Community Organizing for Sexuality Education Leslie M. Kantor SIECUS New York, New York Proponents of comprehensive sexuality education need to rely on community organizing strategies that mobilize large numbers of mainstream and progressive citizens to counter the misinformation campaigns of the Far Right. Since the mid-80s, the Far Right has shifted from its insistence that sexuality education remain in the family's domain to the position that abstinence should be the only sexuality education topic taught in the public schools. The Right is pushing programs that promote stereotyped views of the way people should live. These fear-based education programs are inappropriate and damaging, distorting medical information, displaying sexist, homophobic and racist biases and relying on fear and shame to promote abstinence. This new strategy has created the need for strong community organizing that can counter the push for fear-based programs and can provide support for comprehensive sexuality education. Successful Strategies for Supporting Comprehensive Sexuality Education 1. Understand and Articulate the Significance of Sexuality Education The problems associated with a lack of education and skills for maintaining sexual health are well knownepidemics of sexually transmitted diseases, escalating HIV infection, teen pregnancy, infertility. Yet SIECUS estimates that fewer than 10% of students in the U.S. currently receive comprehensive sexuality education. However, sexual health is also much more than simply avoiding disastrous outcomes. Comprehensive sexuality education provides opportunities for students to learn critical health information, develop a positive sense of self-worth and an understanding of their own development. It can create a forum for discussing gender roles, be a course of study that develops critical thinking and decision-making skills, and be a place to learn about family roles and responsibilities. Many adults think back on the minimal sexuality education they received and assume sexuality education classes to be unhelpful or unimportant. By educating the community about the broad range of topics covered by comprehensive sexuality education and the effectiveness of approaches that combine information with skills-building, people will see that fighting for this type of program is essential. 2. Make Connections Among the Issues to Build Diverse Coalitions Another strategy for building widespread support for sexuality education is illustrating the connections between sexuality education and other critical issues, such as self-esteem, HIV/AIDS, women's equality, gay and lesbian civil rights, reproductive rights, maintaining health through preventative measures, etc. Ideally, sexuality education provides opportunities for students to learn tolerance, build awareness of differences, and come to respect all people's values, priorities and needs. Sexuality education is much more than what we do with our body partsit addresses who we are as people and how we will relate to one another. All groups fighting for justice and fairness can recognize how lessons that build interpersonal skills will aid their goals. While widespread Far Right attacks on public education are disruptive, they also provide an opportunity for unlikely allies to come together. Groups concerned with poverty may come to the table over sexuality education if sexuality education proponents will continue to sit at the table when Head Start, school breakfast and school lunch programs come under fire. Mainstream Republican groups are very concerned about the Far Right takeover of the Republican party and may be willing to join local coalitions addressing these issues. Coalitions may already exist around the issues of AIDS, teen pregnancy and gay and lesbian rights. These coalitions can offer support, members, meeting space, and suggestions of allies to contact. Youth-serving organizations such as the YMCA and YWCA, Girl's, Incorporated, and local recreation and parks departments are important potential coalition members. Reproductive rights organizations such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood are logical members of any coalition to support comprehensive sexuality education. Contact the Junior League, the League of Women Voters, and other political and civic groups. Don't forget to approach religious leaders in the community. Many religious people in this country do not agree with the politics or the positions of the Far Right! Mainstream Protestant ministers and reform rabbis are good candidates for coalition membership. Students are also important members of this coalitionstudents are powerful voices for their own needs. 3. Develop Public Awareness About Sexuality Education Controversies A lack of awareness about issues surrounding sexuality education leads to the lack of public support at school board meetings. It ensures that few volunteers will volunteer to sit on advisory committees that will revise and recommend curricula, and allows those who promote fear-based educational approaches to implement their agenda largely unchecked. Here are some ways to create awareness: Meet with the editorial board of the local newspaper and encourage them to run editorials and feature articles on the issue. Write letters to the editor about the current controversy. Set up tables at malls or other busy areas and distribute information about these issues. Place flyers in grocery stores, libraries, day care centers, schools and restaurants that encourage people to get involved. Hold an educational forum to discuss current sexuality education programs, any proposed changes to the programs, what the facts show about effective sexuality education, and the shortcomings of fear-based approaches. At the local level, the perception of teachers, school administrators and school board members is greatly influenced by Far Right community groups who seek to weaken existing programs or replace them with fear-based programs. Supporters of comprehensive programs have often been less likely to make their feelings known. Many people are not aware that a controversy over sexuality education is taking place in their community. People may not appreciate the significance of the sexuality education battle. Especially in areas which devote few hours to family life education, people may not feel compelled to defend such a short school program. People may not realize that the same people attacking sexuality education are usually the same people who oppose teaching reading through whole language methods, school breakfast and school lunch programs, self-esteem education and outcome-based education. These Far Right activists also desire reinstituting school prayer, teaching creationism alongside evolution, and implementing school voucher programs. 4. Investigate the Current Structure for Recommending and Approving Sexuality Education Curricula and Get Involved Most communities have some type of community advisory committee responsible for periodically reviewing sexuality education materials. During a controversy, this type of committee is often charged with looking at the current program, investigating alternative programs, and making recommendations to school administrators or to the school board. The committee is typically made up of teachers, school administrators, parents, local religious leaders, and medical professionals. One tactic of the Far Right is to ensure that they are well represented on this committee. Schools are often in a dilemma when only Far Right parents come forward to serve on these committeesmainstream and progressive parents do not always offer to put in the time and effort needed to serve. Encourage supporters of comprehensive sexuality education to find out who chairs the committee and let them know that they are available if and when new members are needed. 5. Educate the School Board about Sexuality Education Local school boards often make the final decision about which sexuality education program will be used in the district's schools. Although school boards are charged with creating policy, not deciding curricula, the charged atmosphere surrounding sexuality education has led to more and more decisions being made at the school board level. School board members may have little prior knowledge about sexuality education. Knowing the position of board members on this issue and working to bolster the position of those who favor a comprehensive approach and educating those who have yet to form an opinion, are critical tasks. Share the literature on effective sexuality education programs and help board members to understand the difference between peer reviewed, scientific literature and pieces developed by national Far Right political groups. On boards which have majority support for fear-based education, bring political pressure to bear on board members by having supporters of comprehensive approaches write letters, testify at school board meetings, and promise to vote against them in the next election if they don't support a comprehensive approach. 6. Support Teachers and Offer Strategies for Promoting their Programs Teachers often become the target of attacks by the Far Right. Teachers who have taught for many years and received praise and recognition for their efforts are often unprepared when they become the target of virulent distortion campaigns. Teachers can be better prepared to deal with potential controversy if they take steps to keep track of parents and students who have benefited from their programs. Keeping a simple phone list of parents and students who have enjoyed the program and might be willing to write letters of support or testify at meetings is a good idea for teachers. Also, invite teachers to join coalitions. The coalition can be a source of strength and support should the teacher ever encounter problems. 7. Develop a Visible Campaign in Support of Comprehensive Sexuality Education In Hemet, CA, a parents group began sporting navy ribbons to show support for comprehensive sexuality education. Many strategies exist to make sexuality education a visible issue and create community awareness. Bumper stickers, flyers and buttons proclaiming "Just Say Know" or "Ignorance Kills" can help educate the community about the issues surrounding sexuality education. These campaigns can take place proactively as well as in response to controversy. 8. Know the Opposition Local opponents of comprehensive sexuality education often receive funding and materials from national organizations such as Citizens for Excellence in Education and the Christian Coalition. Watch for names like "Citizens for Educational Accountability" or "Parents for Excellence in Education." Confront local groups with the positions and statements of national leaders and ask them to defend the national groups. Most local communities do not appreciate being targeted by national organizations and will react negatively to local groups' associations with national Far Right groups. Become familiar with Far Right arguments related to sexuality. Whenever possible, get on the mailing list of Far Right organizations to keep abreast of new materials and tactics. SIECUS is available to offer consultation, technical assistance, written materials and contact people to community members who are involved with controversies over sexuality education. Technical assistance may be obtained by calling or writing to SIECUS. In addition, SIECUS publishes a Community Action Kit which includes a range of materials designed to educate people about the content of comprehensive sexuality education, public support for a comprehensive approach, how to community organize to support comprehensive sexuality education, and the shortcomings of fear-based education. Action Kits are available for $29.95 from the SIECUS Publications Department, 130 West 42nd Street, #2500, New York, NY 10036. u Sexuality Education Talking Points Leslie M. Kantor SIECUS New York, New York Here are some key points about sexuality education from the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S I n national polls, over 85% of adults support teaching sexuality education in schools. Majority support exists for teaching a comprehensive approach including subjects which are sometimes viewed as controversial such as contraception, sexual orientation, abortion, and masturbation. Forty-seven states either mandate or recommend sexuality education. However, SIECUS estimates that fewer than 10% of youth in the U.S. receive comprehensive sexuality education. Studies published in scientific, peer-reviewed journals have shown that skills-based sexuality education helps students to postpone sexual intercourse and helps those students who do engage in intercourse to use contraception consistently and correctly. There is no evidence that sexuality education increases the likelihood that someone will engage in intercourse. Comprehensive sexuality education encompasses 36 topics which are introduced in an age-appropriate manner. These topics include body image, family roles, gender, parenting skills, anatomy, physiology, sexual behavior, prevention of pregnancy, STDs, and AIDS, decision-making, communication skills and refusal skills. The goal of comprehensive sexuality education is the development of sexually healthy adults. Abstinence is an important component of any comprehensive sexuality education program. Comprehensive programs enforce abstinence through teaching skills such as refusal, communication, and decision-making which will help students to maintain abstinence. So-called "abstinence-only" programs substitute slogans for effective skills-based strategies. Adolescents explore their sexuality as a natural part of their development. Effective education must begin in the earliest grades to ensure a strong foundation for the subsequent introduction of more complex concepts later on. The same is true for any academic subject-students begin studying addition and subtraction in the lower grades before progressing to algebra in junior high and high school. The values that underlie comprehensive sexuality education include respect for individuals and their differences, respect for oneself, and the belief that students have a right to accurate information that will aid them in making responsible decisions. In a pluralistic society, it is critical that we respect all people's values when it comes to the myriad issues related to sexuality. Fear-based education programs have not been evaluated using accurate research methodology. Fear-based programs are flawed because of their attempt to use fear and shame to promote abstinence, use of medical misinformation, inclusion of sexist, racist and classist stereotypes and lack of opportunity for skills development. Scare tactics have been shown to be ineffective in changing health behaviors.u 1 Interview with Carroll Albright, December 8, 1992. 2 Interview with Albright and Blalack, December 8, 1992. 3 Ibid. 4 Interview with Ted Crooks, successful candidate for La Mesa-Spring Valley school board, running with CRE endorsement, December 9, 1992. 5 Interviews conducted on December 8 and 9, 1992 with Ted Crooks, moderate slate member in La Mesa-Spring Valley; Bud Willis; Ada Reep, moderate slate member in Grossmont High School district; Ellen Yaffa, campaign manager in La Mesa-Spring Valley; Vern Sweigard, La Mesa-Spring Valley field worker coordinator, precinct and voter analyst; Jane Vorrath, La Mesa-Spring Valley, Classified Employees Union representative; Sharon Jones, moderate slate member in La Mesa-Spring Valley; Bob Arganbright, training consultant to La Mesa- Spring Valley moderate slate; Cathy Potter and Donna Masters, Lemon Grove Teachers Association. =================================================== How to Win: A Practical Guide for Defeating the Radical Right in Your Community Copyright 1994 by Radical Right Task Force Permission is granted to reproduce this publication in whole or in part. All other rights reserved. For more information contact: Pat Lewis National Jewish Democratic Council 711 Second Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 544-7636 =================================================== This document is from the Politics section of the WELL gopher server: gopher://gopher.well.com/11/Politics/ Questions and comments to: gopher@well.com .