A Call to Action: LGBTQ+ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education
This report details the urgent need for LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education programs and supports. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth – particularly those who are at the intersection of multiple marginalized communities – need to be able to learn in settings that are inclusive of their experiences and that give them the necessary tools to stay safe and healthy. However, whether legally barred or simply ignored, LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education is not available for most youth, especially for LGBTQ youth who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC).
Written and endorsed by SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity Advocates for Youth, Answer, Black & Pink, the Equality Federation, GLSEN, the Human Rights Campaign, the National LGBTQ Task Force, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, this report provides guidance for parents and families, youth, educators, and policymakers to:
- Become advocates for LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education;
- Ensure that school is a safe and accepting space for LGBTQ+ students;
- Implement LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education in schools, community settings and online;
- Talk to their own children and teens about sex and sexuality; and
- Work to remove state-level legal and policy barriers to LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education in schools and to require inclusive programs.
