I go to a high school on the west side of San Antonio, TX where there are many teen pregnancies every year. The type of sex ed i was taught in high school was, of course, abstinence-only. I took health my sophmore year only because it was required and during the course we went through Worth the Wait. Now i will remind you that since health was a required class for graduation, most students waited till their senior year to take the class. More then half the students in my class were seniors and most were already sexually active and were taking an abstinence-only sex ed class at the same time.  

All I got out of Worth the Wait was "condoms can break and you're worth the wait," which is true but what Worth the Wait did not tell me was how effective condoms really are or how to use a condom the right way to increase the effectiveness of preventing STDs and pregnancy. We were taught about STDs, but all we did was go over them, and we were showed ugly and nasty pictures that no one even wanted to look at. We were not told how to take care of them or where we could go to get treated for an STD, and condoms were not even mentioned; everything was basically just a scare tactic.

When I took this class I had previously been through training on many different sexual health topics includinding medically accuate information on contraception and STDs. So when I had to sit through a class that only talked about abstinence I hated it. Abstinence is a great choice and should be taught in school but the reality is that it is not the only choice. Everyone is different and will not make the same "right" choices, so teens should be prepared and taught how to keep their bodies safe and protected from teen pregnancies, STDs, and so much more.

Ever wish you could give your friends something that could save their lives? Now you can! Apply today to receive a box of 500 Trojan brand condoms to distribute this Fall.

Teach your friends about safer sex and become a part of a network of over 1,000 youth activists advocating for sexually healthy campuses.

Also, click the play button below to listen to Sarah Audelo (Advocates for Youth's Senior Domestic Policy Manager) and Julia Reticker-Flynn (Advocates' Youth Activist Network Coordinator) discuss the importance of the GACC on 94.9 CHRW Radio, a radio station serving the University of Western Ontario and surrounding area. Thanks to Ashley Bushfield for inviting us on her radio program!

(Timestamps: Julia begins speaking at the 1:54" mark; Sarah starts speaking at the 3:12" mark.)

EDITOR'S NOTE: When we saw this column in The Washington Times, warning parents about colleges "poisoning" students with information and frank discussion about sex and sexuality, we knew it needed a response. We asked rising Harvard sophomore Leah Reis-Dennis, and her mother Elizabeth Reis, to weigh in. Here's what they said.

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Leah:

In her recent Washington Times piece, "Values a vaccine for poisoned Ivy," Rebecca Hagelin cautions parents with presumably frightening "snapshots of what your child might encounter" at college. Hagelin cites such supposedly alarming campus occurrences as summer reading on multiculturalism, course offerings on feminist theory, and access to condoms. Although Hagelin fears for the preservation of her daughter's Christian and conservative values, she rests assured that the strength of her family's faith and its determination to resist the dominant "liberal Orthodoxy" will prevail.

As a college student about to start my second year at Harvard (an institution which Hagelin would likely label a "poisoned Ivy"), I can vividly recall my college selection process. As I visited campuses, perused pamphlets, and spoke with students, I, like Hagelin's daughter, took time to "investigate the college landscape." In my case, however, a course offering in feminist theory got a thumbs up. Free condom access on campus? All the better! In fact, one might imagine that my mother and I, devoted advocates for feminism and women's rights, are direct opposites of Hagelin and her daughter. Still, if Hagelin's daughter and I were to attend the same college and meet, we would surely learn a lot from each other. She might teach me something about the Bible. I might teach her how to use a condom, even if she chooses to wait until marriage to put that knowledge into practice. But what Hagelin misses in her article is the understanding that college is not, as she implies, about meeting friends who will corroborate your existing beliefs. Rather, college should expand your mind. The people you meet should challenge your convictions and force you to question what you take for granted. Having lived my whole life in a liberal enclave in Oregon, I came to Harvard with a bundle of strong opinions that I had never before been forced to defend. At Harvard, some of my most valuable and memorable moments have been those in which my peers have disagreed with me and prompted me to consider their point of view and scrutinize my own. Hagelin's thinly veiled fear of difference puts her daughter at a disadvantage by attempting to confine her growth within the comfortable bubble of the known and the safe. She would do better to encourage her daughter to venture outside of her comfort zone and strengthen her faith by challenging it.

Perhaps most jarring, though, is Hagelin's unbridled fear of college sexuality. The "graphic 'safe sex' discussions" that Hagelin warns of, would, in a perfect world, be redundant: safe sex discussions should already be happening throughout high school (and earlier!). Hagelin need not fear the "corruption" of her daughter's mind or body: time and time again, studies have shown that comprehensive sex education does not accelerate the start of students' sexual activity. Rather, it increases the percentage of those sexually active youth who practice safer sex, using condoms, birth control, and healthy communication.

In another exclamation of disbelief, Hagelin laments Yale's distribution of 14,000 free condoms this year. "Impressive!" was my first thought upon hearing Yale's statistic. As part of the Great American Condom Campaign (sponsored by DC-based Advocates for Youth), I distributed 500 free Trojan condoms to my peers, mostly freshmen, this year. The peer health educators at Harvard, and probably at Yale too, are at students' disposal to answer any question they have about sex. Why keep sex in the dark on college campuses? In our modern society, Hagelin's approach of withholding sexual education and resources from college students is akin to presenting them with cars without Driver's Ed or seatbelts. Simply put, it's absurd. Some students may feel unprepared to "drive," or may choose to abstain for environmental or other moral reasons. But many, the majority, will take the wheel, and we should encourage them to do so safely. This same philosophy applies to sex. Receiving or having access to campus tools for safe sex, including mandatory education, protection, and sustained dialogue does not harm students who choose abstinence. Just like anything else at college, sex education should be a learning experience. Maybe it will come in handy in college, or maybe not until marriage—which brings up the issue of spouse-seeking.

As she justifies the importance of selecting a college with like-minded students, Hagelin cites a finding that many recently married couples met through college. Finding a husband should not be a factor in the college decision process. Never. Not in the slightest. What is this, the 1940s? College is not for meeting a husband. College is for meeting new people and learning new things—things that probably will and should include multiculturalism, feminism, immigration issues, environmental studies, and yes: sex—all elements that factor prominently into a complete understanding of the country and the world that we live in. Whether this learning remains purely theoretical or is put to the test in the dorms is up to each student. But let's hope that students at Hagelin's so-called "Poisoned Ivies" and beyond continue to be given school-supported resources with which to make informed decisions, have fun, and experience college life to the fullest, whether it's focused at the campus ministry or in the bedroom. Or both.

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College Kids Need More, Not Less, Information

Elizabeth Reis, Associate Professor, Women's and Gender Studies, University of Oregon and mother of two college-age kids

Rebecca Hagelin may not want her daughter exposed to the dangers of college life (books about multiculturalism, the environment, and animal rights are the least of it!) but I hope she has prepared her nonetheless. As the mother of two college-age kids (my daughter is a sophomore at Harvard; my son just graduated from Cornell), as well as a professor at the University of Oregon, I am aware of what students learn from the curriculum as well as in the dorms.

Those role-playing games and graphic safe-sex discussions that Hagelin disdains? Her daughter may face similar scenarios, and so why shouldn't she be ready with appropriate responses? Those workshops are meant to prepare students for situations that may arise so they can think about their reactions ahead of time. Many (not all) students drink at college. Many (not all) students have sex during their college years. Her daughter may not do either, and that is her choice. But on the off chance that she makes different choices when opportunities come along, she should have the tools to make responsible decisions in her new environment.

As a professor of Women's and Gender Studies, I speak to many, many students who do not have a clue about protecting themselves from disease or pregnancy. Recently I had a young woman in class who came to tell me she had to drop out of school because she was pregnant. She started crying in my office, telling me how she hadn't planned this, and now she was going to have to marry her boyfriend and raise her baby, none of which was on her agenda. Since she was inviting me into her life by telling me her troubles, I didn't feel too intrusive asking her if she had known about birth control. She told me, astonishingly, that she kind of knew about it, but somehow didn't think it applied to her. Didn't apply to her??

After one of my lectures on the history of sexuality where I had provided alarming statistics about the recent rise of chlamydia of the mouth, another student came to me in tears. She explained that in order to avoid intercourse (she considered herself Christian) she only has oral sex with men but doesn't really consider it "sex" and so didn't think she needed to worry about protection. Now she was upset not only because of the risks of sexually transmitted infection but because I had rocked her world suggesting that she had violated her religious principles by engaging in what I was calling "sex." She pleaded with me to tell her what to do. (I sent her to the campus counseling center, a place that every student should be made aware of and feel comfortable using).

And these are the students who have sat through all the orientations about safe sex! Perhaps some of them aren't really paying attention because they are committed to the values they've brought from home and so they can't imagine they will ever need the information. My caution to them: take it all in anyway, even if it seems unnecessary to your own life. You might find yourself helping out a friend.

Despite my overall disagreement Hagelin's misguided efforts to shield her daughter from the realities of college life, I do agree with two of her points: Students should research the schools in which they are interested, figure out what's most important to them and make sure that that school will be able to provide a social environment in which they will thrive. Feeling comfortable with one's peers will enhance students' learning, but the friends they make do not have to be cookie cutter versions of themselves. One of the greatest things about college is meeting other students from completely different backgrounds and with different perspectives. I also agree that parents should stay in touch with their child (within reason), not just by regular letters, but by other social media as well: Facebook, cell phones, texting, and Skype. Hearing the tone in their kids' voices or seeing them on the computer screen can make college a lot less scary for the parents. Of course we want to protect our children from anything bad; in my book the best protection is straightforward information and plenty of it. They are old enough now to make their own decisions, and they need to know everything they can to make good ones that keep them safe.

Our Youth Activist Network Coordinator Julia just sent out the following email...we hope you'll send in an application today!

We have just opened applications for the fall semester GACC! Click here to learn more and apply.

The Great American Condom Campaign is a youth-led grassroots movement to make the U.S. a sexually healthy nation. Each year, GACC members give out 1,000,000 Trojan Brand condoms on college campuses across the United States, educate their peers about sexual health, and organize to improve the policies that affect young people.

This campaign is a great way to engage your peers and work together to help keep your communities healthy and safe. But don't take my word for it! Check out what some of our past participants have done and said about the campaign.

- Drew University: "We finished giving out all of our condoms in TWO weeks!"
- UNC-Chapel Hill: "Trojan's lil' helpers"

Do you want to be a part of this campaign? Click here to apply for your box of 500 condoms and join youth activists from around the country as they advocate to make their schools and communities more sexually healthy.

Thanks!
Julia

We hope you'll share this widely.

As the email from Advocates for Youth' President James Wagoner indicates, there's a brand-new comprehensive sex ed program in town. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has launched the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), which allows states to apply for comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically-accurate sex education. This year, $55 million in PREP funding is available to states.

However, at the same time, HHS is also allowing states to apply for $50 million in abstinence-only-until-marriage programs -- that's on top of the $1.5 billion that our country has already wasted on these discredited programs.

One might shrug their shoulders and say, "such is the wackiness of government," but I think we should take a step back and consider the absurdity of this current political landscape. What kind of system allows states to choose between a science-backed education option and a worthless, crackpot option?

We'll leave that for your own pondering for now...ultimately, we've published this post in the hope that you'll help us take action. Will you take one minute to tell your public officials to support PREP and reject ab-only programs?

Thanks! And here's some more info from James:

August 6, 2010

Dear Advocate,

As a direct result of your hard work — and the work of thousands of like-minded young people, parents, health professionals, and community leaders around the country — the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has officially launched the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), allowing states to apply for $55 million this year in first-of-its-kind federal funding for comprehensive sex education.

On behalf of everyone here at Advocates for Youth, I cannot thank you enough for your tireless letters and phone calls to your representatives in Congress. Without your hard work over the past months and years, the PREP program would not have been created.

Urge your Governor to apply for PREP funding to bring comprehensive sex education to your community! Take action now!

Sadly, the news isn't all good.

HHS also opened applications for states to apply for $50 million in funding to support Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage programs — programs which extensive research has proven to be ineffective.

Both PREP and Title V were authorized and funded as a part of the recent health care reform package, and states have until August 30th to indicate their interest in applying for either program.

By the end of August, every governor will have to indicate to HHS whether they intend to apply for Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding and subject students in their state to these discredited and ineffective programs. The U.S. has already wasted more than $1.5 billion on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, and it's disheartening to see that Congress is willing to throw away $250 million more.

Even worse, Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding requires states to spend $3 on these programs for every $4 they receive in federal funding. With many states facing budget cuts, saying "yes" to Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage programs will reduce available funding for other more-critical state programs.

Help stop wasteful spending on programs that don't work! Tell your Governor NOT to apply for Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding.

PREP programs also teach students information about abstinence — along with information about preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. And, they require no matching funds from state budgets!

Together, we can help convince governors throughout the country to do the right thing for America's youth: reject costly and dangerous Title V abstinence-only-until marriage programs — and instead apply for PREP funding to support evidence-based, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education.

The choice is clear. Let's get to work.

Sincerely,
James Wagoner
President Advocates for Youth

Bowling Green is a small city just south of Toledo, OH. In 2009, it passed an LGBTIQ anti-discrimination ordinance, but...

This November, voters in the city of nearly 30,000 will head to the polls to decide on whether two historic ordinances will be allowed to become law, protecting LGBT folks from discrimination. Those ordinances, originally passed in August 2009, amended city law to prevent LGBT people from being discriminated against when it comes to employment, housing, education and public accommodations. And they were necessary, because currently federal-level anti-discrimination protections don't go far enough to stop discrimination against LGBT people.

But what was a bold move for equality was interpreted by a number of anti-gay folks to be a step toward indecency. And they did what so many anti-gay groups have done in the past decade: they froze the city council ordinances by gathering signatures to put the policies on a November 2010 ballot. Meaning that Bowling Green, Ohio voters will now decide on whether LGBT people should be thrown out of restaurants because of their sexual orientation, or denied an apartment because of their gender identity.

You can find out how you can support the ONE Bowling Green campaign to protect the ordinances here. If you live anywhere near Bowling Green, I encourage you to channel your inner Harvey Milk and do what you can to prevent this repeal from passing.

-Jordan Opalanie

Amplify Community Editor Samantha (also known here as the awesome Mahayana) in front of the Advocates for Youth Lounge at Netroots Nation.

The Amplify team just finished up a great trip to Las Vegas for Netroots Nation 2010. We heard from the likes of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Al Franken, presented to hundreds of progressive leaders on the state of the pro-choice movement and the power of online organizing, and exchanged ideas with young activists from all over the world.

We'll have more convention stories and recaps for you later this week, including Amplify's exclusive video interview with Lt. Dan Choi, who brought many of us to tears on Saturday after he handed Harry Reid his West Point class ring during the Senate Majority Leader's keynote address. (Reid had previously pledged to Choi that he would end Don't Ask, Don't Tell by 2009.)

Stay tuned!

 In order for one to fully comprehend issues that affect marginalized groups, it is imperative to incorporate the intersections that might exist within these groups. Recently, the gay movement has gained ground through the media. Whether there is a gay character on a show or romance, being LGBT is gradually becoming more acceptable in today’s society. The issue that arises within the gay community is the isolation that exists when acknowledging other communities.  In this society, being gay is seen as a unitary issue, thus LGBTQ racial minorities are marginalized since the plight of reconciling their racial heritage and LGBTQ identity is often ignored. The most prevalent issue encountered by LGBTQ youth of color is the lack of visible role models. In our media, the majority of the representation of the gay community is white and middle class.

If one looks at the current shows to date such as Glee, Will and Grace, and Queer as Folk, one will notice that these shows barely have a diverse representation for the youth of color, thus these youth do not have someone to look up to because the media confines the representation of the gay community to the majority. Most of these shows do not even explore these intersections of identity. They fail to delve into the difficulties in reconciling racial identity and sexual identity. Thus, racial minorities may have a hard time relating to these characters.

This limited portrayal may also affect the majority community’s perception of minorities if their only exposure to these communities is through the news, books, and television. If all they have seen are stereotypically gay characters or white characters then their perceptions are flawed or lack inclusivity; this may cause LGBT racial minorities to disidentify with their own community and adopt an identity that does not take into account their racial background.  The media’s portrayal of LGBT adolescents is exclusive, and in order to rectify this problem, there needs to be a shift in society’s attitudes on what is an unacceptable representation of LGBT youth. If you are an lgbt racial minority, here are some support groups you can turn to that will aid you in your walk.

http://www.generationalalliance.org
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/youthresource

Today is a great day to get tested.  I know it is scary, every time I get tested I hold my breath and think about do I have anything was there something I did that I could have caught something.  But after finding out my results I am relieved.  So today is as good as any to go find your local testing center and get tested.

Here are a few testing sites for those near the City of San Diego.

- Family Health Services
- City Heights 
- Across the Street form City College Trolley Station
- In North Park near 30th and Polk
- SDSU Student Health Services
- The Center in Hillcrest
- On Vermont and University on Thursdays from 6-9pm

I hope that you take the time to figure out your status.  

Rikki

Yesterday, on Netflix, I watched a documentary called The Butch Factor.  It is a documentary were it flows through the many different subcultures of the gay community, everything from circuit culture to bear culture to drag culture.   I don't want to go into much detail.  But the point of the documentary was to see how different individuals in the gay community construct their masculinity, and how the greater culture and straight men also do so.   I thought it was interesting, I think it is a good watch, and just wanted to share it with you all.

Rikki