Thursday, 01 September 2011

  • What Happened to Sex Ed?


    Recently there was a big hooplah about some porn star in LA that had contracted HIV.  You mean it's NOT okay to sleep around unprotected?! Oh my goodness!  Seriously?  Like, did we all seem to forget about our Sex Ed classes and health classes in school?  I was talking to a friend about it and he said "Well, professionals get tested every three months or so (if not more) so it IS a shocker." 

    Let me break this down a little bit.  PROFESSIONALS get tested.  A lot of the actors and actresses are young girls and boys who wanted to make a quick buck and made an internet clip or two.  Not like Pinky or Lexington Steele who have their own series. Most regular people (whether they sleep around or not) don't even bother to get tested at all.  I'm pretty sure that "professionals" don't exactly discriminate about the skill level of people they sleep with off the set either. Also, HIV can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 3 months (at least) to show up on a blood test.  AIDS can take as long as 10 years! 

    Anyway.  I guess it makes me sad to know that so many people are ignorant about sex.  Or maybe they choose to take that invincible mentality and just ignore the consequences.  Unfortunately, the education system seems to make sex taboo, and a lot of young people are ashamed or embarrassed to talk about it.  I am 24 with a 10 month old son and I have yet to officially have the "talk" with my parents.  They just don't talk about that kind of stuff.  I learned everything either from school, friends, or experience. 

    I had a former friend/roommate who was almost 30 with three kids and STILL didn't know how a woman really gets pregnant.  She was complaining one day of her stomach hurting and that she wanted to go to the ER.  She said she might be pregnant again.  We were talking about it on the way to the hospital and she said, "You know, when you have sex and you cum together, you release an egg and that's how you get pregnant, and the past few times that's what happened."  I almost pulled the car over!  Seriously?!?!? I thought she was joking until I realized how serious she was and I thought to myself, "Poor girl." 

    When I found out my ex fiance had cheated on me, I made him start wearing a condom again.  We were trying to get pregnant for about a year prior and he wasn't exactly happy.  He thought I had changed my mind, and to an extent I had.  However, it was more about my own protection.  I didn't know who he slept with, and I don't know who THEY slept with.  I was living in Atlanta at the time, and Atlanta is in the top ten US cities for three different STD's.  I only have one vag and I plan on taking care of it, so I made him strap up!  About two weeks later he told me he had to go to the ER because he was having an issue.  I Come to find out he had gonorrhea.  My next stop was Planned Parenthood to get tested.  By some miracle I didn't have it, and, needless to say, I broke it off. 

    I am not trying to sound like I am some sex ed prodigy or even knock people who are not that educated.  I just don't understand why, with the wealth of information and resources, people aren't at least somewhat knowledgeable about something as important as their sexual health!  I get that not everyone has a computer/Internet or even clinics nearby, but we all take health and sex ed in school.  Almost every city I know of has some sort of government sponsored clinic, and definitely a hospital.  It's not THAT hard to get the information.  I don't know.  It just seems so careless to NOT educate yourself about something as important as sex, at least in my opinion.

    What do you think about the state of sex ed? Are you extra careful?

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Comments (12)

  • anotherdreamwasted_onyou@xanga

    No matter how many times you tell some people,, they'll still risk it. Sex ed where I'm from is fine. I first had it at 11 (not in a lot of detail, obviously) and still have it at 17. However, STI's and teen pregnancies are on the increase. I guess some people just don't listen.
  • babybug329@xanga

    I was taught "health and family planning" starting in 5th grade, that was the nice name for sex education.  Of course, over the years, it became more detailed, but for certain, I knew how females got pregnant.  When taught, I think the program is fine.  The problem is people not wanting to listen!  I was very careful until I was in a commited relationship and now we want to start our family, but we were sure to be tested and get regular checkups to make sure everything was functioning properly.
  • TheMushyPear@xanga

    God says to teach abstinence only, and by God, I think it's working. 
  • lemons_to_lemonade@xanga

    The problem is that people tend to think in the moment instead of the longrun. They just care about instant gratification instead of considering what the long term consequences could be. You can educate someone all day long, but that doesn't mean they'll actually listen and act on the knowledge. Sad, but true. What is even sadder is when they do catch something or end up pregnant they're all surprised or pitiful about it...well what did you think was going to happen?

  • ShirleyD@xanga

    for a while there i only had sex in my relationships. then i ventured out into non relationship sex and wasnt too careful. -_- to my shame. but since i have stopped and gotten checked and i am good to go. =D but i am not having sex with anyone anytime soon. when i do, condom city!  im not risking my one and only vagina either.
  • sunflowersforlove@xanga

    We have a good sex ed program in California. On another note, I've been with my boyfriend for 3 years and I'm on birth control and he still wears condoms. We both know we don't have any STDs, but I'm too freaked out about getting pregnant haha. 
  • singing2mytune91@xanga
    This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I'm constantly astounded at the number of my peers that are clueless about their sexual health. Why should you feel embarrassed to talk about it and go do something?? Yes, it's SEXUAL, but it's also HEALTH. That's an important factor in your life, is it not? I'm always surprised when one of my friends says she's never been to the gynecologist. Standards are changing now, but when I first started going, 18 was the age when seeing a gyno became annual. And colleges have free STD testing a lot of the time. If it's not free, it's not expensive. You're not going to have that option all of your life, so take it now, during the time when a lot of us are sexually free. Especially women. Problems with sexual health for us girls can lead to infertility, and if you want a family eventually (and many of us do), that's something you want to never happen.
     
  • magswags@xanga

    I am shocked about how little people know about sex.  In high school I considered myself the most knowledgeable virgin..haha.  If you are having sex AT ALL, you must know the risks involved.  I have a friend that didn't know you could get an STI from oral sex.  Are you kidding me? 

    Part of the problem is abstinence only programs, but I think most of the responsibility lies on the parents.  I know most parents and teens would rather pull all their nails off than have a "sex talk," but they need to know how important it is.  My parents basically said, "don't have sex until you are married."  I know that is their wish and hope for their children, but in case we do not hold to their ideals, we need to be prepared for sex.

    The other thing that I think is important to teach is not just the physical risks, but what can happen to you emotionally. Sex is a powerful thing, physically AND emotionally, and that is something I think that is definitely not being taught in most sex ed programs. 

  • xxfl1@xanga

    my sex ed program wasnt helpful or interesting. i went to a catholic school and at the time didnt care about sex so was like "whatever" but when i got really into it i educated myself. i never got the talk.

    i think its a persons obligation to get the information themselves if they're sexually active or even thinking about it. its not that difficult, and everyone should be doing it

    people are pretty careless. getting tested is important, wearing condoms is important some form of birth control is unfortunately important as well. all of those things need to happen
  • lyrra_askavi@xanga

    @magswags@xanga - My boyfriend didn't know you could get STI's from oral either. I was shocked. Especially since he's never been checked since he didn't think you could catch anything that way anyway.


    I recently had an abnormal pap showing pre-cervical cancer cells. This is usually caused by HPV and they don't test to see if it was indeed caused that way. Men can't get screened for HPV, but I had the Gardasil vaccine (which isn't full coverage against all HPV). My bf, along with many guys, don't know that they can get vaccinated too.
    More sex ed, for all.
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  • x_colormepretty_x@xanga

    I am still in shock over your 30 year old pal who had kids and still didn't know how you get pregnant.... I jaw dropped when I read that. Wow.

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