wednesday, april 4, 2018 | 6
opinion
Sex Ed Must Include Non-Hetero Information
Aditi Dholakia
Guest Columnist
My first ever comprehensive sexual education class was in the eighth grade, taught by my science-teacher-andsometimes-basketball coach at a nonreligious private school. The details from the class are fuzzy, but I do remember, with startling clarity, the demonstration of how to roll a condom onto a banana, largely because of how uncomfortable my older white male science teacher looked while performing the act. In the state of North Carolina, sexual education that goes beyond the fear mongering of abstinence-only programs is a fairly recent development with the passage of the Healthy Youth Act in 2009. Although the law requires certain “essential standards” be met, such as providing information on STIs, effective contraception, abstinence and sexual assault/abuse risk reduction, there is also an option for parents to opt their children out of any programs that schools may offer. Regardless of whatever education is offered in NC, there is something to be said about how much students are expected to teach themselves when it comes to practicing safe sex while also never talking
about it, to anyone, ever. Moreover, if cisgender, heterosexual children are being sent blind and fumbling into the world of sex and sexuality, then LGBTQ+ children have no hope at all. For them, not only is sex not something that is talked about, but in many cases, any kind of sex or sexuality outside of the cis-hetero norm is not only ignored with contempt, but also criminalized. Despite the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, which ruled that homosexuality is not a crime, North Carolina is still one of 13 states that still have laws on the books that outlaw anal and oral sex. In NC, the law falls within the confines of a “crime against nature,” which is used situationally in cases regarding sexual acts. Although it is unclear to what extent these laws are still enforced today, the fact that lawmakers have yet to officially renounce anti-sodomy laws in this state is a problem. In an ideal world, college would be a place where students could go to safely experiment and learn about sex and their own sexuality. In some ways, this is true — theoretically, college offers much more freedom to develop one’s own sense of self, including whatever role sex and sexuality play in one’s life. However, experimentation with sex and sexuality without a foundation of anatomically and socially accurate education can lead to dissatisfying and even unsafe experiences. Furthermore, while the stereotype of burgeoning sexualities and fumbling sexual experiences in college supposedly applies to everyone, the fact remains that there are still societal lines drawn between what is and isn’t taboo to talk about openly. That is, there is still a distinct lack of attention, both in an educational sense, but also in a social sense, given to LGBTQ+ individuals
and their experiences with discovering the ever-present stigma surrounding LGBTQ+ spectrum of sexuality as it applies to them. sex and sexuality, paired with a lack of Where cisgender, heterosexual normalized, comprehensive education in individuals are given better access to middle and high school, means that we still information, more resources, and more have a long way to go. understanding, LGBTQ+ individuals face Sitting in my eighth-grade sex-ed class, I the stigma of their own identities before never imagined that a world existed outside they can even move toward looking for of awkward condom-covered bananas, information and education. This divide basic human reproductive anatomy and may not be as intentional today, but the possibility of heterosexual sex, perhaps internalized heteronormativity and the resulting in gonorrhea. Comprehensive dregs of homophobia contribute to a whole sexual education is important for everyone community receiving little to no help in — this much is true. It’s especially discovering sex and sexuality. important, however, for people whose LGBTQ+ individuals also face a identities are stigmatized in a way that disproportionate amount of fear mongering denies them recognition of their sexuality, regarding HIV and STIs within the let alone any access to resources and community. According to the CDC, gay information. and bisexual men, as well as transgender women — particularly those of color — Editor’’s note: Aditi Dholakia is the opinion are at a higher risk of being infected with editor for Technician. HIV/AIDS than any other community. A contributing factor to this is a distinct lack of education regarding safe sex and recognizing symptoms of HIV/AIDS and other STIs within the LGBTQ+ community, which stems from deeply ingrained homophobia, racism The and Sentinel classism.of the African -American The GLBT Center atCommunity NC State does offer State Since 1992. at N.C. a number of resources that are helpful in having a safe, enjoyable experience Anahzsa Jones with sex Keilah Davis from start to finish.Editor-in-Chief Supplies like condoms, Managing editor lube, dental dams and informational brochures are available at the center. The center also partners with Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina to offer free, confidential HIV and STI testing every month of the academic year. In an emergency, Student Only the permission Health Services alsowith provide confidentialof our elders do we proudly produce each edition of the Nubian Message: HIV and STI testing by appointment, Yosef ben-Yochannan, although its Dr. service is not free. Dr. John Henrik Clark, Dr. Leonard Jeffries, The Black Panther Party, Mumia A. Jamal, Geronimo Pratt, Tony Williamson, While these resources are more Dr. Lawrence Clark, Dr. Augustus McIver Witherspoon, Dr. Wandra P. Hill, comprehensive and accessible than many Mr. Kyran Anderson, Dr.the Lathan Turner, Dr. M. Iyailu Moses, Dokta Toni Thorpe surrounding communities, reality of an and all those who accompany us as we are still on the journey to true consciousness.
