Why sex ed? you might be wondering. Sex ed can often seem like a sensitive, awkward topic. Well, I'll just say that that sentiment is often so culturally rooted. I am working in sexuality education, or sex ed, because while we all have familial or cultural values that are important, there is some basic information that all of us deserve to know. I'm a public health professional, and someone who cares about the social emotional development and positive development of young people. A lot of people think sex ed is purely about pregnancy prevention or the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Of course those are important topics to cover, but high quality fact-based sexuality education is also about sexuality as a much broader topic that encompasses social emotional learning, media literacy, communication skills, and many other topics. This is because we are all sexual beings from birth to death, and being a sexual being is about more than simply the prevention of negative or undesired health outcomes. It's about who we are! It's about feeling good about our bodies, being in healthy relationships, recognizing when something is wrong, among other things.
I am passionate about sexuality education because I think, when done right by great professionals, it can have a hugely important impact on the overall wellbeing and development of young people. Why and how to do this is what I'll be writing about in upcoming posts!