Gabby+S’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016


 * Sex education in the America we grow old in **

The stand out moments from my time sex education classes, from middle school through high school, include kids screeching at a video of a live birth and Mr. Miller making the class try to recite a list of “embarrassing” sexual anatomy without laughing. A lot of things were skimmed over, and that’s something to be ashamed of.

Though California has been regarded as one of the more progressive states on the topic of sex education, we still have quite a ways to go. Though I’ve taken several semesters devoted to learning about health and sex, I feel as though my generation and class still lacks the information they need on a topic so pertinent to their immediate life and culture.

So the America I wanna grow old in is one where nothing is unspeakable, forgotten, or brushed under the rug. Going through puberty and growing up in general, there’s a lot of things I wish I knew about health, sex, and our bodies, and I hope our children can go through this pivotal moment in human development with more education than I had.

Foothill was lucky enough to have the spunky Nurse Mary come in to answer some of the unspeakable questions, but unfortunately lots of things were too taboo to even be asked, which is why young adults are now stepping onto the sexual scene dangerously uninformed and embarrassed about what’s happening to their bodies.

First of all, the anatomy itself is continuously confused. It’s taught in class, but without the proper focus. And Not knowing the landscape itself is what leads to uncertainty within other circles, especially for women, who have a more complex sexual anatomy and are oftentimes more at risk in the sexual world.

There are things that need to be talked about that aren’t, and starting with the male anatomy, young people should grow up knowing more than “the vas deferens transfers the sperm.” They should know that uncircumcised penises are not dirty. That “blue balls” are not fatal and are not a woman’s responsibility.

And Women’s anatomy is where things really get frustrating. Women have three orifices, yes three! Menstrual blood, uterine lining, discharge, and babies all exit from the vagina, while urine exits through the urethra, just like in men. Women do not urinate from the vaginas and a lot of my male friends, my age and older than me, didn’t know that.

And not only that, but the vagina itself is not what’s most sensitive to sexual stimulation, it’s actually the clitoris, which is a bundle of nerves hidden in plain sight between between the mons pubis and the labia minora. It’s the enigma of the female body, and since it so often goes unacknowledged, many women are subjected to sex without proper lubrication, which is why it hurts a lot of people.

A stigma has grown around the fact that it’s “supposed to hurt” for the woman, and especially the first time, this being because a man is allegedly supposed to “pop a cherry,” or break a woman’s hymen. This isn’t necessarily true, because a hymen is just a thin sheath of skin across the vaginal opening with no nerves at all. It has small holes in it called hymenal orifice that vary from woman to woman. During puberty, menstrual fluid, discharge, sexual activity, and general activity like running and biking stretch and wear away the hymen over time. It’s presense isn’t a sign of virginity. If present, the hymen is usually just stretched the first time a woman has vaginal intercourse.

The hymen tearing and causing bleeding can be a sign of improper lubrication, which stems from being unaroused, tense, afraid, or unwilling, though some women with thicker hymens or smaller hymenal orifices can’t avoid this. Regardless, making you partner bleed shouldn’t be expected and shouldn’t be the goal of any sex partner.

Something else that I find important which was never debunked in school is the fact that a loose vagina does not signify promiscuity and tight vagina does not have anything to do with purity. The vagina is a muscle that can contract, so when you’re tense or anxious, it tightens up. When you are relaxed and aroused, the vagina loosens. A woman’s pelvic floor muscles actually expands to accommodate the penetration. Being “loose” means a girl is completely relaxed and prepared for sex, which is nothing to be ashamed of.

This is just anatomy. There are plenty of other things l things that I think should be capitalized on in sexual education.

Schools in California are required to teach students about other forms of birth control besides abstinence, but I feel as though there’s still a lot to learn. Like where our Planned Parenthood even is (5400 Ralston Street). Like the fact that the morning after pill isn’t an “abortion pill” but just emergency birth control. Like resources on getting an OB/GYN and how necessary this is.

And Kids definitely should know more about abortion. I didn’t always know that there was a difference between medical and surgical abortions. during earlier stages of pregnancy abortions can be done through medication that is taken or injected into a woman, causing termination to a pregnancy similar to a miscarriage. Surgical abortions can be done past the first trimester and involve dilation of the cervix followed by the emptying of the contents of the uterus with either a vacuum or a manual curette like tool, though with rapidly advancing technology in the medical field, manual procedures are becoming less common.

Lastly I believe sex education should cover the fact that sex isn’t always between a man and a woman. Maybe not everyone in a classroom may stand by that, but I believe the difference between biological sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation should be taught in schools not only for people who are curious about their own identity, but for the masses who are unaware of how sensitive these labels are.

Sex ed needs to be about more than slide shows of horrific STD pictures, because the idea of scaring kids out of sex is far behind us.  I’m not sure how much of the things I covered were taught in school, but I know a lot of people don’t know these things and I myself didn’t know a lot of these things at times when I really wish I did. So let’s change sex education by including everything. Maybe a lot of this felt more directed toward girls, but plenty of you boys are going to be having daughters someday. So let’s make the america we grow old in a safer, healthier, and better place for our children, their children, and everyone’s potential to make children.

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/

https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/sexuality-definitions.pdf