This preamble and call to action were developed by partners at Advocates for Youth, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, and URGE as part of the larger Sex Ed For All Month coalition.
May 4, 2020
This May, sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice partners will once again observe Sex Ed for All Month. This rebranded month of May from Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month to Sex Ed for All Month continues our efforts to support young people whether they choose to postpone pregnancy or become parents, and to provide them with the sexual health information and resources they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. It’s past time to stand with all young people, empowering them with education on the full range of topics they need to achieve positive outcomes for themselves.
Why Sex Ed for All Month
Young people have clearly and consistently called for complete and accurate sexual health information and access to sexual and reproductive health care services. As organizations dedicated to improving sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for all, we respond each May with Sex Ed for All.
Young people have clearly and consistently called for complete and accurate sexual health information and access to sexual and reproductive health care services. As organizations dedicated to improving sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for all, we respond each May with Sex Ed for All.
It’s a month focused on providing young people with the sexual health information and access to resources they need and deserve in order to make healthy decisions for themselves. While existing federal funding for evidence-based sex education is critical, it alone cannot meet the national need. Too many young people go without the sexual health information and access to care that they deserve.
Sex Ed for All is our pledge to work to provide all young people access to the information and care that they need to ensure their lifelong sexual and reproductive health, especially those who continuously face systemic barriers, racism, and discrimination, including young people of color, LGBTQ young people, immigrants, youth with disabilities, those with lower incomes, those living in rural areas, and system impacted youth.
Young people face vast systemic inequities and structural barriers to ensuring their health. Sex education that is comprehensive provides information about consent and healthy relationships, anatomy and physiology, puberty and adolescent sexual development, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and identity, sexual and reproductive health—including the full range of birth control methods and pregnancy options. Additionally, a complete sex education is sequential from grades K-12; uses a trauma-informed lens; is infused with principles of reproductive justice, racial justice, social justice, and equity; is culturally responsive; addresses social determinants of health and how these can lead to inequitable health outcomes; is science-based; and takes an intersectional approach.
Calls to Action
The organizations below have signed on to promote the goals and ideals of Sex Ed for All Month, and are asking others to join in any of these ways:
- Encourage members of Congress to support federal legislation and programs designed to provide sex education that is expansive: the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (REHYA), the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services (YASHS) Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH) program, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)
- Call on all public and elected officials to advocate for and invest in high-quality, sex education legislation that meets the full needs of young people
- Encourage state and local governments, education agencies, schools, and media organizations to recognize and support Sex Ed for All Month; which aims to reach youth who are LGBTQ+, youth with disabilities, youth who fall within racial minority groups, and youth that identify with a variety of ethnic and cultural groups.
- Promote sex education programs that are more comprehensive in approach, evidence informed, medically accurate, age and developmentally appropriate based on biological age, gender and gender identity sensitive, culturally and linguistically responsive and reflect the diverse circumstances and realities of young people
- Call on all public and elected officials to advocate for and invest in programming that provides comprehensive and accurate sexual health information and care to youth in the juvenile justice system and foster care, as well as training and oversight to ensure that such programs are fully implemented.
- Support sex education programs that promote educational achievement, critical thinking, decision-making, self-esteem, and self-efficacy
- Work to eliminate health education programs that are medically inaccurate, withhold health-promoting or life-saving information about sexuality-related topics, promote gender, disability and/ or racial stereotypes, or do not fully meet the needs of young people regardless of their identities
- Recommend implementation of comprehensive sex education in schools and continued professional development for educators and administrative staff that work with young people
- Engage youth-serving professionals, educators, and decision-makers, who have an impact on the lives of youth, to take action to ensure access to comprehensive sex education for all young people
Young people deserve access to the information, education, and resources they need to make healthy decisions about their lives. They are leading the charge in demanding they get the information, skills, and services they not only need, but have a right to receive. It’s time we stand with them and provide Sex Ed for All.
Signed,
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Adolescent Sexual Health Education and Research (ASHER) Project
Advocates for Youth
AIDS Alabama
AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
Alabama Campaign for Adolescent Sexual Health
American Academy of HIV Medicine
American Atheists
American Sexual Health Association
Annex Teen Clinic
APLA HEALTH
A Step Ahead Foundation.org
Ascension Institute
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Ask Michal
Black AIDS Institute
Black and Pink
BRYANT & BRYANT
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Cardea
Cascade AIDS Project
Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Erotic Intelligence
Center for HIV Law and Policy/TeenSENSE
Center for Reproductive Rights
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Children’s Aid
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Day One
Disability and Sexuality Access Network
Efficacity, llc.
Empowering Pinellas Youth Collaborative
EngenderHealth
Equality California
Equality Federation
Equality North Carolina
Equitas Health
ETR
Everyone Deserves Sex Ed
EyesOpenIowa
Feminist Majority Foundation
G Boutique
Gender Spectrum
Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP)
Girls Health Ed
Girls Inc.
Girls Inc. of Long Island
Girls Inc. of the Pacific NW
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
Guttmacher Institute
Healthy Fathering Collaborative
Healthy Futures of Texas
Healthy Teen Network
Hearts on a Wire
Hipocampo
HiTOPS
HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Infinite Connections Consulting, LLC
InnerView Behavioral Care (MBHC, Inc.)
Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Psi Chapter
I. Solomon Consulting, LLC
Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health
KIMBRITIVE LLC
Kintsugi Consulting, LLC
Latino Commission on AIDS
Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., LLC
Life In Harmony, PLLC
Lifecycle Women’s Health
Lindsay Fram Consulting | SexuallySMART
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Louisville Youth Group
Love
Masakhane Center
Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH)
Modern Military Association of America
Muhlenberg College
NAF
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NASTAD
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Coalition of STD Directors
National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus section
National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland
National Equality Action Team
National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association
National Health Law Program
National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)
National LGBTQ Task Force
National Network for Youth
National Network of Abortion Funds
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Women’s Law Center
New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
New York State Council on Adolescent Pregnancy
Newton Psychotherapy & Consulting, PLLC
North Dakota Women’s Network
NYC Department of health
Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Oklahoma State Department of Health
Oregon Youth Sexual Health Partnership – A Statewide public/private partnership of organizations and individuals throughout Oregon
Outspoken Sex Ed
Peer Health Exchange
People For the American Way
PFLAG National
Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey
Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California
Planned Parenthood Arizona
Planned Parenthood California Heads of Education
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood of Maryland
Planned Parenthood Metro NJ
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii
Population Institute
Positive Women’s Network
Power to Decide
Pride Action Tank
Pridelines
Provide, Inc.
Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH)
Puberty: The Wonder Years
Raven’s Lair
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Reproductive Health Access Project
Research
riseHFL.org
Roads To Family
Scarleteen
Self- Independent OWL Facilitator in Las Vegas
Sex Coach U
Sex Work Outreach Project – Salt Lake City
sexgenlab.org
Sexual Health Promotion Lab
Sexuality Education Alliance of New York City (SEANYC)
SexyShan, LLC
SHAPE America
SHIFT NC
SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change
Silver State Equality-Nevada
Sister Reach
Soaring Heart Counseling
Stop the Shaming
Teen Health Mississippi
Teen Pregnancy & Prevention Partnership
Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
The AIDS Institute
The Brazen Project
The Long Island Institute of Sex Therapy
The Well Project
ThembiAnaiya LLC
Thrive Alabama
Together For Youth
Treatment Action Group
UN|HUSHED
Union for Reform Judaism
University of Minnesota
University of South Florida- St. Petersburg
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Utah Consent Coalition
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance
Virtual Parent Coach
We Are Family
West Wind Foundation
WHARR (Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights)
Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health
Women Have Options – Ohio
Women of Color Sexual Health Network
Women of Reform Judaism
Women’s Foundation of Florida
Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga
WV FREE
