Let’s Talk About Sex – there! I Said It.

America is such a vast country, my Uganda of 93,065 mi² can fit in America’s 3.797 million mi² like 40 times. As such it mirrors how minute my perspective is when immersed in its culture.

The topic of muse today – Sex Education. I couldn’t quite find the right transition but here we are.

Do you recall when you first understood the difference between the male and female anatomy and how they are beautifully designed by God to create babies?

My first science lesson on reproductive health was in P7, we were about 12 years old and “Introduction to Biology” was the go to book. It had drawings of the male and female body parts. I understood boys’ voices deepened and girls got shapely. I understood the importance of hygiene as our bodies changed. But I think I was about 16 or a little older when the pieces started to come together and even then I didn’t understand the mechanics – perhaps I wasn’t curious enough but growing up in an all-girls boarding school we had the lectures in a roundabout way.

In my sons 6^th grade health education session, I sat wide eyed as the teacher explained how the sperm is released with a mission to fertilize the egg and dopamine hormones and attraction – eh!! Things that even at university hadn’t quite settled in my mind. Then the 7^th grade circular came in.

7^th grade class was going to have sex education sessions – more detailed and in depth. Parents were invited to the school one evening to preview the information. This way we’d know what our children are being taught. Only a handful of parents showed up. Clearly this topic is not comfortable even in liberal America.

There was tension in the room. Bits of nerve and defense mechanisms portrayed in subtle forms. Faces were set like a flint.  The Sex-Ed teachers were as varied as they come - Ms. Robinson, probably in her mid-30’s, bright eyed with an authoritative voice and Ms. White, clearly much older with a head of white hair in her mid to late 60’s. They were the target of all our tension.

Ms. White: “We are going to talk about contraceptives. Children need to know how to protect themselves”

Parent: “So, you are going to show our children how to use condoms and then tell them not to use them?”

Ms. White: “We advocate for abstinence. We tell the children about the dangers of early sexual activity, but there is a variety of children who come to this school and yes, some of them are already sexually active. “She continued to say “America has changed. In my days seeing someone on TV in underwear was unheard of. Now, there is a lot of nakedness. We have to address these issues. It is everywhere.”

Parents shuffled.  I was soothed to see this grandma tackle issues and know that we shared some conservative views. That she too couldn’t wrap her mind around the free society of the present times.

Parent: Are we allowed to attend the sessions?

Ms. White: “No. The children need a free environment. Your presence will tense them up and they will not share freely. You can have your children opt out of these sessions, we will find activities to engage them during this period.”

After the session children write questions on pieces of paper, the more complex questions are sent home in the child’s binder for the parent to discuss.

We previewed the videos that would be shown to the kids. One on sexually transmitted diseases, the other on bullying. At the end of the day knowledge is power.