Larry Elder, the leading Republican candidate in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election, visited the Destiny Christian Church, a conservative evangelical megachurch on Sunday, and gave the congregation everything they wanted. He endorsed school choice and said no state money should go toward abortions or gender affirmation surgeries. He also said transgender athletes should not be able to compete in sports according to their identity, nor should transgender people be able to use the bathroom of their choice.
And when asked by Destiny’s pastor, Greg Fairrington, if he supports the “pornographic” practice of sex education in schools, Elder said sex education has “no role in schools at all.” And just like that, Elder promoted child abuse.
Let us dispose of Fairrington’s deliberately provocative language in describing ‘comprehensive sex-ed’ (CSE) as pornographic. To make that claim is as dumb as saying that teaching military history promotes violence. Pornography is material designed to arouse libido. And anyone who has had CSE can tell you, it is not a turn-on. Abstinence is stressed as the safest sexual choice. And the majority of the curriculum is devoted to teaching students about topics connected to future sexual activity, such as the age of consent, contraception, safe sex, conception, communicating with partners, and STDs. It also includes discussions on pregnancy outcomes such as parenting, adoption, and abortion. It is not a curriculum that finds a lot of traction on porn websites.
Sex has long been problematic for religion — especially the Abrahamic faiths. Witness original sin, apple eating and the shame of nakedness, prohibitions on the sex act outside of a marriage between one man and an indeterminate number of women, and even a ban on masturbation. In the US, Christians are trying to pervert the first amendment. And force their hypocritical morality into public schools. Hypocritical because, for all their stentorian piety, they are second to none as sexual libertines. And that points to why a ban on CSE is child abuse.
We are all here because two people had sex. And the vast majority of us — religious or not — have had premarital sex. For all the purity balls and other sexist machinations to keep young women virgins until their wedding night, young unmarried people have sex. Religion has never changed that fact, especially in countries where women have equal rights. I suppose Elder and his fellow travelers would love us to return to a Bronze Age patrimony, but that cat is out of the US constitutional bag.
Responsible adults, mentoring youth on the verge of engaging in an activity with lifelong consequences, will ensure they receive the education to approach it safely. We do not let people drive without lessons. The religious counter by claiming that sex-ed increases sexual activity. Really? Does educating people on the effect of tobacco on lung health increase the rate of smoking?
What of the claim that it is a parental right to teach their children the “birds and the bees”? Let us nip that in the bud. While parents know enough about sex to produce a child — obviously — what else do they know? I am sure some parents are excellent and thorough teachers of everything that a pubescent child needs to know to become a thoughtful sexual adult. But I will wager they are the minority. And that is before we take into account the embarrassment factor. Some readers of this diary will have parents who did an outstanding job with the subject. However, there will be many others whose parents were not up to the task for whatever reason. (Mine were not. And I would be interested if anyone wants to share their experience in the comments.)
If Elder got his way, STDs would further increase from the record amount recorded in 2020. The country would become more like the Bible Belt, which leads the nation in STD rate. Unwanted pregnancies would lead to an increase in abortion — which Elder is against, so where is the sense in that? Note: banning abortion does not make abortion go away, it forces women to get illegal abortions — another thing conservatives do not address.
Much of the confusion that the young have about sex is not about the act itself — God knows actual pornography provides an extensive manual to the mechanics of the operation — but its psychological effects. Sex is the most intimate of acts and is often a significant part of a well-adjusted relationship. But children need to know when they are ready for sex. That they have the right to say “no”. And that things like “if you loved me, you would do it” are emotional blackmail. They need to learn it is OK to call out abusive relationships. And that no one is free to touch them against their will — even if it is their pastor.
Too often, the victims of sex crimes think that it is their fault. Or that if they have not reached sexual landmarks by certain ages there is something wrong with them. Comprehensive sex-ed addresses these concerns. And for a child transitioning to adulthood, it is the most important lesson they will learn.
Perhaps, when the managers of religious organizations demonstrate their morality by sticking to the code of conduct they foist on others, they will be permitted a voice in sex-ed. But for now, the child rape coverups of the Catholic Church, and the serial sexual immorality that reaches into every corner of Protestant America, disqualifies them from having any voice in the sexual education of America's youth.