Let's Talk About Sex
And consent, and power, and democracy, and...
Attacks on voting rights got you down? Tired of feeling like you can’t make a difference on a federal level? Have you considered focusing on… sex ed???
Wait, hear us out! We talked to Jaclyn Friedman and Jenny Steadman from EducateUS this week and it turns out that comprehensive sex education has the power to change everything about our culture and our politics. There’s a reason that authoritarian governments crack down on sex ed.
“Authoritarianism cannot exist when we have comprehensive sex education because they need to control sex, gender, and reproduction in order for their project to succeed. And part of that is keeping us ignorant and keeping us isolated.
Sex education works against all of that. It is a fundamental plank of democracy.” (Jaclyn Friedman, Founder and Director of EducateUS)
It’s not just about sex — in fact, in the younger grades, it’s not about sex at all. Jaclyn encouraged us to imagine what our government would look like if every man in power was taught about consent and how to handle rejection from a young age. That’s just one sex ed lesson that could change our country.
It’s also wildly popular, across all demographics and political parties. Not only do 75% of all Americans want sex ed in schools, that number remains at 72% even when they’re specifically told that would include education about and for transgender students.
Extremist politicians and pundits want us to believe this is a divisive issue, but it’s simply not.
If you’re not already a believer based on all of that, sex education is also an issue where you can make a serious difference in your community. A simple conversation with one of your school board members can have a huge impact. And EducateUS is making it even simpler by offering to reach out to your school board members for you! All you have to do is fill out this form.
We’re not ignoring the crisis of voting rights in this country. In fact, we’re straight-up losing our shit over it! Red Wine & Blue is hosting a social banking event tomorrow to raise awareness on the issue and we’re encouraging readers to urge Congress to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. You can also watch our recent virtual event with Janai Nelson, who argued the Louisiana vs. Callais case in front of the Supreme Court, where she explained to us what happened and what comes next.
But all of these issues are intertwined: civil rights, democracy, consent, and protecting women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. If you feel overwhelmed by all the bad news (and who isn’t?), it can help to turn your focus to an issue where you can really change things on a local level.
The truth is, most Americans actually agree on so many things. We want free elections with fair representation. We want sex education that empowers students in ways that go far beyond sex. We can bust through the “culture wars” if we listen more to one another and less to the people who are profiting from our division.
We really enjoyed talking to Jaclyn and Jenny this week on “How To Not Lose Your Sh!t”! You can listen to it here and if you need more resources to help you talk about sex ed with the people in your life, the EducateUS website has tons of free resources.
Happy Sex Ed For All Month!