Training on sex. ed that made me very upset, but passionate.

An experience I had at a training entitled- Essential Skills and Practice: Developmentally Appropriate Sexual Health/ HIV Prevention Education

It felt like the room had disappeared to only the trainer and me. The video on the screen was a video used for 9-12 graders, and it consisted of a teenage couple that had sex without protection and thought that the girl may have gotten pregnant. While they are waiting for the results of the pregnancy test, a helpful citizen separates the couple and takes them to two different houses. The male goes to a house to visit a single father. As the father explains that his son was born when he was a teenager, he wishes his girlfriend at the time and him had opted for abortion or adoption….. all while his son is in the background fiddling with some toys. The female teenager visits a young mother and her baby, as the young mother explains that she is trying to finish school and work full time, so she had to work from three until twelve and wake up at five in the morning. She explains how hard it is to be a teen mother.

The video cuts to a new scene. The couple is immersed in a pediatric hospital where premature babies have tubes coming out of every orifice of their bodies and some are not bigger than the nurse’s hand. The nurse goes on to explain that these babies are all born to teenage parents, and how likely it is for children of teenage parents to have children with severe birth defects. The main female character, whose pregnancy test is still up in the air is shown sobbing, saying how she cant be pregnant. obviously this is how her life is going to turn out. Obviously there are no positives to being a teenage parent. Obviously sex ruins your life, and it will probably ruin hers.

The video cuts to the couple back in the lab room. The male teenage character says to the girl, “if it turns out positive, we are going to take another one.” There is a great anxiety, and then the nurse presents the results. ALL CLEAR! Nobody’s life is ruined today! We escaped the evil jaws of having sex! Hooray!

Did I mention in the video that the teenage couple is Hispanic, and so are all of the teenage parents they meet? How does this make you feel?

The trainer goes on to explain that she has had students react to this video by coming up to her and saying, “I hate this video.” She then follows up with saying this is a effective video to use for 9-12 graders, as we obviously don’t want them having sex. As I feel the blood boiling in my body, my hand immediately flies up and I say without permission, “Isn’t this similar to those treacherous videos they show in drivers ed., right before they hand you your license, you know, the videos where bodies are thrown all over the street and all you see is a bloody smear of what is left behind?

She continues to argue with me, and explain that this is an effective video. I almost forgot, Arizona is a conservative and highly racist state.

Then when discussing kindergarten students, I suggested presenting the word sex to them. Just to make them familiar with the term, give them a simple definition so they know what it is. A shocked member of the school board turned to me and said, “Well that’s not appropriate. And it’s not that easy. Changing the system is like moving the titanic.”

Well then, somebody give me a lifejacket, because I’m on board.