If you look closely at today’s youth, you would see a lack of knowledge about diverse communities such as the LGBTQ+ community. Despite some parents and guardians fearing that their children are being over exposed, LGBTQ+ sex education should be taught in schools because teaching students about LGBTQ+ sex education could promote good sexual health later in life, teaching these topics could result in a decrease in bullying caused by a student’s sexual or gender orientation, and learning these topics could help a student figure out their sexual or gender orientation.
To begin with, teaching LGBTQ+ sex education in schools could promote good sexual health later in life. Many schools teach about safe-sex for heterosexual couples, but often don’t teach about ways non-heterosexual students can be safe. Teaching students of all sexualities how to be safe can promote good sexual health for all students. This is supported by the ideas in the article “A Call to Action:LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education”. In the article, it argues “Sex education can be one of the few sources of reliable information on sexuality and sexual health for youth. Hundreds of studies have shown that well-designed and well-implemented sex education can reduce risk behavior and support positive sexual health outcomes among teens, such as reducing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates,” (“A Call to Action:LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education”). This piece of text explains how if students get information on sexuality, they could have less of a chance to risk good sexual health later in life. Also, in the article “LGBT-Inclusive Sex Education Means Healthier Youth and Safer Schools” by Hannah Slater, the author writes about how LGBTQ+ sex education could help today’s youth. In the article, the author states, “Young men who have sex with men, who may identify as gay or bisexual, account for more than two-thirds of new HIV infections among people ages 13 to 29,” (Slater). The author presents this information about cases of HIV in young men to show how useful LGBTQ+ sex education could be. The many cases of HIV infections might have been able to be prevented if the young men had the proper education on how to be sexually safe. Overall, if LGBTQ+ sex education is taught in schools, the knowledge could help promote good sexual health later in life for students.
To continue, if LGBTQ+ sex education is taught in scools, it could result in a decrease in bullying due to a student’s sexual or gender orientation. In many schools, bullying is an issue and students could be getting bullied for various reasons. One of these reasons could be how they sexually orient themself or what gender they align with. A lack of knowledge on a cishet student’s part could lead to unreasonable bias and bullying against students that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. In the article “LGBT-Inclusive Sex Education Means Healthier Youth and Safer Schools”, author Hannah Slater presents information on how inclusive sex education could benefit students that it is taught to. In the article, the author states, “Many sex-education curricula do not mention sexual orientation or gender identity at all, and some that do discuss it only in a negative light. This not only prevents LGBT students from learning the information and skills they need to stay healthy, but it also contributes to a climate of exclusion in schools, where LGBT students are already frequent targets of bullying and discrimination,” (Slater). This piece of text explains how a lack of LGBTQ+ inclusive education can exclude LGBTQ+ students. This text also shows how negative information can also cause the exclusion of LGBTQ+ students. In the same article, author Hannah Slater discusses discrimination LGBTQ+ youth can face later in life if them and their peers are not given the proper knowledge. In the text, the author writes, “They are also more likely to have experienced coerced sexual contact. Young women who have had both male and female partners are at the highest risk of coercion and dating violence,” (Slater). This piece of text explains how young women who are part of the LGBTQ+ community can face unwanted sexual contact and discrimination. The discrimination that many people in the LGBTQ+ community face could decline if inclusive sex education is taught. Overall, if LGBTQ+ sex education is taught, there could be a decrease in bullying.
Next, if LGBTQ+ sex education is taught, students can figure out how they sexually orient themselves or what gender they align with. When students are questioning their identity, they might not have a reliable source to get information from. If they are given LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education, those students would get information they might need to figure out their identity. In the article, “California is leading a sex education revolution”, author Anna North talks about inclusive sex education lessons and how some families are pushing back on them. In the article, the author writes, “When students learn that there are a variety of gender identities and expressions, they ‘are better suited to identify, question, and reject feeding into harmful gender stereotypes from the start,’ Eisenstein said,” (North). This piece of text shows that when students are given information about gender identities, they can better understand the topic. This piece of text also shows that when taught about gender identities, students could easily figure out what they identify as. Confused students could be able to express and understand what they feel inside if they are taught LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education. Overall, if LGBTQ+ sex education is taught in schools, students could figure out how they sexually orient themselves or what gender they align with.
Opponents argue that teaching today’s youth inclusive sex education can make children question themselves and be confused about their identity. In one article, author Rebekah Moffett writes, “children are led to doubt their gender based on ‘feelings’, interpret puberty issues as transgender issues which, if acted upon, could lead to children and teenagers taking the route to gender reassignment and ultimately destroying their fertility. Young children are not ready to deal with these kinds of issues aren’t yet trained enough at decision making to determine this,” (Moffett). This piece of text shows how people are concerned for their child being confused about gender and sexuality. It is understandable why some parents and guardians may argue that their child is being over exposed when taught these kinds of topics. However, it is more likely that a child would gain a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community rather than being confused.
To conclude, parents and guardians may feel uncomfortable with their child learning LGBTQ+ sex education, but there are multiple reasons for these topics to be taught in schools. Learning inclusive sex education could promote good sexual health later in a student’s life, teaching these topics could also result in a decrease in bullying over how a student identifies, and learning these topics could help a student figure out their sexual or gender orientation. Today’s youth would be much more educated about things that are going on with themselves and their peers.
