Historical Context

Overview

As psychology professor Sharon Lamb shares, "[o]ne of the earliest movements for sex education was connected to the social purity crusade of the late nineteenth century, whose goals were to regulate all sexual activity, to eradicate prostitution and reeducate prostitutes, and to prevent racial degeneration of white (seen as pure) children" (Lamb, 2013). During this era, American popular culture, including films and novels, regularly promoted notions of white purity and virtue and incited violence against non-white individuals. 

Here, we dissect and discuss the history of sexual education in America and contextualize the changes within their historical and social backgrounds.

Early 1900s

By 1920, 40% of domestic public schools had sexual education curriculum (Lamb, 2013). Because youth sexual activity and development were perceived as societal problems and dangerous to the purity culture, curriculum authors founded sexual education on "scientific" studies (Magee, 2022).

Throughout history, "science" has been used to incite movements that justify racist ideologies and encourage creating a 'white,' 'pure,' generation. For example, in "Query XIV" of Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson talks about enslaved Africans from a ‘biological’ and ‘scientific’ perspective to justify slavery. He argues that Black individuals are by nature built for the harsh conditions of slavery and that “in reason,” they are “much inferior” to whites, referring to them as animals (Jefferson 6). Jefferson's continuous comparison of Black individuals to animals creates a false image that Black sexuality and love are atavistic and animalistic traits. This lays the foundation for ideologies of non-white, specifically Black individuals, as a threat to the white, pure culture due to miscegenation. 

Contextualizing the creation of sexual education curriculum founded on a "scientific" basis approach that previously justified slavery allows an understanding that these racialized structures may still manifest in the present time and current curriculum.

"The dramatized discourse of the adolescent sexuality "problem,” then and now, is gendered, racialized, and classed—with wealthy white girls perceived as sexual innocents, and poor youth and youth of color ‘at risk’ and sources of danger" (Magee, 2022).

While many believed that teaching white adolescents about sexual threats could help prevent miscegenation, many individuals were worried that it would guide them away from being virtuous and point them toward racial impurity and moral decay (Lamb, 2013). Those opposed to sexual education were worried about how the "visibility of sex in the culture change [could] societal expectations regarding modesty and morality" and "young girls, learning about and then fearing venereal diseases, [could] choose celibacy or even lesbianism instead of a heterosexual family life" (Lamb, 2013).

Mid-1900s: 1960-1990

In 1964, Mary Calderone, the medical director of Planned Parenthood, formed the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). The organizations aimed to deconstruct the stigma and shame around sex, recognizing that "good sexual and reproductive health is a human right" (SIECUS). SIECUS focused less on sending explicit messages about morals and sex, as the purpose of their materials was "simply to provide information so that young people could make their own moral decisions" (Lamb, 2013).

 However, during this time a 'counterculture' movement arose within the religious right, a conservation coalition of Christian evangelicals across the United States. The ideologies of this movement attacked the feminist, gay rights, civil rights, and youth revolutions, weaponizing sexual education as a means to do so (Magee, 2022). During the 1980s HIV/AIDS pandemic, the religious right adopted an abstinence-only curriculum, primarily focused on protecting the standard "white, middle-class heterosexual marriage," controlling pre-marital sex, promoting traditional family values, and addressing teen pregnancy (Magee, 2022).

Texas (1990s-2017)

During the late 1900s, the United States underwent rapid internal and external transformations. Technological advancements, globalization, shifting demographics due to increased migration, and evolving cultural norms all played a role in reshaping the political landscape. These changes gave rise to a climate where issues such as healthcare, immigration, gun control, and environmental protection became fiercely contested battlegrounds.

Texas emerged as a microcosm of these ideological clashes, encapsulating the nationwide tension between conservatism and progressivism. Zooming in on Texas’s history and social context during the last few decades allows us to navigate complexities within the state’s education system and curriculum.

Common Types of Sex Ed

Who is Affected?

The issue of sex education is all-encompassing in the United States--it affects everyone. However, this issue has grown increasingly politicized in time after the Dobbs decision, and those attending school in places affected by anti-sex ed policy pose a greater risk of harm from a lack of comprehensive sex ed. In a post-Roe America, it is especially important to advocate for well-researched and comprehensive sex education in every state, as it is one of the most effective ways to empower and educate youth about their sexual health. Not only does comprehensive sex education manifest in lower rates of teenage pregnancy and STIs, but states with comprehensive sex ed show a decrease intimate-partner violence, as well as homophobic bullying and harassment. High-quality sexual education also promotes healthy relationships and helps prevent child sex abuse by increasing skills to identify and report such offenses.

Significance

Since Dobbs, there has been a resurgence of the politicization of sexual education, with many politicians in states with abortion bans speaking out against comprehensive sex ed and materials associated with it. For example, in Texas, State Rep. Matt Krause, launched an investigation into school textbooks and library materials on “human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases … [and] sexually explicit images.” Rep. Krause directed schools to report the possession of any of more than 800 titles — including nearly a dozen books about Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made access to safe and legal abortion a constitutional right. In May, a bill in Louisiana advanced to the Senate that would broadly ban K-12 public school staff from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in school and during extracurricular activities “in a manner that deviates from state content standards or curricula developed or approved by the public school governing authority.”  Additionally, lawmakers in Florida have enacted a law that aims to suppress discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary schools. These are not the only examples, of course, and restrictions on sexual education do correlate with states that have current abortion bans in place. This means that students in these states are faced with overlapping issues that are detrimental to their sexual health and freedom.