What’s grinding your gears? Writer Julia Haskins has the answer to that question. In what, according to Haskins, is not at all a shameless rip-off of Family Guy, she will explore the unsettling and downright upsetting issues concerning civil rights, human rights and political correctness.
Currently Grinding My Gears: Demonizing sex education in light of real sexual assault and criminal activity
Sex education was one of the better times in my junior high/high school career. Get 20 immature teenagers in one classroom, give them some diagrams and videos of the miracle of birth and watch the fun begin. But according to District Attorney Scott Harold Southworth of Juneau County, Wis., in learning how to put a condom over a banana, I was really being exposed to pro-criminal and pro-sexual assault propaganda.
Enacted in March, “The Healthy Youth Act requires schools that teach sex education to do so in a responsible, comprehensive manner that includes information about abstinence and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy prevention strategies, such as birth control and condom use,” according to Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.
But Southworth won’t hear it. In a letter sent to several school districts, Southworth decried the law on the basis that it promotes sexual assault, turns students and teachers into criminals and condones “controversial” sexual behavior. But in labeling legal and appropriate teachings as unethical, we lose sight of what really constitutes sexual assault and sexually irresponsible behavior. Deeming responsible education wrong isn’t fair, especially when compared to actual cases of criminal activity and assault.
According to Southworth, the new law:
Promotes the sexual assault of children
It is illegal to engage in sexual intercourse with anyone under 18 in Wisconsin, so the instruction of sexual activity would therefore promote sexual activity, according to Southworth. But by this logic, SHAPE and EssentialNU would be condoning sexual assault in educating people about safe sex, as not everyone at Northwestern is 18. Anyone under 18 who wanted accurate information on safe, healthy sex would also be condoning sexual assault. This argument is especially out of touch considering that the average age of first intercourse is just under age 18.
The most absurd point of contention is Southworth’s comparison of sex education to advising against alcohol then teaching children how to mix drinks. No one is encouraging students to have sex by giving them important information they might not be able to get anywhere else. The mixed drink analogy also postulates that teaching safe sex means teaching good sex, like an issue of Cosmopolitan come to life. If anything, sexual education classes give sex many more consequences than endorsements.
Exposes our teachers to possible criminal liability
Teaching students how to avoid STIs, unwanted pregnancies and situations in which they could get themselves physically and emotionally hurt would technically be “Contributing to the Delinquency of Minors.” While it’s unfortunate enough that engaging in safe, consensual sex makes a minor a delinquent, the teachers could face jail time as well for just giving instruction, in some cases for as long as people who have been convicted of murder. People like Mary Kay Letourneau are the real sex offenders who deserve to be put in jail, not those whose job it is to talk about sex and are qualified to do so.
Amazingly, Southworth is hung up on the fact that the law requires instructions on the proper use of contraceptives, thereby completely advocating sexual behavior. It’s sad to think that he would put his own beliefs and “values” before the safety and well being of teenagers who, as the DA, he should be protecting. Most school systems acknowledge that if sex is going to happen, it ought to be taught right. Instead of worrying that teachers could somehow be engaging in illegal activity in their instruction, the law should be reexamined to protect sex education teachers and their students, many of whom are not 18 or older.
Requires school districts to condone controversial sexual behavior
Southworth acknowledges that instruction must not work against students of any sexual orientation or sexually active pupils (the latter of which completely destroys any real argument he has.) He claims to have respect for all students, but he is highly concerned by how under the new law, schools would most likely have to incorporate teachings on homosexual, transsexual and transgender sexual behavior. Deeming such discussion too “controversial,” Southworth would rather not discuss the issue at all. He pretends to protect the families of Juneau County when really his own religious and political biases keep him from supporting the law.
While it’s disturbing that he is unwilling to have students discuss the broad spectrum of sexuality, if such topics are too controversial for him, there isn’t much left to discuss that won’t potentially offend people. Topics like rape and sexual abuse are also controversial, but they are necessary in any comprehensive sex education. But with such an attitude toward the contentious, it’s unlikely that he would be open to such discussion.
Never mind that abstinence will be a component of this education or that not only parents, but schools as well, may opt out of sex education. By demonizing sex education, Southworth dismisses real sexual assault of children, criminal activity and controversial sexual behavior. Consider the case of the 7-year-old girl who was gang-raped at a party in Trenton, N.J. in March. She went to the party with her 15-year-old sister, who handed her money and told her to let the men at the party do whatever they wanted to her. This disgusting incident that will forever torment this young girl encapsulates all the themes that Southworth claims to be fighting against. Instead, he chooses to attack a system that provides a necessary service to teenagers.
Imagine if most Northwestern students had gone through high school without such vital knowledge. Part of the reason that students here are so open to the many sexual health resources available has to do with our backgrounds. Events like HomeCOMING and Sex Week aren’t shocking because we’ve grown up exposed to sex education. Without a solid foundation in high school, students have less of an idea of what they want from their sex lives and are more likely to make poor decisions.
We need to be able to talk about sex and crucial issues like assault and rape, not get offended by the sight of a condom. There is so much actual sexual evil in the world that harping on the sexual activity of responsible teenagers who are getting educated and making smart decisions is not only regressive, but dangerous.