Letter: Sex Education Week provides an often overlooked aspect of Sex Ed

Editor,

I had the pleasure of attending several of the SexUality Week events put on by the Student Alliance for Reproductive Justice with some of my friends from the law school. The goal of Sex Week was to give students a comprehensive sex education that is inclusive, positive and gives them the tools to have meaningful conversations about sexuality.

By teaching students what enthusiastic consent and healthy relationships look like, Sex Week turns the focus of sex education to pleasure and empowers students to recognize when something is not right. Sex Week also worked to include all students by using an intersectional lens that focused on sexuality and religion, sexuality and race, and sexuality for people on the LGBTQ spectrum.

During the “State of Sex Education” panel, Matie Fricker, owner of Self Serve Sexuality Resource Center, explained the inadequacies of our current sex education systems by comparing them to driver’s education: “Imagine if we only told students, ‘Don’t drive. You’ll probably get in a crash and there are consequences to making that choice. But if you do drive, wear a seatbelt.’”

Matie explained that only teaching students what not to do, or how to prevent pregnancy and STIs, does not go far enough. Sex education that only focuses on prevention does not accurately address the reasons that young people are having sex, and does not give them the information they need to have healthy sexual relationships.

That being said, conversations about safe sex were present throughout Sex Week, with specific presentations geared toward STI prevention and birth control.

Presenters highlighted what good communication and enthusiastic consent looks like in different situations. During “Sex Ed A Go Go,” students from the audience acted out scenes of consent. During “Sex Ed Quickies for the 21st Century,” Mike Guichete discussed sex-positive parenting, and how to reduce the impact of rape culture on children. He discussed the importance of allowing children to establish boundaries and privacy, and helping children learn that their bodies should be respected.

For me, the most crucial part of Sex Week was the creation of a shame-free environment where students could have real conversations about a topic that affects all of us. Students should not be afraid to ask real questions about sexuality, and to explore what makes them happy in a supportive environment. What is portrayed in movies and taught in mainstream sex education is incomplete at best, and inaccurate and unhealthy at its worst. Sex-positive education means students can get the full picture and can make decisions about what is best for themselves.

The university setting is designed to facilitate learning and to expose students to new ideas. I think that accurate, fact-based information about sex is an essential part of the college experience. I am grateful for the organizers of SexUality Week at UNM, and was especially pleased to see such strong support from the campus administration, the student body and the Albuquerque community at large.

Sincerely,

Lalita Russ,

UNM School of Law