When I was a junior in high school, a friend of mine asked me how he could do the dirty with a boy. Considering that I was not a gay male, I could not give him a straight answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan I use Crisco?\u201d he asked. \u201cYou know, for lube?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I replied, horrified. Even though the sex ed I received was subpar, I knew that any oil-based products would erode latex condoms. \u201cDon\u2019t ever do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he apologized, a little embarrassed. \u201cI was just never taught this, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time, I thought this exchange was funny. Looking back on it, now I feel as though it highlighted an important topic that typical sexuality curriculum has neglected to address: the existence of those who identify as LGBTQ+.<\/p>\n

According to a survey done by the Guttmacher Institute<\/a>, an organization that encourages inclusive health curriculum and STI\/STD prevention, the quality of sexuality education varies from place to place. Out of fifty states and one district, only nine states have any form of positive LGBTQ+ representation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>The state of California\u2019s education system, is LGBTQ+ inclusive and teaches life skills about healthy decision making.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a study <\/a>performed by Portland State University social workers L. Kris Gowen and Nichole Winges-Yanez, that while sexuality education has the power to inform youth and influence healthy decision making, it has done so from a heterocentric perspective.<\/span>\u00a0 Meaning, teaching the youth about how to have heterosexual relationships is exclusionary of individuals who do not identify as heterosexual.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the study, several focus groups consisting of LGBTQ+ youth from the state of Oregon were asked to described the quality of the sex ed they received. The students recounted that LGBTQ+ discourse had been practically nonexistent and that LGBTQ+ topics would be met with silence whenever the students would bring them up.<\/p>\n

Even though this study was done in the States, a similar attitude could be found on Guam. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy high school sexual education was inadequate,\u201d said Javan Santos, a sophomore at UOG who is openly gay. \u201cThere was nothing about gay sex or sexuality in the class I took.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Ashley*, another UOG sophomore, gay sex was a taboo topic in the class she had taken. When a student mentioned homosexuality in her class, a debate ensued.<\/span><\/p>\n

These themes of exclusivity and silence are harmful to LGBTQ+ youth. By not encouraging open communication and informed dialogue about sexuality, educators run the risk of leaving their students vulnerable to not only having unsafe sex, but also ridicule. According to Gowen and Winges-Yanez, positive representations of LGBTQ+ people and events in school curriculum are associated with a safer, more accepting social climate for LGBTQ+ youth.<\/p>\n

A more inclusive curriculum would involve allowing LGBTQ+ discourse in the classroom and lessons about anatomy and STI\/STD prevention. It could also include exploring the relationship aspect of sexual education, so that students would not only know how to practice safe sex, but know the difference between being in a healthy relationship versus an unhealthy one.<\/p>\n

Integrating these topics into middle and high school curricula could help cultivate an atmosphere of belonging for LGBTQ+ youth and could help combat the dysphoria students around that age may experience in those formative years. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thinking back to my days in high school, I think that if the sex ed we received was more inclusive, my friend would have never felt ashamed about asking me for help. And I would have never had to imagine him putting vegetable shortening where vegetable shortening should never be.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*Ashley identifies as an in-the-closet lesbian and has asked me to not include her real name. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I was a junior in high school, a friend of mine asked me how he could do the dirty with a boy. Considering that I was not a gay male, I could not give him a straight answer. \u201cCan I use Crisco?\u201d he asked. \u201cYou know, for lube?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d I replied, horrified. Even though … <\/p>\n

Read more “Sex education should be inclusive to LGBTQ+ community”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[348],"yoast_head":"\n