No Glove, No Love!

In light of the recent news story where a Washington state elementary school principal allegedly talked to a group of 11 year old kids about anal and oral sex, I thought it might be a good idea to raise a question: Why the hell not? It's rare that teachers even allude to that stuff in their mandatory sexual education classes, so why not? 

When I was in 8th grade and I had to take the incredibly embarrassing and oh-so-dreaded sexual education class as part of my P.E. grade. I hated it. Every year there was a slide show where they showed you all the stuff you could catch from bumping uglies with other kids. Luckily, I had a case of strep throat when the day finally came so I was excused from the trauma. However, while my peers were discussing STDs, I had no idea what was going on. 

Sexually transmitted diseases and infections usually fluctuate in terms of how many people contract them. Infections like the human papillomavirus, or HPV, occur in almost 50% of women aged 20-24. That being said, it's safe to assume that 50% of women are having unprotected sex. But why? If I handed you a piece of rubber and said "This will protect you from getting diseases that make your junk swell up, itch and/or fall off," wouldn't you take it? Wouldn't you thank me for saving you from a fate worse than death? What if I told you that the rubber could also protect you from a dangerous virus that could potentially cause you to get rare cancers? Wouldn't you thank me for saving your life? Because, honestly, that's what it boils down to. 

He's cute, okay?

In the United States, a lot of members of the GOP and Bible-Belt enthusiasts would prefer that the word "condom" never be used. In fact, the word "sex" should never be said. It should be more of something like a myth; a mysterious beast that you discover once-upon-a-drunken-night in college and have no idea what you're doing. Abstinence-only sex education is running rampant. That's what I was taught and that is what continues to be taught. It's not enough. There are more teen pregnancies in the southeast than anywhere else in the united states. It could all be prevented with a single piece of shaped rubber and a 3 minute conversation. 

What about all the LGBT youth? No one ever talks to the lonely gay kid in the corner about how important it is for him to use protection. No one will ever mention to the lesbian that she should consider protection. Why would they? Girls can't give other girls diseases, right? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. You're wrong. It's rare, but it happens. That's why it is crucial for these kids to be taught the importance of guarding themselves against disease.

While I don't approve of the way the principal of Onalaska Elementary went about teaching these kids, I'm glad he did. Someone needs to. The mind-set of abstinence only sex education is a joke. It just doesn't work that way. Sure, maybe it would be nice to assume that everyone is "saving themselves" for that one person they plan on spending their life with. That is a Utopian view and it's crap. 

"Act up: fight AIDS!"

In the perfect world, there wouldn't be HIV/AIDS-there wouldn't be millions of people suffering and dying from the complications that arise from HIV/AIDS. It is ignorant for some of these parents (that are basically lynching this principal) to assume that their kids are safe from disease. To sit back and think to yourself, "You know what? My Billy would never have sex until marriage. I don't need to teach him about condoms. Psh. Gay sex? Not my boy!" is ignorant. That makes you dangerous. It is that kind of blatant disregard for human life that makes the AIDS epidemic just that: an epidemic. 

Most of us reading this are old enough to make our own choices when it comes to sex, but I encourage you to get tested on a regular basis. I cannot begin to emphasize that enough. Get tested and protect yourselves. Don't like the way the condoms feel? Experiment with a different brand or type. Find something that you do enjoy and stick with it. You'll be doing yourself and everyone else a favor.