On sex ed
Let’s be honest, as an immature young adult, sexual education class was probably pretty close to your idea of hell. As a sophomore in college, it wasn’t too long ago I was subjected to learning about my “changing body” from my gym teacher playing videos that were probably three times as old as I was.
Current laws regulating sexual education in our state are outdated and are simply no longer applicable to our generation. It is a waste of time and resources to continue to allow school districts to teach abstinence-only curriculums when they are proven to be ineffective. A CDC study in 2017 reported 33 percent of Colorado high school students reported having sexual intercourse. It is a disservice to the health and safety of our youth if our education system continues to turn a blind eye on these statistics.
Most of us remember sex ed as awkward and uncomfortable, but for students in the LGBTQ community, it can be an agonizing experience. In 2015, fewer than 6 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students age 13-21 reported that their health class had included a positive representation of LGBT-related topics (Guttmacher Institute). By not including this information, the public school system is practically telling these students that their health and safety is inferior to that of their peers.
I support sex ed, but not a curriculum that fails to recognize the facts and the needs of this generation’s students. I encourage our elected officials to pass House Bill 1032, a bill that puts into place a comprehensive sex education that bans “abstinence-only” curriculums, enforces topics such as consent be addressed and addresses sexual orientation. This bill has been highly debated, but failed to make any progress so far. I urge our elected officials to pass this bill this legislative session.
Rudy Joon/Boulder
Child of privilege?
Sadly, we’ve seen the consequences of children of privilege given unearned and therefore undeserved advancements in life. We need look no further than a “president” now occupying our White House who lost America’s popular vote. Or the loser, (as he would say with his very limited vocabulary). But at least now we know why he wants his documentation to remain hidden. By the way, technically wouldn’t that make him undocumented? Yet another presidential first.
Tommy Holeman/Superior
