Intimate moments in hugely public spaces are divine. Image via obama blackfolk.
In my San Francisco Chronicle column this week, I basically write an open letter to Barack and Michelle Obama (and the nation) about the urgency of saving our kids from thr perils of current sex ed programs, and tell them exactly how to do it. As a side note, there are just too damn many insanely sexy pictures of Barack and Michelle to choose just one for this post — also see this kiss, this one and this one. Gawd, they look too healthy and lovingly-coupled to be in American politics. Then, dig into Obama’s national sex ed program: Violet Blue lays the groundwork for the candidate to save our kids from the evils of sex ed, once and for all, snips:
Let’s just get this part of the discussion out of the way: I’m not even going to pretend that John McCain has a broken condom of a chance at a term in the Oval Office. Barack Obama is going to be our next president, and our next first lady is going to be the coolest grand dame in United States history. The first couple, incidentally, is going to burn up the presidential bed.
OK, the Obamas are a hot and cool couple, and they seem to be more in touch with the real world outside of D.C. than any presidential couple to hit the White House sheets. But Barack’s going to have to don a hazmat suit and a full-body condom to even begin to clean up the mess he’s inheriting. Iraq, for starters. But let’s not forget about the children, shall we? You know, the ones getting pregnant and contracting STDs at jaw-dropping rates and at younger ages than previous generations in spite of … perhaps, even because of federally funded (read: “state strong-armed”) abstinence education. In which “education” should always be in quotes.
(…) The Obamas represent change that most of us are hungry for, and in some cases, desperate for. So, here’s how Barack can put an end to the war on public school sex education and the sharing of accurate sex information to people of all ages:
1. Kill the abstinence programs. Period. Think of them as creationism in schools: optional to include in curricula but privately funded only. Fire the FUCK* out of anyone with a religious agenda in a position of power in relation to public health. We are a nation of many faiths — most of which are not being served with this nonsense.
2. My best friend’s daughter is 5, and brags that she has a boyfriend. Craft programs that are age appropriate so kids understand what they’re doing every step of the way. Take a cue from England, where the Sex and Relationship Education program centers on “All About Us: Living and Growing” videos for 5-7-year-olds, 7-9-year-olds and 9-11-year-olds, with workbooks about healthy sexual relationships for kids (and adults) with learning disabilities.
3. Require all sex ed programs to include practical information about reproduction (including a woman’s right to choose and male responsibilities of parenthood), contraception, STDs and STIs, sexual pleasure, masturbation, consent, homosexuality, sexual tolerance, and gender identity. Kids are dealing with all this stuff; adults need to stop lying to themselves and have honest discourse with kids about it.
4. Set aside federal funding for a teen sex ed counselor to be on school staff at all times, exclusively for hotline-style accurate sex information, and completely confidential. Our kids’ health and futures depend on it. Require that they are tech- and Internet-savvy. (…) (…read more!)
* I re-added my own expletive for this post. Can you even begin to imagine the shit I’m going to get for putting this in one of the top, notoriously conservative mainstream media news outlets in the country? That’s cool. Everyone knows I’m a vaguely evil sex educator now; my TRUE vile mission is stated above. The haters can bring it, but they’re gonna have to fluff it like they’re siphoning gas from grandpa’s tractor with a pencil-peen straw, because everything bad that could be said about me is about three weeks old and oughta be sent to the Old Troll’s Home. :D
Quick update: (Is there anything like a five-second rule with hitting ‘publish’?) Anyway, a friend just sent me this relevant and exciting link to the *do not miss* Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act.
Update 07.24, 4:30pm: It’s really fantastic to see this column end up on sites like this. What’s more, both I and the Chronicle have been asked, and have given reprint permission for the column to be run in the award-winning United Nations Foundation online publication covering global sexual and reproductive health and rights news and information — RH Reality Check. YAY!
Update 07.25: How to Fix Sex Ed in America (it’s me in there!).
Update 07.26: Medical News Today: Obama Should ‘End War’ On Sex Education, Sharing Of Accurate Sex Information; The American Prospect: Smarter Sex Ed.
wow, wow, wow — so many great comments, thank you! I’m especially thrilled to see Moira Carmody here! I’m a big, big fan of the work you’re doing! okay, now some parsing:
@ tad – I’m a columnist/reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle whose work is published on the Chron’s official website, which, confusingly is not named/URL’d something obvious like sfchronicle. I am one of several online-only columnists and reporters for the SF Chronicle, and that when I have pieces that fit into the print strategy (like movie coverage for Datebook), I get them in print as well. I have what a lot of columnists/reporters see as an ideal situation at the Chron, in that I am not constrained by the limitations of print, such as length (print columns are typically around 25 inches, about 500 words) or a tech (links! URL citations!) perspective.
@ madmike + LibertyVini – I agree that having the Feds run this could be a disaster (such a great track record with abstinence-only, eh?), but they’re doing it now and it’s doing way, way more harm than good and I think it’s damaging future generations in ways we are only beginning to comprehend.
@ JW – I’m glad you pointed out the title of the column and my blog post here. the front page style of the SFGate has changed recently so that readers no longer see the full title of the subhead I include with my article titles; the subhead supports the statement (or explains) the limited-character title I’m afforded. btw, with the new front page style, invisible editors change my front page title and subhead all on their own, and sometimes mangle it so effectively that their title/sub doesn’t actually say what my column is about, and it looks like a different topic altogether — then I wake up, see the front page and start writing emails going “hey the who the what OMFG change it!” often, it’s fine and they do a good job. as for the title of this blog post, you’re right — I should have also included the subhead to my piece which explains that it’s the groundwork for a structured plan I want/hope/dream Obama would put in motion. but, it’s also cynical, as I know no politician in the Oval Office would ever talk frankly and honestly about sex education. just look at what happened to Dr. Jocelyn Elders.
As far as I know, there is no federal ban on non-abstinence sex ed, which would likely be unconstitutional. The federal government just gives money to abstinence programs. Many states don’t take this money and do their own types of programs.
I’m not sure that the federal government could make any kind of absolute requirements on sex ed curriculum, the best it could do is offer funding for those that meet certain standards. In any case, Congress would have to do this.
To madmike.
One of the jobs laid out in the Constitution is to “tax and spend for the general welfare,” which is where sex ed comes in. Also, Obama a Marxist? You obviously don’t have any idea what Marxism is if you think that.
To VB.
I don’t know if you wrote the article title or if the Chronicle did, but I think its a bit misleading to say its “Obama’s” program when you’re merely advocating that he adopt it.
I do like the hotline idea, though. That seems like it could do a lot of good because anyone could use it, no matter what that state’s sex ed curriculum was.
I hate to say this, but anything would be better than what we have now.
Still, the Federal Government can’t do a single thing right, so how about evicting the awful federal programs and returning the issue to the states, the school districts, and the parents and kids?
Even the sex ed we got in Catholic grade school was more useful than the disaster the Feds have inflicted the schools with. And at least with local responsibility for curriculum there is a snowball’s chance that it would be delivered in a way that is if not 100% morally, culturally, and religiously appropriate, at least as neutral as possible.
What’s the rationale for believing Obama or anyone else can address the sexual education needs of 75-odd million kids?
The best way to protect kids from poor sex ed classes is… don’t teach them in school. The schools can’t even manage to turn out kids who can speak the language properly. And the Government has no right to decide when and what to teach children about sex. I don’t have any objections to good information on sex being available (I think sites like this one are a great resource) but the public schools will make an absolute mess out of this (just like they have with the rest of what they teach). The Federal Government has very few jobs laid out for it (they’re all listed in the Constitution) I don’t remember sex ed being one of them. BTW, Obama would make a horrifyingly unskilled President who’s policies reek of Marxism.
While I’m not impartial (I prefer lower taxes to higher), I’m also nowhere near you in terms of waxing rhapsodic for either candidate or party. Given that, and with as unbiased eye as eye as I can muster, Cindy McCain is actually more attractive, and significantly less polarizing.
Ummm….
DOH!
http://www.realliferealtalk.org
Hi Violet – thanks so much for mentioning my work from down here(!) in Australia in your latest article on sex ed. My work is not just about this but about how to encourage young women and men of diverse sexualities how they can have ethical pleasurable and consensual sex of any type. If you or anyone else is itnerested please check out the project website which so not like yours but not bad for an academic! Sexual ethics http://www.sexualethics.org.au – my latest book and the sexual ethics programme will be published in December this year which may help the fight for a more sex positive sexuality and violence prevention approach in the US
AWESOME post.
(When the HELL do you SLEEP? Then again, I should talk. averaging 4 a night. Jeez.)
An org trying to make a difference:
http://www.realliferealtalk..org
xo
M.
Violet Blue for U.S. Secretary of Sex Education! Seriously. It’s sorely needed.
ms. blue, i’m wondering: are you a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle or a columnist for sfgate.com? if you work for the Chronicle, how come they don’t run your great (and educational) articles in the print version? thanks for the clarification.
Oh. My. God.
I wish there was someone as open as you are in my area.
I’m a teacher in Indiana and this is a HOT subject!
Even in my classes teaching abstinence vs. smart/safe sex was a big discussion.
I think that teaching abstinence does no good with kids! And I’ve had third graders using words like “sexy” in reference to people without their knowing it’s meaning! I say it’s time to educate kids before society gets to them and we shouldn’t be afraid to answer their “akward” questions!!
Yay for your article…and maybe Obama is exactly what we need to jet things in the right direction.
btw, this article kicks complete ass. mostly concise, always clear, and directly to the point. you could
expand the “ask kids what they need” well outside of sex-ed as well. you may not follow what they think,
but it gives an excellent insight into what they already know.
but alas, any such program will still be saddled and nonconsensually pony-whipped by standardized testing
for the lowest bar anywhere. all these constitutional constructionists and states’ righters happily ignore
the clause stating that education is reserved for the states.
completely unrelated, but identi.ca is not having the problems twitter is, and it’s
free software and an open service…
Amen.
I would venture to say that teachers need some training. Serious. Training. I think it takes some skills to facilitate these discussions without feeling squirmy and weird. Oh! How about actually putting money back into health classes and training teachers who are actually health teachers? So sex ed isn’t just pawned off on coaches and science teachers. And! Condoms and STD testing at school sites.
ok. done.