This past week at Whitman College was Sextravaganza Week, where students were able to have open discussions regarding sex education and much more! After engaging in those conversations, I realized that my high school sex education failed me as an individual. The only thing I got from it was the different types of STDs/STIs and how abstinence is important. It is uncomfortable to have those conversations, but it doesn't mean that it's OK to deprive students of that information because believe it or not, high school students are having sex and nothing will change that. And to the students that do believe in abstinence, it's still important to know how to have a safe and a successful sex life. So here's a glimpse of what a good sex education should be, but is not limited to these things.
Students need to know the importance of foreplay, especially males. Males seeking to have penetrative sex with a female need to understand what the vagina is made up of and how to prepare the vagina before penetration. Why? By not preparing the vagina, penetrative sex may be very painful for the female so it's important that this intercourse is pleasureful for both the male and female.
Sex education must include the fact that masturbation is natural and even healthy for everyone that is comfortable with it. No one should ever feel ashamed of masturbation because it's normal and allows the person to explore what they do and don't like when it comes to their genitalia. Masturbation can help make people comfortable and confident with their body.
Sex education must also include how to successfully use a condom. In my experience, my sex education teacher did not allow for us to know how to use a condom, which is detrimental to us students because when the time comes for sex, we won't know how to use the condom and the female will have a higher chance of getting pregnant.
One of the most important topics sex education should include is sexuality because students need to understand and figure out what their sexuality is and what their preferences are. Not all sex is between a male and a female, so students need to know more about and feel comfortable discussing what sex looks like between a female and another female, between a male and a male, etc.
My poor sex education really reflects on my hometown which has a very high teen pregnancy rate and STD/STI rate. Implementing a more thorough and in-depth sex education in all high schools will help combat those issues and will allow students to be prepared for their sex lives.
Thanks for reading,
Adyiam "Wishes She Had A Better Sex Education" Kimbrough
