Promoting equity through sex ed

Sex ed can be a powerful tool for promoting equity and social justice. This isn’t a new or radical idea for educators in my field, but I’ve found that the idea surprises many people — often when their own experience with sex ed was a single awkward conversation with a parent or an STI-focused health unit in middle school.

Jaded by negative or limited experiences with sex education, many adults misguidedly think sex ed should only happen at home or that we should teach youth that sex is dangerous and abstinence is the only way to avoid pregnancy and STIs. Research on what constitutes effective sex ed shows that those assumptions are just not true. Sex Ed for All Month is an important chance to set the record straight.

Sex ed is bigger than body parts and it’s not just about teens. It encourages folks of all ages to have respect and compassion for themselves and others. In addition to positive health impacts, high quality sex ed (1) boosts students’ academic performance, (2) dismantles negative stereotypes and decreases bullying, and (3) reduces instances of sexual assault and dating violence.

How does this work? In the U.S., young people — particularly Black and Brown young people — hear the message over and over that their bodies are places of danger: “at risk” or a threat to themselves and others. Coming from that experience, learning that your body can be a site of love and pleasure is a revelation. Understanding that your body is deserving of respect and learning to communicate your boundaries and to value others’ boundaries is empowering.

Sex ed — when it’s done right — disrupts negative self-talk, harmful stereotypes, and bullying because it promotes bodily autonomy and affirms all dimensions of human identities.

Unfortunately, sex ed in the U.S. today is a troubling patchwork. According to the Guttmacher Institute, only 18 states require sex education and HIV education content to be medically accurate. CNN recently reported that a record-breaking number of bills to restrict sex education were proposed in state legislatures across the country this year. 

Out of fear and lack of understanding, adults are stifling conversations at the exact wrong moments. Instead of answering young people’s questions honestly, they eliminate sex ed. Or they fall back on abstinence-only sex ed that is steeped in a history of racism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. That kind of sex ed makes people scared of their own bodies and reliant on inaccurate assumptions that they learn from TV, TikTok, and their friends. It causes real harm. 

Don’t get me wrong — talking about STIs and unintended pregnancy is important, but if we are just focused on mitigating perceived risks instead of sharing the joy of healthy sexuality and relationships, we’re doing a disservice to our young people and to the adults they will soon become. The American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree: Comprehensive sex education is essential. 

This year, my wish for Sex Ed for All Month is that more people understand: Sex ed is not just teaching youth about safety, it’s empowering them with resources to make informed decisions about sex and sexual health, and affirming healthy sexuality over the course of their lives. High quality, age appropriate, evidence-based sex ed is a clear and accessible path to happier and healthier lives, relationships, and communities for us all.

Andrea Augustine, MPH, CHES, is assistant vice president of education and community engagement for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC. Her team offers science-based, culturally informed sexual and reproductive health education for a broad range of audiences, including through the Health Training Institute.