Sex is everywhere. But many people still think teens aren’t ready to handle the #Truth.
RadioActive takes a look into how we value and define virginity, and the push for abstinence-only education.
Hosts Aliyah Musaliar and Isabella Ortiz talk about Aliyah's experience learning about “healthy relationships” from Brad Henning. He’s a controversial speaker who has presented to students nationwide for 30 years – including Aliyah's eighth grade class in Tahoma, Washington. He writes about the "emotional differences between men and women" including how men dream about a “fair maiden” not the “town slut.”
We weren’t able to reach the Tahoma School District for comment before our production deadline. Here’s their statement:
The presentation to Tahoma students that is described in the podcast was discontinued two years ago. During the time that it was offered, parents were notified in advance about the presentation, including links to the presenter’s website, and had the option to not have their student participate. Parents also had the opportunity to attend an evening presentation with Brad Henning to learn more about the presentation and to ask questions. The presentation was not part of the school district’s health curriculum.
[asset-images[{"caption": "Title card from the 1966 film, Parent to Child: About Sex", "fid": "139945", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201710/about_sex.jpg", "attribution": "Credit Prelinger Archive https://archive.org/details/parent_to_child_about_sex"}]]What was your sex ed experience? Let us know on on Facebook, Twitteror Instagram. This is the latest of KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media stories created in our Intro to Journalism Workshop for young people age 16-18. Subscribe to the RadioActive podcast to hear all of our stories.