So today’s topic in Health Class was sexuality. Any word that contains “sex” somewhere in it always piques my interest, so I was curious to see how the class would progress today. Would the professor treat it like my high school health teachers did so many years ago – by running a well worn 16mm film on the Singer film projector, out of focus, so we couldn’t see the important parts?
I’m glad to say that he did not. Instead, he invited a speaker from the local Planned Parenthood to address the class.
The speaker blew me away with his frankness, personality and confidence he displayed while discussing a potentially taboo subject. If I’m to be honest, there are few subjects, when it comes to sex, that will make me blush and it was refreshing to hear a speaker address the class in much the same manner.
During the presentation he threw out several statistics that I found startling:
1. HIV infections are back on the rise.
2. 20,000,000 Americans per year are infected with a sexually transmitted infection and this does NOT include HIV infection.
3. Of those 20+ million, a good share of them are young adults aged 16-24.
Cluephone ringing for our conservative folks, the whole “let’s ignore it/abstinence” approach isn’t working.
Don’t be surprised if I hand you a condom sometime.
