So we've got the right to be married by law. We've got growing representation in literature, film, music, and other forms of media. Hell, we've even got Hallmark holiday cards specifically geared towards same-sex couples.
So tell me, why haven't we gotten LGBT+ sex education in our public schools?
In middle school, our instructors have always been all about heterosexual sex. From the moment she learns about periods, every girl is promptly taught about boys and how to be safe when engaging in sexual behaviors with them. Likewise, every boy is taught about how he should be cautious in the future when there comes an opportunity to have sex with a girl.
But what about the girls who want to have sex with other girls and the boys that want to have sex with other boys?
It's not like there aren't enough of us to warrant lessons on same-sex relations. A Gallup poll from 2017 reported that 1 in 10 Americans identifies as LGBT+. That means that an average-sized middle school health class of 20 students has at least two LGBT+ students— and that's not even counting the kids who aren't yet sure about their sexual preferences or happen to be questioning at that time.
Ask a few of your friends who identify as straight if they've ever contemplated a same-sex experience or even HAD such an encounter before. I'll bet that a few of them will say that they have because it's a lot more common than you think. Which is exactly why we need to be educated on how LGBT+ individuals can practice safe, healthy sex.
It was awkward enough as a little kid to approach your parents with questions about straight sex. Now imagine you are wondering about the sex as an LGBT+ youth— if you're still in the closet, you're essentially out of luck in the asking department unless you want to reveal your identity then and there. Young adults then have no choice but to turn to Internet sources, which are very helpful at times but can also be exaggerated and even downright false. And for younger adolescents, it's a lot scarier to consult Cosmopolitan and Autostraddle than it is to learn terms from a teacher they know and trust.
Our nation's children are beaten over the head with the concepts of abstinence, condoms, and birth control, but when it comes to same-sex encounters, they're left in the dark to figure it out on their own.
This can be extremely dangerous, as uneducated sex can lead to STDs, fungal infections, and even damage to the genital areas.
In the same way, our adult role models stress to us how important it is to prevent unwanted pregnancies, they should also be focusing on the precautions one should take if they plan on having different types of oral sex and anal sex. These are just the facts of life, and why adults are so afraid of discussing them with preteens and young adults is beyond me.
After all, what seems silly and gross to a middle-schooler will no longer be silly and gross once they reach high school and have to reflect on what they've learned in the past to make a good decision now.
The bottom line is this: For the safety of our youth, the United States public school system needs to integrate LGBT+ sex education into their health curricula.