Sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations issue call to action for sex education

For Immediate Release
May 4, 2020

Contact: Zach Eisenstein
Phone: (202) 265-2405 ext 3330
zeisenstein@siecus.org

Over 180 groups kick off #SexEdForAll Month with information, events, and a video challenge

Washington, DC — May is Sex Ed for All Month, an initiative spearheaded by a coalition of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations committed to ensuring all young people have access to the education and health care they need to secure the future they envision for themselves.

Throughout May, the Sex Education Coalition—including Advocates for Youth, Answer, Healthy Teen Network, In Our Own Voice, NACCHO, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, Planned Parenthood, Power to Decide, SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, and URGE—will bring digital resources directly to young people, continue to support parents and educators as they navigate remote learning, and keep advancing policies that ensure all young people are equipped with the education, information, and resources they need to make informed decisions. Organizing partners represent every facet of the fight for sex education, from educators and trainers, to parents, to policy makers, to young people themselves, including those living in rural settings, communities of color, LGBTQ+ youth, immigrants, youth with lower incomes, and youth in foster care.

Over 180 organizations have signed on to the Sex Ed For All Month Call to Action, which will be shared with federal, state, and local legislators to demand funding and legislation to ensure every student receives quality sex education.

Decades of research show strong support for sex education among parents, educators, young people, and the general public. Unfortunately, too many young people in the U.S. do not receive the tools they need to make informed sexual and reproductive health decisions because funding and quality of education programs vary significantly across the country.

With schools closed in nearly every state due to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people, parents, educators, and advocates are encouraged to participate in the #SexEdForAll video challenge by sharing how sex education can promote social change. The video challenge will bring real voices across the nation together, elevating the importance of why all young people—no matter who they are, where they live, or what their income is—have the right to the information and skills they need to protect their health.

Each week during May, groups will highlight a different aspect of the fight for sex education and how you can be an advocate from home:

• May 4-8: Sex ed for all for social change: An introduction to why we need sex ed for all, and what we need to do to get there
• May 11-15: Engaging young people directly: A focus on youth, including providing digital sex education resources for young people and lifting up youth voices in advocating for sex education
• May 18-22: Focus on parents and educators: How we can support parents and educators from home, and how parents and educators can be advocates in the fight for sex education
• May 26-30: Policy priorities and demands for sex education: Engaging policymakers on how federal funding and policies supporting sex education and sexual health services can help young people, including a call to action for federal, state, and local legislators.

Young people need and deserve quality sex education and sexual health care all year round, no matter what. Get involved this month by telling us why you believe in sex education for all: participate in the #SexEdForAll video challenge and follow the hashtag on social media.

“Even amid nation-wide school closures and stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19, this year’s Sex Ed For All Month observance provides a powerful and necessary opportunity to uplift the need for advancing sex education in this country,” said Christine Soyong Harley, President & CEO at SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. “This May, we are excited to share resources that allow us to provide young people with high-quality sex education—without anyone having to leave home. At SIECUS, we believe that sex education is a vehicle for social change. It has the power to foster a new generation of young people who believe in bodily autonomy, healthy relationships, affirming each other’s identities, and building a stronger community of connection and respect. In a time as challenging as this, it’s crucial that we focus on naming and sharing the society-shifting power of sex education. We are proud to join our partners across the country in doing exactly that.”

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SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change has served as the national voice for sex education for 55 years, asserting that sexuality is a fundamental part of being human, one worthy of dignity and respect. Through policy, advocacy, education, and strategic communications efforts, SIECUS advances sex education as a vehicle for social change—working toward a world where all people can access and enjoy sexual and reproductive freedom as they define it for themselves.