Facebook
I’ve recently been alerted to a relatively new abstinence-only-until-marriage organization popping up in southwest Ohio. The organization, called Maximum Freedom, Inc., claims to “empower students with medically accurate sexual health and relationship information to achieve a lifetime of Maximum Freedom.” Maximum Freedom, Inc. is currently seeking a Classroom Educator and interestingly, there seem to be no minimum requirements and limited training for this position. Apparently, all they need is a “commitment” to review the materials. Despite this, the description insists that “Our Educators are carefully selected to ensure that students, parents and schools will experience high quality sexual health and relationships education teaching based upon proven, medically accurate curricula.”
Really? Now compare that “educator” position to a recent job posting for a similar classroom and community health educator for an Ohio Planned Parenthood organization. Planned Parenthood is a universally recognized source for reliable, medically accurate and evidence-based sexual health education. They require a minimum of a bachelor degree and 1-3 years experience.
I wonder which educator most parents would prefer in their youth’s classroom. I know which one I would want.
Some of you may remember that high school student Danny Sparks and several of his peers had taken on the Parma City School District (PCSD) for their lack of an acceptable sexual health education program, particularly using Operation Keepsake, an abstinence-only-until-marriage program as its fundamental source. Long before the first public address by the students at the PCSD Board meeting, students and supporters had tried unsuccessfully to get the administration to seriously examine the issue. So, in February of 2010, the students made their point in front of the Board and media outlets. Watch their presentations to the Board:
After publicly forcing the Board to address the issue, then PCSD Superintendent Dr. Zatik, agreed to meet with Danny and his peers.
The success that followed was a long time coming. The Parma City School District informed all Health teachers that they are no longer permitted to allow Operation Keepsake into the classrooms to provide their brand of abstinence-only-until-marriage programming. The District then created a “curriculum taskforce” to review current sexual health education and make a recommendation to the Board regarding their findings. This success was short lived as the “taskforce” commenced their meetings.
On June 5th 1981, the Center for Disease Control reported the first cases of what we now know as HIV/AIDS. In the past thirty years, we have seen remarkable progress in the treatment and care for HIV+ individuals leading to longer, healthier lives. But we continue to see the great need for prevention resources and access to life-saving to medication.
Unfortunately, as thirty years of HIV rolls upon us in Ohio, and the Greater Cleveland area in particular, we are seeing increases of STDs and HIV in youth and young adults under the age of thirty, according to the Cleveland Public Health Department.
Lawrence, an Ohio Advocate at 19, is an outspoken HIV/AIDS activist, regularly speaking before hundreds of Ohio and Greater Cleveland area youth. Recently, he was interviewed by his local NPR radio station to describe his reaction of finding out he was HIV+ at age 17 - twenty eight years after the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis was reported. Listen to the interview here.
Thank you Lawrence for speaking out, being the voice of young people living with HIV, and fighting the stigma!
World AIDS Day is a time to reflect on the past, remember those we have lost to the disease, honor those with us, and look forward to the future. It is a time to promote awareness in support of prevention, care and services, and advocacy. This year, the HIV/AIDS Community in Cleveland created an unprecedented World AIDS Day event -- Cleveland Rocks! World AIDS Day 2010 was the culmination of a week long of events. Here is a brief week in review:
Cleveland City Council Resolution in Honor of World AIDS Day
Monday November 29, 2010
Volunteers, clients and staff of The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Clevland, along with Ohio Advocates youth members handed each Cleveland City Council person a hand-made clay red ribbon in honor of World AIDS Day as they entered the Council Chamber. Three City Council sponsors of the Resolution invited all of us to the front of the Chambers for recognition and to present the Resolution. You can read more about this by drs0043's post: Lights Out In Cleveland
World AIDS Day Awareness Flash Mob
Tuesday November 30, 2010
In an effort to build up media awareness around the continued need for prevention and services for individuals with HIV/AIDS and to promote the Cleveland Rocks World AIDS Day event, we staged a flash mob at Cleveland Tower City Center. Here's a video of the event:
Here is a photojournalist piece produced by our Local Fox 8 News channel that features Ohio Advocates Lawrence! This piece aired several times throughout the week.
City Club of Cleveland
Gregorio Millett, Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of National AIDS Policy
Thursday December 2, 2010
We had the honor of hearing Greg Millett discuss the developments of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and meeting with him. You can hear the podcast here and listen to his answer to Ohio Adovcate Lawrence about the future of youth living with HIV.
...until there's a cure.
I'm wearing THE T-shirt today. The t-shirt simply says HIV POSITIVE and I'm wearing it all day today. So are about about 250 Northeast Ohioans, a few state- and nationwide, and even a few internationally.
http://www.cleveland.com/living/index.ssf/2010/03/aids_taskforce_t-shirt_aims_to.html
Activism takes many forms and The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland decided to create an anti-stigma campaign wherein anyone, regardless of HIV status, agrees to wear The T-shirt all day, go about their regular routine and report about their experience.
The purpose is to break down the stigma surrounding those who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. However, you can see from the comments following the article above, some don't see it that way.
Would you wear the T-shirt? Why or why not?
To see folk's reports and pictures, go to Earl Pike's FB page or The AIDS Taskforce page.
HIV/AIDS infected and affected Ohoians filled the pews of First United Methodist Church in Cleveland on Dec. 3rd to tell White House officials their thoughts for improving care and access to HIV/AIDS services. For nearly two and half hours, consumers of HIV/AIDS services, professionals, friends and family provided continuous testimony of practical and heartfelt recommendations and demands including needle exchange, condoms in prisons, anti-stigma media programs, streamlined program processes and more. I was inspired and proud of my community and began to think this exercise could actually help to bring about real changes... until I saw this article.
Apparently not everyone has the same common-sense ideas that advocates in Ohio have. At a World AIDS Day conference in D.C., absolutely no mention was made about youth or comprehensive sex education, and condoms weren't even mentioned until the very end.
Here in Cleveland, Ohioans from every region expressed the need for comprehensive sex education. And those recommendations didn't all come from adults. Several youth were in attendence and at least five youth provided testimony in support of comprehensive sex education. Not one mention of failed abstinence-only programs occurred. I continue to have hope in Ohio, mostly because of our youth who are not afraid to tell the White House what they know will work!
The Ohio House Health Committee heard proponent testimony on the Ohio Prevention First Act (HB 293) on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009. HB 293 includes a breakout bill (Act for Our Children’s Future) that promotes comprehensive sexuality education in
To read submitted testimony and further summaries of the event go to NARAL Prochoice Ohio: http://www.prochoiceohio.org/issues/factsheets/200911191.shtml
If you live in Ohio, please sign the Ohio Prevention First petition:
www.amplifyyourvoice.org/ohiopreventionfirst
