Gay Teens Ignored or Misled Through Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

Conservatives across the nation are atwitter because of a new study that indicates reworked abstinence-only programs can delay the onset of teen sex by (hold on to your pants) a year or two! This has been the latest research to contribute to the confusing song of sex-ed dueling banjos. Opposing sides have been sparring for decades about the best way to decrease pregnancy and STDs and both contenders have statistics and scientists to back up their claims.

In all of these conversations, there is almost always one variable missing in the equation of effective sexual education: our young, gay brothers and sisters.

Sexual education curriculum generally falls under several categories, the most conservative being abstinence-only until marriage. Under this ideology, contraception is rarely taught and commands that young people should be as chaste and pure as the clean-driven snow until their wedding night. As obvious as it might seem to you and me, it's pretty apparent that it slipped the minds of conservative sex educators that some youth are not allowed to get married. For adolescent gays, these sex-ed classes aren't only a complete waste of time but a tacit acknowledgment that gay relationships aren't valid or acceptable.

In case gay teens had any question about how they should feel about their sexual orientation, the ACLU reports "The leading abstinence-only curricula found that most address same-sex behavior only within the context of promiscuity and disease."  In fact, some curricula goes as far as to say that HIV and AIDS are simply the results of the (sinful and dirty!) homosexual "lifestyle." Other horror stories include abstinence-only programs which say that condoms are pretty much ineffective and that if you start having sex young enough that you will, no matter the circumstances, get an STD.

Perhaps the more chilling effect of abstinence-only education isn't tangible and can't be laid out in statistics. Abstinence-only education cultivates an attitude of shame concerning sex, especially so for gay teens who already have to deal with their fair share of self-doubt. People fear that telling kids the truth about sex and protection will only encourage fornication, so they close the door on it altogether, throw away the key and yell out "Abstinence!" anytime a student knocks. If our sex educators are this close-mouthed about heterosexual relationships, it's highly likely they wouldn't touch young gay relationships with a ten-foot pole.

Comprehensive sex-ed, which covers same-sex relationships as well as contraception use, isn't perfect. But it provides something far more powerful. It acknowledges that there is sex going on and sometimes it's between people of the same gender. With an environment of realism and openness, our already challenged gay youngsters at least have the knowledge that they aren't freaks of nature. With this in mind, they might even have the courage to ask a friend or mentor about safe-sex practices, sexual identity, and sexual self-esteem.

As much as conservatives decry any sort of education pertaining to homosexuality, we're talking about children here, who depend on adults to keep them safe. Who wouldn't want every child, gay or not, to be able to protect themselves from potential disease and even death? It's imperative that gay activists look out for the next generation and fight against abstinence-only programming in public schools. Gay kids need someone to fight for their health and we have to be the ones to do it.

Photo credit: victoriapeckham