Sex Education in Utah
Most of the sex education in Utah is fear-based. Typically sex education is directed to teens and covers everything that can go wrong. Of course, there are realities about like Sexually Transmitted Infections and Diseases (STI’s) and unintended pregnancies that need to be addressed, but the real problem is when fear becomes the focus and emphasis of sex education. Utah’s sex education is missing the conversation on consent, pleasure, and happiness.
Sex education is adolescent based
Unfortunately sex education becomes a topic for discussion only when parents, schools, and churches don’t want adolescents to be having sex. Sex education in schools for example is purely reproductive based and sex educators are not “allowed” to talk about the clitoris because it is not a reproductive organ. Skipping education on the clitoris increases the pleasure gap. Proper education on the clitoris is the pathway to mutual pleasure. The not-so-subtle message conveyed through sex education in Utah is that sex is dirty, bad, and scary. There is so much secrecy and forceful hushing around sex that it actually increases confusion and awkwardness around sex.
Fear-based sex education has dire consequences
Shame also accompanies fear-based sex education. Shame and fear based sex education has the opposite intended affect. Communities that teach sex around fear and shame have increased unintended/unwanted pregnancies, STIs, sexual coercion and assaults, and depression. The Utah Health Department states that “1 out of 4 girls will get pregnant at least once before the age of 20.” Teenagers that become pregnant are more likely to live in poverty, increasing susceptibility to domestic and environmental abuse. Pregnant teens are less likely to receive prenatal care and never graduate highschool.
Our Whole Lives
There are alternatives to sex education programs. OWL, or Our Whole Lives, teaches schools, youth groups, churches, home-schoolers, colleges and correctional facilities about relationships, sexual health, and behavior. Owls mission:
Is to dismantle stereotypes and assumptions, build self-acceptance and self-esteem, fosters healthy relationships, improves decision making, and has the potential to save lives... Our Whole Lives (OWL), a comprehensive, lifespan sexuality education curriculum. Interactive workshops and activities engage participants, while step-by-step instructions for program planners and facilitators help ensure success. The program is value-centric, provides accurate, developmentally appropriate information about a range of topics, including relationships, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, sexual health, and cultural influences on sexuality.
OWL offers comprehensive training for those who would like to be facilitators. Stepping up how sexual education is conducted is a win-win for everybody. We have the power to redirect our culture back to the basics of sex for a healthier, happier society.