For Everybody and Their Mama: Sex Ed For All Month
The month of May is known for a lot of things. Between graduations, Mother’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, Masturbation Month, Memorial Day (yup, one of the earliest Memorial Day ceremonies was held by freed slaves to honor fallen Union soldiers), there’s so much to be reflective about and celebrate.
But did you also know that the month of May used to be known as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month?
Yup, an entire month whose public health aim was to reduce unintended pregnancy among young people. However, it inadvertently shamed pregnant and parenting teens and families for years.
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So first, a history lesson
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Riding off of the curtails of Reaganomics and the War on Drugs in 1991, public health institutions began creating educational campaigns with strong messaging for young people to avoid “unplanned” pregnancy. These messages came during the era of the “welfare queen” and Clinton’s infamous 1996 welfare reform which bolstered the idea of personal responsibility and self sufficiency. Social conservatives also began prioritizing programs and policies that encouraged heterosexual marriage and abstinence-only education (meaning abstaining from sexual intercourse outside of marriage for people for people of all ages).
In case you haven’t realized by this point, all of these policies and programs were racist, sexist, classist and ageist and threw young Black women under the bus.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Campaigns of the 1990s and 2000s reinforced negative stereotypes of expecting mothers by using shame and fear to stop pregnancies. These campaigns categorized young mothers as “other”, making them seem promiscuous, socially irresponsible, and unintelligent. This form of messaging negatively affected how young mothers and families were viewed and treated by their peers and the larger society -- also known as stigma.
Pregnant and parenting teens experience stigma in various aspects of their lives making it difficult for them to fully embrace parenthood. These range from negative glares and verbal assaults in the hallways of their schools to unfair treatment in doctors offices and social services organizations. This leads to young parents avoiding spaces where they experience stigma, even causing some young women to leave school as a result.
By law, pregnant and parenting teens are allowed to attend school while pregnant and return after the birth of their child. Some schools thought that by creating specific school communities just for pregnant and parenting mothers, it would help to reduce their experience of shame, stigma and isolation. But, no -- these schools did not offer the same type of opportunities as other schools and isolated young parents from their peers -- making them feel even more “othered.”
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It was time for a serious change
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Advocates were fed up with the messaging tactics and framing of the teen pregnancy and fought back. Organizations like the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Bold Futures (formerly Young Women United) and the Mass Alliance on Teen Pregnancy published groundbreaking white papers, created organizing and policy platforms, and campaigned to reject the “teen pregnancy prevention” messaging. Instead, they focused on young parents rights to self-determination and bodily autonomy.
Most importantly, young mothers started their own campaigns like in 2013 with the #NoTeenShame campaign. This campaign was launched to push back against the falsehood that young parents are incapable, irresponsible, and unworthy of dignity and respect, and pushed organizations to focus on the need for destigmatized K-12 comprehensive sexuality education. Currently only 29 states in the U.S. require sex education to be medically accurate.
While, the public health and sex education had “good intentions” the harm was felt and experienced by young people, especially young parents. The goal of any awareness month should not be to stigmatize or shame a group -- in this case telling young people if, when, or how they should (or should not) become parents. Instead, reproductive justice tells us we should be providing young people with the information they need to make self-determined decisions for themselves.
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A rebrand was long overdue: Welcome #SexEdForAllMonth
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In 2019, organizations from across the U.S. came together to rebrand what was once known as “Teen Pregnancy Prevention” month to what we now call “Sex Ed for All” month. Sex Ed for All month demands that everyone, regardless of your parenting status, age, sexual orientation, gender, immigration status and ability deserves quality, affirming and relatable sex education.
Given the long history of racism, classism, sexism, ableism and homophobia in sex education, it’s time we do something different.
Whether you’re a friend, sister, parent, aunty, mentor or teacher of a young person, know that this type of sex education can start with you. So for #SexEdForAllMonth, (but really, every month!) lets reshape the conversations we have about sex, relationships and pregnancy with the young people we have in our lives.
1 Have a real and honest conversation.
Healthy communication and trust are vital to any successful relationship, no matter the age. Having a go-to-person to talk to is key for your sexual wellness. Are you the person in their life that they can sit with and have a Supportive, Informed and Trusted conversation?
The truth is most young people feel like they don't have a supportive person to guide them through this very important part of their lives. Having age-appropriate conversations with the young people in your life about their bodies, sex, gender, identities, relationships, and contraceptive options can be awkward, but they are worthwhile.
Before you have these conversations, it’s important to unlearn what you’ve already learned that isn’t helpful or factual and ground yourself as an askable and affirming adult ally. Use these conversations to affirm truths and debunk any myths.
2 Access is key.
Access to comprehensive sex education and healthcare services is so necessary.
Say that you’re uncomfortable and not prepared to have this conversation with a young person when the opportunity arises. That doesn’t mean the work, and their access to information stops at your discomfort. In the age of the internet, young people have access to so much information (good or bad) about their bodies, sex, gender, identities and relationships. When that information isn’t accessible, some may resort to their friends (who may be just as curious and uninformed) as a source of information. You want to ensure that regardless of which avenue young people choose, that you both have access to the right information so that they can make informed decisions. Organizations and resources such as Power To Decide, #NoTeenShame, Sex, Etc , Scarleteen, Advocates for Youth, AMAZE, Bedsider, Know Your IX, Youth Testify and GLSEN are great places to start.
3 Encourage healthy relationships.
A healthy relationship with yourself and others is how we ensure safety, care and respect.
We underscore the importance of revisiting the conversation about healthy relationships with young people at every aspect of their lives. We teach them to say “please and thank you”, “sharing is caring” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” when they are learning how to make friends, but what about when they are learning how to find romantic and intimate partners? Young people generally feel unprepared and anxious about developing romantic relationships and may rely on popular culture and messaging to indicate what is safe, right and okay. But we know much better than that, right? Without taking in these messages through the right lens, young people may make dangerous and uninformed decisions and choices about their bodies, relationships and sexual safety.
Reinforce the importance of setting and respecting personal boundaries in relationships and practicing consent, always. Offer resources for support like Love is Respect, Break the Cycle and Planned Parenthood for more information on healthy relationships and access to STD/HIV testing and treatment, contraceptives and abortion services.
Ultimately, you have an impact on improving young people's sexual health and rights through education. With schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing reliance on technology, young people still need access to accurate information surrounding their sexual health and relationships. Now, more than ever is the time to reframe and have honest, destigmatized and affirming conversations surrounding sex education.
Young people deserve it.
This blog was written in collaboration with Chynna Aming, Summer ‘20 digital intern.
