Sex is one of the farthest things from the Christian ethos, except when you are constantly reminded that fornication and adultery are sins. So much so that many of us are raised to believe that a relationship is for the man and woman to procreate. Forget about variances in relationships and that the vast majority of people, even Christians, do enjoy sexual intimacy.

There was no talk of sex in our children and youth groups at church. There were one or two lessons in secondary school about sexual and reproductive health but I was hardly attentive, as I didn’t see the need for all this adult talk.

I grew up with strong Christian values. I got baptized at age 11, in July 1998. I knew very little about sex and the reproductive system. I would cover my eyes when there were kissing or sex scenes in movies. I guess you could call me a “true Christian.” I was very uncomfortable talking about my body parts and issues related to sexuality. I have overcomed those long ago, but there are still many young people who undergo siginificant discomfort in this regard.

In the “Pairability” episode of The Glee Project, an American reality television series which serves as an audition for the FOX TV musical series Glee, Cameron, one of the contenders, broke down in tears when Lindsay (another contender) kissed him during the music video recording of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Frank Loesser. I am sure many fans of Glee and now the Glee Project were alarmed at his reaction. Many may think he is just plain stupid. So many guys out there would die for a beautiful girl to kiss them voluntarily, but not Cameron.

Why would a teenager be so terrified at something many of us do so casually without any thought? Cameron is from a Christian home in Texas. He admitted that he is not comfortable with kissing girls and talking about sex in the episode called "Sexuality". There are many young people across the world like Cameron who have similar fears about sexuality. There are many reasons for this. However, much of this is because of their Christian upbringing and the absence of comprehensive sex education lessons at school.

Human Rights Watch, in a publication entitled Unaccountable: Addressing Reproductive Health Care Gaps (2010), notes that there are many obstacles, including cultural, religious and financial, that act as ‘barriers to services and information, inadequate care, [and] discrimination’.

Why is it that religion and culture has had such a big influence on issues related to sexuality? How many church in your community has a space for young people to learn about sex and reproductive health? Do churches even have a policy on this? Why is the church so silent, except in instances where they feel a need to protect the "morals" of society?

I strongly believe the church must do more to ensure young people can safeguard their sexual and reproductive health. To prevent unplanned pregnancies. To prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The church must ensure their young people are being given condoms and other safe sex commodities, but they are not doing that.

One of the most well known opponents to this liberal approach to sex and sexuality is perhaps the Catholic Church. Many know the Pope for his strong views on using condoms. And if you have been to a HIV related meeting, you most definitely would have been upset by the Holy See's statements during UN Meetings for example. Beginning August 13, 2011, observed as International Youth Day, I would be a part of a coalition Catholics and non-Catholics alike to challenge the Catholic hierarchy during the World Youth Day Conference in Madrid, Spain.

Stay connected to this space, as I will be focusing on religion, particularly Catholicism, and its impact on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people.

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