I saw an excellent TEDx talk about the nature of feminity and its use as means to safety by Hari Nef, a model, actor, and trans activist. She is a lovely person whose insight is only matched by the grace of its delivery. It made me think about what can be done to evolve our society’s thinking on such subjects. Debates over restroom use by gender non-conforming people in our public schools are especially jarring because such rights are so basic, so essential. If the general public, especially teachers and students, were better informed on basic health education there would be more support for everyone’s rights to bodily autonomy and respect. Here is an exercise in putting my money where my mouth is: a curriculum outline for a healthier health class.

1. Anatomy/Physiology

First goal: Fully incorporate all kinds of genital variation into the discussion of anatomy (not teaching intersex as divergent, but offering rates if students are curious as to how frequently a given variation occurs). Use a social justice framework to inform language and topic choices. This includes trans and intersex-inclusive language (female-assigned bodies, etc.), a discussion of the social construction of sex and gender, and discussion of sex chromosomes and the analogous nature of genitalia so as to dispel myths surrounding the importance of such differentiation to gender expression and human ability. If sexual intercourse is discussed, I would want to avoid cis/het privilege by expanding the definition beyond vaginal/penile penetrative sex (Koepsel, 2016).

Second goal: Make sure the female anatomy is taught in its entirety including the full scope of the clitoris, and the signs of female arousal as these things are often ignored while that of men is usually addressed (Pastor, 2009/2016). Hopefully, this will reduce the “orgasm gap” in future generations (Pastor, 2009/2016; pp. 133). Equal attention to the full female anatomy is essential. Teaching that female arousal is a necessary part of sex is hugely important in dismantling rape culture.

 

2. Intimate/Sexual Violence (I/SV) Prevention

First goal: Discuss privilege and rape culture: facilitate a conversation that prompts students to discuss how aspects of our culture (certain customs and attitudes) contribute to the epidemic rate of sexual and intimate partner violence in America. Use local statistics so that students cannot otherize victims of intimate partner/sexual violence. Have an anonymous survey that presents the number of students in the class who have experienced this or know someone who has in order to make clear the severity of the problem and help students empathize.

Second goal: Provide resources in case I/SV happens to any students and so they can be good allies to those around them who experience it. Discuss the role of gender, and how men can be better allies to women, who are disproportionately affected by I/SV.

 

3. HIV/STI Prevention

First goal: Make clear the importance of condom use in order to prevent HIV/STIs—stress that more often than not, symptoms are ambiguous or not present immediately (Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, 2011). Use LGBTQ inclusive language and specific needs as far as STI exposure.

Second goal: Prevention. Discuss where students can get free HIV/STI testing and free or low-cost treatment. Make sure students know the timelines they should have STI/HIV testing, i.e. before new partners and six weeks after new partners to detect new STIs that could have been contracted via a new partner (BWHBC, 2011). Have students discuss how to start a conversation with a new partner about STIs.

 

4. Pregnancy Education

First goal: Discuss reproductive justice including but not limited to: access to fertility options for gay couples and their legal rights, the extremely high mortality rate for pregnant women in America and the disproportionate impact on women of color, the implications of pregnancy on women in our society from a feminist lens i.e. post-partum depression, the impact of unequal caregiving, implications for career, etc. (BWHBC, 2011).

Second goal: Introduce students to the full breadth of care and delivery options available, and discuss all the potential pros and cons of each (doulas, midwives, home birth, birthing center, hospital, etc.).

 

5. Bonus Unit

I would also add a unit that we can call “Stigmatization and Activism.” My feminist mentors often challenge me to see both the positive and negative in things and not stop till I’ve considered how they might be improved. I’ve found that to be really enlightening, and appreciate how it makes discussing sad realities a little less disturbing, more empowering. In that spirit, this unit would not merely discuss the problems in our society, but also invite students to be a part of the solution by promoting positive change. In this unit we would explore stigmatization and the students would then complete a project in which they display activism to try to diminish a stigma. This would involve researching a topic meaningful to them so that all claims are backed with peer-reviewed research and then presenting it in real life. Examples include a letter to a government official or office with recommendations for changes, public art (dance, music, a play, material art, etc.) to increase awareness or protest, a staged protest or sit-in at the appropriate place.

 

This curriculum would be considered sex positive because it would present sexuality as a normal and healthy part of life. This kind of curriculum is controversial, but an abstinence-only curriculum has been found to not be as effective at reducing negative outcomes among teens like unplanned pregnancies, IP/S violence, STI transmission as more comprehensive curricula. (Advocates for Youth, 2008/2016; Koepsel, 2016). I would strive to be inclusive of all viewpoints in the classroom including those whose religious or personal beliefs stress abstinence. We would have discussions that would utilize tools like prospective hindsight (Klein, 2007)—the imagining of a negative or positive outcome and what might have caused it—in order to fully explore the consequences of sex in different scenarios. It would not simply be a “scared straight” style hammering of the negatives associated with sexuality, but also a discussion of the positive outcomes (Koepsel, 2016). While I wouldn’t necessarily have to go into techniques for pleasuring themselves or others, I would have students discuss things like the importance of enthusiastic consent, making sure they and their partner are satisfied with whatever the conditions of their sexual expression are, and the societal implications of certain acts and who does them.

 

 

 

References

Advocates for Youth. (2016). Adolescent sexual health in europe and the U.S.—Why the difference? In E. Gathman (Ed.), Women, health, and healthcare. (pp. 141-146). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. (Original work published 2008)

Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. (2011). Our bodies, ourselves. (40th-anniversary ed.). [Kindle version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com

Klein, G.K. (2007, September). Performing a project premortem. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2007/09/performing-a-project-premortem

Koepsel, E.R. (2016). Sexual health education in Wisconsin and the United States: Current issues & future posibilities. In E. Gathman (Ed.), Women, health, and healthcare. (pp. 141-146). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. (Original work published n.d.)

Pastor, S.K. (2016). Education for sexual intimacy and agency. In E. Gathman (Ed.), Women, health, and healthcare. (pp. 132-139). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. (Original work published 2009)