to HB 103 The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) recently sent a letter to the New Hampshire House of Representatives Committee on Education stating their opposition to HB 103, which would require schools to provide two weeks’ advance parental notification prior to the use of any sex ed materials. Sex Ed Still Not Required in… Read more »
