I decided that, in addition to complaining about censored Sex Ed, I would try to help fix that problem by finding a Sex Ed good resource (good defined as orientation neutral, well written and scare-tactic free/sex-positive). I found Scarleteen.com which seems to be a good comprehensive sexual education resource (it’s also at this time the first hit on Google for the phrase “Sex Ed” for what it’s worth).
I like Scarleteen’s sexual orientation agnostic approach as well as their writers’ gentle tone. My favorite article was “Margaret Sanger’s Disneyland: Choosing Contraceptives” which compares everything from condoms to Emergency Contraception (EC) to withdrawal. They are described in terms of
- Failure Rates for Perfect Use/Typical Use
- Cost
- Ease (of convincing most people to use that form),
- Prescription needed?
- Health risks
- Sexual side effects
- STI protection (Sexually Transmitted Infections, formerly known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), formerly known as venereal diseases (VDs))
- Overall Benefits
There is a lot of good information there.
They have sections on many aspects of sexual health and life, including everything from the expenses which are associated with becoming sexually active to answering delicate questions of readers.
Go and check it out yourself! I would recommend this site as both a good supplement and beginning point of sexual education.
PS: if you are looking for good quotes and data on abstinence-only Sex Ed, go to Planned Parenthood’s issue area on the subject. See the Inspirational Quote for a little more.
Inspirational Quote:
Waxman Report Identifies Misinformation in Abstinence-Only Curriculum
In 2004, Rep. Henry Waxman (D— CA), released a report about the state of abstinence-only programs. The report found that the curricula used by more than two-thirds of government-funded abstinence-only programs contain misleading or inaccurate information about abortion, contraception, genetics, and sexually transmitted infections:
- The abstinence-only program Me, My World, My Future states, “Tubal and cervical pregnancies are increased following abortions.” According to obstetric textbooks, previous abortions are not correlated with ectopic pregnancies (Cunningham et al., 2001).
- Choosing the Best, The Big Talk Book states, “[R]esearch confirms that 14 percent of the women who use condoms scrupulously for birth control become pregnant within a year.” In fact, when used correctly and consistently, only two percent of couples who rely on the latex condom as their primary form of contraception will experience an unintended pregnancy (Hatcher et al., 2004).
- Why kNOw states, “Twenty-four chromosomes from the mother and 24 from the father join to create [a fetus].” Human cells are actually comprised of 46 chromosomes; 23 from each parent (Cunningham et al., 2001).
- WAIT Training incorrectly states that HIV can be transmitted through tears and sweat. According to the CDC, HIV is only transmissible through blood, semen, and vaginal secretions.
The Waxman Report also found that many abstinence-only curricula even go so far as to blur the line between religion and science, and treat gender stereotypes as scientific fact (Committee on Government Reform, 2004).
