Educators Certification

In South Carolina today, a bill was passed to update the sex education law. However, in order for it to pass, the lawmakers had to remove the provision of the bill that required the sex ed teachers be certified to teach it. As a student having gone through sex ed 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade, I don't think I ever questioned whether my teachers were certified to teach it. Do you think certification should be required?

http://www.thestate.com/2014/05/15/3448143/sc-sex-ed-update-okd-by-senate.html

This reminds me of an episode of The Office, called Sex Ed (S7,E4). They have a day at the office for sex education and one of the employees takes it upon himself to teach it. His justification is that he was a resident assistant in college. Even though this is in a workplace versus a school, it brings up the same idea that it usually is not taught by someone who has taken certification courses.

Here is a video with some deleted scenes from the episode but the specific part I am talking about is around 40 seconds in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmhVNIR5Ppc

Louisiana also is in the process of fighting for sex education in school (required for grades 4^th through 12^th). This bill however was not passed, and it is the third time it has been rejected in the past five years. The main argument stated in this article is that the kids get enough information from parents.

http://www.thetowntalk.com/viewart/20140515/NEWS01/140515002/Panel-votes-against-required-sex-education-Louisiana-schools

Most teachers are not certified to teach sex education and neither are most parents. Should this change??

Also, not sure how many of you know about this, but there is a large committee dedicated to bringing comprehensive sex ed to schools: SIECUS – Sexuality information and education council of the United States. It is an interesting resource to look at, and has a lot of current information about the sex ed movement. http://www.siecus.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=1347&nodeID=1


-Nichele A.

What Does Consent Mean to You?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLdElcv5qqc
This PSA was put out by the White House conveying ant-sexual assault messages. The ad uses not only politicians but famous celebrities as well such as Steve Carrel, Daniel Craig, and Seth Myers. The ad concentrates on sexual abuse towards women happening on college campuses. The video clearly defines what consent is and how without it, sexual acts are considered rape.
1 out of 6 american females have been a victim of an attempted or committed rape (https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims). 80% of the victims are under the age of 30. Obviously being a college student, this topic is very relevant to me and my peers. We all hear stories about these acts happening, but seeing them play out in real life can be very alarming. However, I think it's a shame that in public school education, or at least mine, had little to no conversation about the topic that would better inform us about what consent is and to communicate to someone if you are feeling uncomfortable. Most schools barely teach about sex, one out of four teens receives only abstinence based sex education (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html). These programs usually do not focus on sexual assault, but on resisting sex itself (which is usually addressed towards females). This can create a message saying that males only wants sex from you, and if one does get sexually assaulted or raped it is her own fault. It seems weird that this type of education would not try to relay messages of consent. It scares me to think about how many people go into college and do not know the proper meaning of consent.

I know the only reason I have knowledge about it is because I did extra programs that my high school had outside of class that spoke about it. I also remember learning the meaning in law class. This is very strange because girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely of getting raped of sexually assaulted (https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims). It seems important to teach students about these acts and ways to prevent them. It appears that college is too late to start teaching these things. Our education system needs to be more proactive in discussing ways people can prevent sexual misconduct. If you don't believe me, here is some direct evidence from the comments of the video illustrating people's views on the video:  "Or people who aren't stupid enough to fall for male shaming bullshit. Go tell a murderer to stop murdering, see how effective that is dipshit. Or better yet, Ted Bundy killed a lot of people. thus men need to be taught not to kill. Shit is straight the fuck out of soviet Russia"- ohheyboy2k4. "cheap feminist propaganda"-comme le vent. Guys, I would love to stoop to your low and actually explain why a video attacking sexual harassment is important and helpful. But since most of the responses I receive will consist of remarks such as, "what about men?" and "women shouldn't wear such slutty clothes" and "telling men not to rape is like telling them not to murder or steal" and "shut up white knight cunt," "- Tim Kirtland
Were you ever taught what consent was? Where and when did you learn? Has it evolved? Any other reactions to this PSA?  

-Rebecca G.

Are Parents Teaching Their Kids Consent Doesn't Matter?

I was given a link to a video earlier today that I found quite interesting, and thought you all might find it interesting as well.

http://everydayfeminism.com/2013/09/ways-parents-teach-consent-doesnt-matter/

Here is the link to the video and transcript!

For those who don't want to watch the clip or read the article here is a summary:

Paige Lucas-Stannard writes about four ways parents may sometimes be, unintentionally teaching their children that consent doesn't matter.  

The first is that when parents are tickling children or engage in rough and tumble play with them, kids often shout "stop" or "no" and the parent continues.  Paige makes the claim that it is very important to stop immediately in these instances.  If the child wants you to continue tickling they will ask you to. This teaches the child that "no" means "no".

The second is the contradiction of feelings.  A child may complain of being cold or hungry, and a parent may respond with "you're not cold, its hot in here", or "you're not hungry, you just ate". While to the parent it might make sense to say something like "you're not hungry, you just ate" if the kid just ate, however Paige writes that it may teach children not to trust their own instincts.  The same instincts that parents may be asking them to trust several years later if they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation.  

A third issue that Paige talks about, is parents forcing children to give hugs or kisses.  For example, Uncle Joe comes over to the house and you (the parent) tell your child to give him a hug and kiss to show your respect and love for him.  If your child refuses it may lead people to believe that your parenting has resulted in a child who is rude and doesn't show proper respect of their elders.  So many times parents end up forcing their child to give Uncle Joe a hug or kiss.  However, Paige argues that this is a huge problem.  She gives the example of the same child several years later being in an uncomfortable sexual situation that they don't want to continue.  However, they don't say anything for fear that it might be seen as rude.  

The fourth that parents may sometimes teach children that consent doesn't matter is in how they are taught to respect elders.  Paige talks about how parents may teach their kids to not interrupt them if they are busy talking with another adult because it is disrespectful to elders.  However, Paige claims that this is also teaching the kids that because someone is older and bigger they are more important that what the they want.  This can lead to problems in relationships later in life, if the belief that being older and bigger makes you the more important.  

I was definitely able to relate to a lot of these parenting techniques, especially the first one.  However, I cannot say how much they have influenced me.  Paige makes some interesting claims, however she doesn't back any of them up by research.  So I am curious as to what the findings of a study looking at a correlation between these parenting paradigms and sexual assault would find.  Do you think that these methods of parenting may be unconsciously teaching children that consent doesn't matter?  If so how important of a factor is it in the increasing number of reported sexual assaults?

-Oliver O.

We Can Do It!

...and we can do it. 
And if we are so inclined to do it, than why not make it satisfactory?

Sexual assertiveness (SA) describes the degree to which one feels capable of expressing one's sexual needs and desires to a sexual partner and is predictive of higher sexual satisfaction and body comfort (Fletcher, personal communications). Current research has shown that as a women's sexual assertiveness increases the relational satisfaction for both partners also increases (Green & Faulkner, 2005). In a further examination of female sexual assertiveness, researchers have examined how feminist identification could affect females' expectations of her partner and her sexual experience. Yoder, Perry and Saal (2007) found that a strong commitment to feminist identity predicted female expectancies of egalitarian partnerships and higher self-reports of sexual assertiveness. In contrast, women who had a non-feminist identification self-reported lower levels of sexual assertiveness and an increased vulnerability to risky sexual behaviors.

Although these findings may not seem surprising--empowered women feel sexually empowered--not every women self-identifies as a feminist nor feels empowered. If feminist identity is significantly, positively correlated to increased sexual assertiveness, and sexual assertiveness is predictive of higher sexual satisfaction and body comfort, then let me say what we're all thinking...

"let's all be feminists!" 

However the task is not that easy. In a society where woman are constantly exposed to the "ideal" female and unrealistic expectations about sex and sexuality through the media, being a feminist can seem intimidating, especially when there's the social stigma of being an "angry man-hater". In order to promote female empowerment, the discourse surrounding female sexuality behaviors needs to be empowering towards young girls. So you may be asking yourself, how can we promote healthy sexual communications for women to make women feel more agentive in their sexuality behaviors?
How can the discourse surrounding female sexuality behaviors help women to communicate what they want and need from sexual partnerships? What resources (peers, institutional, familial) resources need to be made to females (and when) to encourage agentive behaviors? What role can men play in encouraging female sexual assertiveness?

In a quest for sexual satisfaction and communication and feeling comfortable in our own skin and between the sheets, we need to think about ways that the discourse surrounding female sexuality behaviors can foster female empowerment. Maybe the answer is the fourth wave of feminism, and in making a splash, perhaps the ladies will be excited about getting wet (pun, totally intended).


-Rachel P.




References

Fletcher, K. (2014, April). Sexual Assertiveness. Lecture conducted for Kalamazoo College: Psychology of Sexuality.

Greene, K., & Faulkner, S. L. (2005). Gender, belief in the sexual double standard talk in heterosexual relationships. Sex Roles, 53, 239-251.

Yoder, J. D., Perry, R. L. & Saal, E. I. (2007) What Good is a Feminist Identity?: Women’s Feminist
Identification and Role Expectations for Intimate and Sexual Relationships. Sex Roles, 57, 365-372.

Sex-Ed for Kindergarteners?

An interesting topic lately is sex education in schools. Is it necessary? Should it the school’s responsibility? Are schools programs effective in engaging and getting through to teens? According to the National Conference of State Legislature all states are somehow involved in sex education whether it is instruction about HIV/AIDS, basic sex education, or both. If you’re wondering why sexual education is taught in schools you’re not alone. Many believe that if sexual education is not taught in schools many children will never learn in a healthy environment what safe sex is, about their bodies and others, or have someone to talk to about uncomfortable situations such as those that arise when talking about sexual activities. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that more than 47 percent of all high school students have had sex and only 60% of the students that had had sex in the three moths prior to the survey reported use of a condom and even lower number of 23% reported use of birth control. The goal of sexual education is that if teens are going to engage in sexual activity they know and understand the possible consequences and how to engage in safe sexual activity that limits the possibilities of STIs and STDs, pregnancy, and other dangerous repercussions. This website gives reasons for sexual education to be taught in school, and a breakdown of state sex education legislation status from the National conference of State Legislatures: http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx#2.

In November of 2011 the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act was introduced which aimed to provide young people with the comprehensive sexuality education they need to make informed, responsible, and healthy decisions in order to become sexually healthy adults and have healthy relationships. This act raises the issue of accurate and healthy sexual education but also healthy relationships, which are an essential part of growing up and developing into sexually healthy adults. Supported by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act seeks to give adolescents and young adults the information they need to become informed, sexually healthy adults. More information can be found at: http://www.siecus.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=1347&nodeID=1

A lot of information given to children and young adults about sex education is just scary statistics. But when is it appropriate start teaching sex education? According to the Chicago Board of Education, kindergarten. These young children will be taught the basics about human anatomy, reproduction, healthy relationships and personal safety. This new policy mandates that a certain amount of time be spent on sexual education in each grade starting in kindergarten. Through third grade students will focus on the family, feelings and appropriate and inappropriate touching. From then on, students will start learning about puberty, HIV, reproduction, the transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases, bullying and contraception, including abstinence (Mohney 2013). A large change in the sex education instruction is that it will now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in order to promote awareness and tolerance, while preventing bullying. More information can be found at: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/02/28/chicago-passes-sex-ed-for-kindergartners/

Questions to consider:

·      Is sex education the schools responsibility?

·      Do you think the sex education that you received was effective?

·      Should kindergarteners be taught sex education?

·      Should the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act be passed, why or why not?

·      What would happen if sex education were taken out of schools?

- Olivia Weaver

Let's Talk about Sex

Welcome to Birds and the Bees an interactive blog dedicated to talking about sex education and the resources available to us in our community and through our community members. As Salt-N-Pepper say, "don't decoy, avoid or make void the topic", "everybody has sex let's talk about it"

Hoping to develop a helpful, educational, and provocative conversation surrounding sex education and learning how to talk "the talk".