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Only discussing how condoms can fail, an element of abstinence-only sex education, can lead gay teens to believe that condom use will not protect them from HIV.
Gay students in high school sex education classes are often too afraid or embarrassed to bring up their own sexual health needs in a heterosexual majority environment. It is difficult to discern how many students identify as gay in these classes, or how many of those students will participate in homosexual activities later in life. However, we do know, thanks to 2007 National School Climate Survey done by GLSEN that “86.2% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed, 44.1% reported being physically harassed and 22.1% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation.” That said, it is understandable why they do not protest in class, especially if they are not sure of their sexual orientation.
While these students may and should seek out their own facts about sexual health and homosexuality (If you’re out there: Test yourself! and then get tested), I feel that it is the responsibility of a sexual health education program to provide potentially life-saving information to students regardless of their sexual orientation. Regardless of how health teachers might feel about homosexuality, it is unacceptable that 13% of the 56,300 new HIV infections that occurred in the United States in 2006 were young people between the ages of 13 and 24, and gay students are at a high risk of becoming a statistic.
In abstinence-only education programs, homosexuality is not included in the curriculum. Therefore, it is up to the teacher of the health class whether or not they bring up gay sexual health issues and how they decide to discuss homosexuality. That’s to say, teachers have the power to ignore the fact that some of their students may be gay, or, they can choose to make judgments on those students that, as we’ve already seen, are being harassed and discriminated against. It is no wonder that “teenagers who are gay or bisexual are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide as other youth.”
“back in my high school class, where we were all too intimidated or embarrassed to ask for clarification, it seemed as if sex with a condom was equivalent to sex without one. Our teacher also touched on the ills of masturbation and warned against the dangers of homosexual sex.”
This is proof that we need to reform abstinence-only sex education in high schools to include GLBTQ students and to make sure that they are informed on the risks involved with sexual activity and the resources available to them. We have the power to prevent infection. We are all responsible for ending the pandemic.
CarylAFY
| 11/8/08 04:14 PM
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