Sex Ed: Education or Propaganda?

By S. Michael Craven, Christian Post Guest Columnist Tuesday, January 22, 2008

The last four decades have seen a significant shift in the philosophy behind sex education in America's public schools. Prior to the sexual revolution, human biology and reproduction, hygiene, and marriage were the focus of sex education. In essence, this approach was grounded in particular moral virtues, namely biblical.

The new emphasis seeks to eliminate these traditional moral distinctions. Instead the student's "choice" is given the supreme moral authority and the goal of these curriculums is to merely aid in the "safest" expression of the child's choice.

This follows the vision set forth by Dr. Mary Calderone, former medical director of Planned Parenthood, first president of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS) and the architect of modern sex education, when she wrote:

A new stage of evolution is breaking across the horizon and the task of educators is to prepare children to step into that new world. To do this, they must pry children away from old views and values, especially from biblical and other traditional forms of sexual morality - for religious laws or rules about sex were made on the basis of ignorance. (Calderone & Johnson, The Family Book About Sexuality, 1981)

However, more and more modern sex education programs are becoming nothing more than publicly funded platforms for legitimizing homosexuality and other deviant and unsafe behaviors—pro-homosexual propaganda presented under the guise of "tolerance" and "diversity."

As Olivia St. John writing for WorldNetDaily.com points out, "Thanks to public apathy and the efforts of misguided state and federal lawmakers, activist judges and liberal teachers unions, our nation's schools have become the new red-light district of the 21st century."

St John offers for example, "Gay-Straight Alliances, or GSAs, serve as illicit sex breeding grounds in more than 3,000 public schools across America. The GSA Network News links students to socials, seminars, conferences and other events enabling adult homosexuals to develop relationships with young people. A recent announcement seeks 'queer youth models' who are males age 15-18 'or look under 18.' Still another invites young people to a free movie screening described as being a 'sexy, sensory treat.' October's news featured a free 'Queer Girl Retreat' for females ages 24 and younger for 'two days of radical queer education about community, bodies and pleasure."

According to St. John, "GSA activists within public schools have inserted obscene material … into both libraries and classroom discussions. Considered 'sexual literacy,' assigned books explore sexual perversions, including teen sex with adults. One book titled The God Box questions the 'interpretation' of Biblical passages on homosexuality."

More recently, the Gay-Straight Alliance Network has begun promoting transgender issues on middle and high school campuses. The GSA Network News detailed how a GSA club at Sierra High School in California recently completed its "newest event" – a Transgender Day of Remembrance.

In Fresno, a GSA club member at McLane High School and a former club member planned a community-wide Transgender Day of Remembrance at Café Fresno, which featured "open mic, poetry readings, music and general youth fellowship." In support of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, the GSA Network News offered the following encouragement to students, "Now, is the time to push your school and community 'beyond the binary' and focus on not only fighting homophobia on your campus, but also fighting transphobia."

This follows an emerging trend in judicial activism. In 2002, a judge in Massachusetts ruled that a junior high school boy must be permitted to attend classes while wearing girls' clothing. Judge Giles justifies her decision by claiming that "exposing children to diversity at an early age serves the important social goals of increasing their abilities to tolerate differences and teaching them respect for everyone's experience in that 'Brave New World' out there."

In a dispute that is still ongoing, the Montgomery County (Maryland) Board of Education last year adopted a sex education curriculum designed to teach tolerance of gays and lesbians. Among other things, course materials described as a "myth" the belief that "homosexuality is a sin" and characterized certain Christian religions as "intolerant and Biblically misguided" because they are "opposed to homosexuality."

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest teacher's union representing more than 2.7 million teachers and educators offers the manual A School Employee's Guide to Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Issues (GLBT) in which they state, "NEA stands committed to addressing the needs of and challenges faced by both GLBT students and our GLBT members and colleagues. And we will continue to work to secure GLBT rights as part of our larger effort to secure human and civil rights for all in and outside of the classroom." The NEA actively promotes GSAs and works closely with the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Committed to homosexual activism, "GLSEN works with educators, students, and the community to help children learn to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression." (Quote taken from the NEA website)

Suffice it to say that since its inception in the 1960s, the "modern" approach to sex education has been accompanied by epidemic rates of sexually transmitted disease among teens, out-of-wedlock teen pregnancies, and psychological trauma.

However, it would be a mistake to regard this approach as merely misguided when in fact it is quite deliberate and its aims are very specific. It is as Dr. Calderone so plainly put it more than two decades ago; an effort to "pry children away from old views and values, especially from biblical and other traditional forms of sexual morality."

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S. Michael Craven is the President of the Center for Christ & Culture, a ministry of discipleship and Church renewal that works to equip Christians with an intelligent, thoroughly Christian and missional approach to culture. For more information on the Center for Christ & Culture, additional resources, and other works by S. Michael Craven visit: www.battlefortruth.org