Young people take the lead to reimagine building a society that centers their experiences.
By Arianna de la Mancha
April 11, 2024
I’m constantly in awe of young people who work collectively to fill the gaps in their sex education experiences. As someone approaching their late 20s, yet still feels like a teen, it’s incredibly healing to witness what young people are creating for themselves and their communities. Open doors provide the platforms and allow young people to take the lead in reimagining building a society that centers their experiences.
As someone approaching their late 20s, yet still feels like a teen, it’s incredibly healing to witness what young people are creating for themselves and their communities.
Get to know what young people are working on! Here are five queer sex ed resources that were created by and for young people.
Queer Youth Assemble
Queer Youth Assemble was created in August of 2021 by Esmee Silverman and Cas Ford Martin. They are a collection of 25 and under queer young people who curate events, resources, and professional development opportunities to bring joy and autonomy to all queer young people across the US. QYA has a youth-led, youth-centric newspaper where they amplify youth voices and keep their community members up to date with current events or queer and trans media. If you know a young person who’d like to volunteer or get involved, you can submit an application!
Seen Sex Ed
Seen Sex Ed, derived from Seen TV, a human experience digital library, is a sex ed show by young people fighting misconceptions about their bodies, sex, and sexualities. Some topics covered are, “I nearly passed out at the OB/GYN,” “herpes doesn’t make you nasty,” and “growing up intersex.” Anyone can engage with Seen Sex Ed’s content via Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, or YouTube and hopefully feel affirmed that they’re not alone in their experiences.
Youth Sexpert Program
The Youth Sexpert Program, founded by sex educator Tara Michaela Jones, is a nonprofit, sex education training program that was created to fill the many gaps in sex education and empower young people to act as experts amongst their peers on everything sexuality. This program is a semester-long virtual training program for high school enrolled students ages 14-18. They have ongoing student applications and enrollment periods, so be sure to follow @theyouths3xpertprogram to stay up to date!
Sex, Etc.
Sex, Etc. is sex education by teens and for teens. Sex, Etc. was developed by Answer, a national organization that provides and promotes access to comprehensive sex ed for young people and the adults who teach them. They have sex ed information including a sex terms glossary, teen staff writers who contribute stories and to the Sex, Etc. blog, and “Sex in the States,” which is a state-by state guide to teen’s sexual health rights. They’re always posting fun, relatable content on their social channels; show your support and give them a follow!
Queer Sex Ed Community Curriculum
The Queer Sex Ed Community Curriculum is a free sexual and relational health curriculum for young people and adults. They’re redefining typical sex ed curriculum structure and content through an “an expansive platform that is committed to reimagining the ways that knowledge is created, collected, and validated.” From an archive of free, downloadable zines to a blog that covers topics like, “No One is Too Young for Queer Representation,” you get full access to all their resources created for people 12+ to adult.
What sets this curriculum apart from the others is that it’s an open community curriculum that is always ongoing and welcoming co-creators. It’s a culmination of different perspectives, critiques, and information that reflect the experiences of many communities. If you would like to submit your work (zines, articles, art, etc.) to be published, or know a young person who’s interested, fill out their contact form.
PHOTO CREDIT: Disobey Art on Adobe Stock
