Since when did knowing one’s gender get so … difficult?

I don’t know. I just looked down my pants. If I had external plumbing, I was a boy, if not, I was a girl.

Easy.

I wanted to comment on the nature of education, and the education system, which we can hope and assume is to educate people.

As a parent and a teacher can I hope and assume you are young?

Students are informed that some “grocery store” lubricants are safe to use: grape jelly, maple syrup, and honey,

Hell-O, yeast infection. They’re so into making sex “cool” they don’t even bother to give out safe health information. Or maybe they’re just trying to make heterosexual intercourse unpleasant. *shudder*

LaToya–it’s not the job of you or anyone else to teach my minor children how to have deviant sex. They can learn it from the Internet when they’re 18, like I did.

I have observed pre-teens and teenagers as I teach, and they are immature about the subject of sex because they have not been educated about it. Here, in Baltimore the school cannot fund much more than State Exam tested subjects (Reading, Writing, Math, History) Most of their reference comes from the distorted images they seen represented in the media, and subsequently reflected in their communiities.

With that said: What about all the young women who become pregnant?
Almost 750,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 become pregnant each year. Yet the teenage pregnancy rate is at is lowest level in 30 years down by 36%. Interestingly, it has been on the decline since the 1980′s when the AIDS epidemic was beginning its rage. “Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report calling for comprehensive AIDS and sexuality education in public schools, beginning as early as the third grade. “There is now no doubt that we need sex education in schools and that it [should] include information on heterosexual and homosexual relationships,” Koop wrote in his report. “The need is critical and the price of neglect is high.” ” (http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/12_04/sexhisto.shtml)
COMPREHENSIVE Sex Education, in part acheived the decline.

What about the est. 5,000 gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/gender queer/trans gender youth who commit suicide, and the est. 500,000 who attempt suicide every year?
Suicide being the second most frequent cause of death of youth between the ages of 15-24. These youth often see no representation of themselves outside of the media just like most teens. Yet glbtq youth have the extra impact of society’s intolerance, and hatred towards them, and sub standard education about their sexuality.

“(Does that apply to those who prefer bestiality or pedophilia? Just wondering …) What’s needed, then, is “tolerance” which the curriculum says is “the ability to accept others’ differences and allow them to be who they are without expressing disapproval.” Does the same logic apply to other abnormal or harmful behaviors? Do we say, “Oh, so you’re an alcoholic — good for you!” Or, “Tendencies toward kleptomania? Well, don’t let me stand in your way!”? I think not.

You have just equated non-hetersexual teenagers, who’ve done nothing wrong, with child predators, animal abusers, theives, and alcoholics. Which makes it appear that hate them, and don’t care abut them, and they get that message loud and clear.

Sex and sexuality is everywhere. It is apart of our lives as humans. It is one of the many driving forces of our continued civilization on this earth. On the negative side, sex and sexuality sells cars, and clothes, and well, lots of things. What looks “sexy”and “sexualized” is glorified. As you mentioned, more teens are having sex now than ever, but with a comprehensive education they have the knowledge and choice to abstain, or use contraceptives, as well as what to do if their partner is too persistant and a wealth of other information.Sex and sexuality can not be ignored in our society and everyone will experience abstract and one sided messages on what it is and what it involves in today’s world.
I am not a parent, but I am the oldest of several siblings from a large extended family and I am also a teacher (not sex ed.) I truly believe the responsible parent who wants to prepare a child to become a well rounded, educated adult will support comprehensive sexual ed( and education in general) and backs it up with communication and learning from within the family.

Welcome to Driver’s Ed.
You can drive on the right side of the road,
and most drivers do,
but if you feel an urge
to drive on the left side
of the road, or down the center line.
Don’t feel ashamed, that’s OK!
Experiment and see where you like to drive.
At many intersections are red octagons that read “STOP”. Should you desire, you may stop.
Or not.
It’s your decision. There is nothing wrong with either choice.

- If Driver’s Ed. was taught with the same ‘value- neutrality” as Sex Ed.

I read the idea long ago on an Iowan’s blog- sorry I don’t have the original,it is much better but you get the drift.