Day of Purity leaves out gay teens...
CNN Story

Gee that coupled with this ............ We need to remove the shrub!

:mad:


[Post modified for hyperlink format. - Outsports moderator]

[ February 13, 2004, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: m1 ]

We have to get rid of him because he promotes abstinence? What's wrong with promoting abstinence in the same way Nancy Reagan promoted self-responsibility with Just Say No?

There's nothing wrong with stressing the health and emotional benefits of abstenance as part of sex education. The problem with the "Day of Purity" and other such programs is that it also stresses that the only acceptable sexual expression occurs within marriage. What kind of message are gay and lesbian teens getting from programs like this? It's OK to be gay as long as you never act on it? That's just unrealistic, and it may even serve to encourage gay teens to start becoming sexually active earlier since there's never going to be a "better" time later on.

Many if not most of these kids can make reasonable decisions about sexuality for themselves. Why shouldn't they have ALL of the facts while they're making those decisions?

Is this the same people that say gay men have ove r500 sex partners per year?

Hmmmmm. Lets see. 500 per year times 23 years equals OH MY GOD. For me to catch up I'm gonna need reconstructive surgery.

Back to the topic.

Teaching abstinance is fine, when put in the right context. Teaching people that the only way to 100% avoid an STD is to abstain is fine, but you must teach them the other side. You have to teach them about HIV, Syphillis,Ghonnorrea (sp), chlamydia, herpes etc.

Young people, no matter what you say, will always have sex. That's a fact of life. To not prepare them for that, is criminal.

For me at least.

I'm not saying abstinence is wrong....My point was that this, on top of all his other policies is looking more conservative all of the time. And if you really believe that if he gets re-elected he will stop with these programs, then you're really not looking at the future picture at all.

Because by preaching abstinence, and saying that sex can only happen in a marriage, and then saying that marriage can only be between a man and a women....

Oh, forget it, if it has to be explained to you, then you're more of a lost cause than I thought. Geesh.

How successful was Just Say No? Anyone know if teen drug use fell during the '80s?

I was troubled by the t-shirt in the picture for "pure day" It really did represent to kids in highschool that straight sex is pure sex. It is definately a ploy by fundamentalists.

You'd think for an agenda promoted by bilical fundamentalists, they'd have at least read Genesis. There is a very clear lesson in the story of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (never expressly stated to be an apple or any other specific fruit, though some biblical scholars make a fairly convincing argument that it was a fig) that this kind of "education" is actually detrimental in the long term,

G-d tells Adam and Eve (or Steve if you prefer) not to eat of the fruit of the tree. Eve tells the serpent that they shall not touch the tree or they shall surely die. (This part is extrapolated by the commentators, but seems a plausible explanation of the passage) The serpent pushes Eve into the tree, demonstrating that its mere touch does not kill her, and thus convinces her that eating of the fruit of the tree is similarly safe, also using one of the most adolescent arguments I've ever heard, G-d doesn't want you to eat of the fruit of the tree because that will make you like him (Bill Cosby has a wonderful routine on this about the relationships between parents and children). Thus the fruit is eaten and the really bad stuff starts happening.

So to in abstinence or just say no programs, we have sincere and serious adults telling these kids that they'll die, get diseases, get pregnant, go to jail, drop out of society, etc. if they do any of the fun stuff they see people do around them without consequences all the time. They try these things, whether it be sex, drugs or alcohol, and realize that not only did it feel good, but the heavens didn't drop down on them. This actually promotes the very behavior it's designed to prevent.

Rather, telling kids honestly what their chances are and what the potential risks and rewards of various behaviors are gives them the tools to both make the right decisions and to be as safe as possible when they fall from the righteous path. A recent study indicates that condom availability does not increase the rate of sexual activity in high schools, but does increase the rate of condom usage in already sexually active students. Why isn't that a good thing?

No wonder kids are so confused. While abstenance is being promoted, every media source promotes the complete opposite. And I'm not just speaking of the halftime show at the superbowl. TV programs, commercials, movies, websites, radio and even music cd's and videos. I am certainly not against free speech but it is very obvious that the two sides of this coin are not even trying to work together for the youth of this country. It's a battle between the two sides and the kids are the ones that suffer. Then to top it all off, you have the news media playing, replaying and playing again controversial images that desensitize us.

True, Jorel. When was the last time two movie characters waited for marriage to consummate their relationship? Even PG movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding show a couple in the sack before exchanging vows. (I think that movie would have been more interesting if Toula had remained chaste until her wedding night.)

Any, I've been wondering: Was George Bush a virgin when he graduated high school? Forgive me if I presume he was not.

And what about his daughters? Forgive me if I presume they are not.

The key there is abstinence ONLY. Which means your class has no condoms, no STDs, no safe sex, no nothing. The sole message is "just don't have sex until you're married." In today's society that message just doesn't work; it also ignores the health and safety of all gay teens and all sexually active teens.