John,

Did the Sex Ed you received cover cyberbullying, sexting or porn? Did it accurately discuss gender identity or LGBTQ folks? What about consent and what makes a healthy relationship? These questions are front and center for young people growing up today. Their Sex Ed needs to confront it and start honest conversations about these very real issues.

So we’re thrilled to announce today the release of UPDATED National Sex Education Standards, which include updated indicators for consent and healthy relationships, gender identity and sexual orientation, and racial justice and equity. These topics are already on students’ minds, so the new standards provide educators guidance on the core content and skills necessary to educate students on them.

We’re proud to release this as part of the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative, a partnership of Advocates for Youth, Answer, and SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change. In fact, Answer’s Dan Rice puts into perspective exactly why this is important: “When we don’t provide opportunities to have these conversations in safe, affirming, and inclusive environments, we leave young people with an information gap that they often fill with sexually explicit media and pornography.”

Exactly. Inclusive and honest sex education goes beyond delivering information. It meets young people where they are so they can practice the communication, decision-making, and negotiation skills they need to create healthy relationships, and explore identities and values in a supportive (and medically accurate!) environment. It can also help them learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, understand the importance of consent, mutual respect and bodily autonomy, and reduce their risk of sexual violence.

SIECUS’s Christine Soyong Harley says, “Young people deserve information that is not only accurate and up-to-date, but also reflective of their lived experiences.” We couldn’t agree more and hope you will help us spread the word by posting about the new standards on social media.

In fact, here’s an idea of what you can say:

🚨BREAKING: Updated National #SexEd Standards have arrived! If you know folks who could provide sex education that is:
✅ Medically accurate
✅ Inclusive of LGBTQ+ identities
✅ Realistic about the role technology plays in relationships

Download it today: http://bit.ly/NSES-2

Thank you and please feel free to reply to this email with any questions you have.

Thank you,

Debra Hauser
President & CEO
Advocates for Youth

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