utah wants to make it illegal to answer sex questions

A Salt Lake City teacher with over 30 years experience under her belt, is currently on paid administrative leave and may be fired, or even charged with a crime, for answering students' questions.  That's because the questions asked were about oral sex, masturbation and homosexuality.

After hearing about the incident, a number of parents were up in arms. "We want her fired. We want her never to teach ever again," said one.  Another proclaimed, "These are our children, and we're not going to breach the firewall of innocence." Apparently, to folks in this state, silence is golden and educators are just supposed to stare blankly when confronted with inquires about sex.

In response to this outcry, conservative Republican politician Carl Wimmer announced his intention to introduce legislation specifically making it a crime for a teacher to stray from state guidelines on sex education. Additionally, his law would prohibit, "promoting or encouraging sexual behavior. The bill also would create a registry to record the names of teachers who violate the law."

A registry!  I wonder if it will be like the one they have for convicted sex offenders?  Would the registry mean that like sex crime offenders, sex education offenders would be banned from having contact with children or from living within the vicinity of a church or school?  Could your open-minded ninth grade health teacher find herself forced to move into a motel along a desolate highway (right next door to the pedophiles already relegated there) because she told you what the word cunnilingus meant?

Maybe I am being a bit dramatic, but as someone who teaches sex ed, situations like this send chills down my spine. I can't imagine not being able to answer a kid's question. Or having to self-censor to such a degree. I can, on the on the other hand, picture life on the sex education registry, and what I see sure isn't pretty.

What do you think of this? Do any of you live in Utah? What's sex education like for you?

Photo provided by gotplaid?

Comments

[Amber S.]

The possibility of a sex educator being registered like a sex offender blows my mind.

Sex ed guy: "I'm here to teach your children about how their body works, and how to keep themselves safe from the dangers of sex, such as pregnancy and STDs!

Head-up-their-butts parents: OH NO! SAVE THE CHILDREN!

Sex ed guy: *scratching head* Er...that's what I'm trying to do.

[Teeny]

I wish that people would understand. If kids are not taught about these things they will wonder themselves. They will figure it out. Adults in this country need to face reality.
If they want teenagers to wait for sex, they should know what they are waiting for. If sex wasn't meant to happen God would not have given us our sexual organs.
Instead of snarling at sex we should be coming up with better ways to protect teenagers. Like new methods of safe sex and new medicines to fight dieses.
That teacher should not be fired. she was only doing what she was paid to do. Answer her students questions.

[Teeny]

I wish that people would understand. If kids are not taught about these things they will wonder themselves. They will figure it out. Adults in this country need to face reality.
If they want teenagers to wait for sex, they should know what they are waiting for. If sex wasn't meant to happen God would not have given us our sexual organs.
Instead of snarling at sex we should be coming up with better ways to protect teenagers. Like new methods of safe sex and new medicines to fight dieses.
That teacher should not be fired. she was only doing what she was paid to do. Answer her students questions.

[Whitney]

I live in and attended public school in Utah. The Jr. High and High School sex education programs are very basic. They touch lightly on reproductive organs, and completely skip over ANY form of birth control talk. Most of the time is spent on STDs and what happens after conception. It's failure is evident in Utah's high teen pregnancy rate.

[Christina Lame]

these parents are idiots. they are ignorant to what their kids are really doing. Personally, I think there should be more teachers willing to talk about this stuff.. without the fear of getting fired

[Heather Lynn]

I happen to feel that it's highly dumb. Are the parents aware that if they don't learn it in school they might just go home and Google it, as I've done before because my health teacher wouldn't tell me. The results didn't take me where I wanted to be so instead of the info I was stuck on a porn site. Isn’t that corrupting their kid’s minds more than them being told what a clitoris is?

[sophiarose]

this is yet another push towards teenage rebellion and harm.
shoot, if a kid can't get information about sex from a trusted adult (heaven forbid their parents would talk to them and this wouldn't be a problem in the first place) then they will be more likely to find skewed information from peers, porn, etc.
also, what if someone asks the teacher how to put on a condom, or where to get birth control, or how to know if they have an std? In the rational world, if the teacher DIDN'T answer the question, and the kid got hurt, THAT would be a crime.
good lord, these old farts in the government need to retire already and let's elect people who make sense.

[Jen]

When I first took sex ed in 9th grade, we had a middle aged female teacher who was very open with us. She and she answered EVERY question, no matter how outrageous. The class had a very comfortable atmosphere and I can't imagine learning about sex and being afraid to ask questions because of some stupid law.

[gracie]

That is mind-blowingly dumb to register sex educators: "Oh no, my neighbor is a registered sex educator! I must protect my children!" So . . . buying your children the new Grand Theft Auto video game, because they "reeeeally wanted it," is okay, but educating them is . . . not?

Gah. Parents are crazy. "Teaching kids about sex will encourage them to have sex!" Sure, people taught me that eating candy causes tooth decay. But I still eat candy. The idea is that I was taught to brush my teeth after I eat candy and that I should visit the dentist regularly to make sure my teeth are okay. Why shouldn't that analogy apply to sex education?

[Yulika]

My God... "Oh this question is about sex, and sex is BAD!!!" And WHY is it bad? We don't know... Please, if someone wants to ask something about a subject, no matter what, just don't act so difficult about it. This has nothing to do with teachers and students having sex. Why is the world today acting so childish abou "The Subject"?

[chai]

This is shocking and completely asanine. These parents are trying to tell their teenagers that it is completely wrong to think about sex or be curious about it. They have their heads in the clouds. One would think that in a world where people worry about the teen pregnancy rate and rampant AIDS epidemic, they would realise that knowledge is power--and safety. Without it, we are powerless against these threats and can't protect ourselves. By keeping teenagers in the dark for their "own good," we are really saying "Since you can't find out about what you want to know from a responsible adult who can help you through this, we want you to just go find out on your own, behind our backs, and not use a condom because you still believe that the Coca-Cola douching myth will keep you getting pregnant." If this is what our society is coming to, maybe I should move somewhere where the people who can't maintain rational thought aren't in charge.

[ke-ke]

well thats seriously crazy...
those parents shud be happy that someone is takin an intrested in students nowa days...
i mean thay shud honestly appreciate tha fact that shes takin time out to educate them on sex instead of them learnin sex the hard way...

[Jessy,]

Im pretty angry at this. Utah, Utah, Utah. Do you really think that you can possibly prepare your kids for sex if you won't tell them about it? And they're going to do it, no matter what you try to pound into their heads. TISK TISK.

[InsomiacKoneko]

Oh, how awful. Preventing Sex Ed. in school will hardly make teens lose their fascination with the subject, and that's really pretty oppressive. What about our first amendment rights, huh?

The sad irony here is that those very children are the ones who need this education the most because you can bet they won't get it from their parents. The article said that the questions were about oral sex, masturbation, and homosexuality, three pretty useful things to know about. Most people will participate in oral sex, and what if they don't know that they can get STDs or other vital information? What if they believe ridiculous thing like that hair will grow on their hands if they masturbate? And what about all the teen suicides because of homophobia? They were talking about perfectly normal things not necrophilia and beastiality or something.

[coolioness]

Banning our children from sex is the smart, logical thing to do.

Say what?

Sex is a part of life, an IMPORTANT part of life. Who are those parents trying to reach? The well educated, helpful teachers who devote their time to answer the simple questions of inquiring teenage minds? Why sex is so taboo nowadays is ridiculous, because it's not like you can avoid it.

...Maybe someone should point this out to Utah?

[janaya]

this is an outrage. you mean to tell me parents are wanting to fire a teacher who will answer the questions they don't feel comfortable aswering.thats aweful, that town in Utah seems very secluded and afraid of what people might think if anyone found out that their teen was having sex. well to the parents dont be ashamed that your teen is thinking about having sex. it's natural and whether you know it or not they are going to do it. we're kids and is at the age where we are ready to experience everything. also peer pressure plays a heavy part also. so what im trying to get across is its going to happen one day so find a healthy way to discuss it with your teen. this may take your relationship to a whole other level. to the teacher; keep your head up these people will one day realize that they are making a huge mistake by trying to fire you. you were just doing your job by helping a teen. tell me is that so bad? i would die if i couldn't talk to a teacher. we teens need a support system where we can go and talk to anyone. if we establish that then you have done your job as a parent. you sent your child to a school where they are loved. and together as a support team you can inform these kids on STDS, HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.you will be amazed at how talking to a teen can help them be more smart when their not at home. they will think twice. and ask their partner questions.

[rae]

i live in michigan, and just finished 9th grade and took health. i think that is outrageous that they would arrest a teacher for answering a sex-related question. health is a fun class full of interesting topics including sex. i had a male health teacher who was very open and straightforward with the material and answered any questions we had. that is the it should be. i am not sure why talking about sex is taboo. sex is something animals have to do to survive, sure for humans it is a pleasant experience (from what i have heard) and there are a lot of feelings involved, but that doesn't mean it should be looked down upon. it is a natural thing, we have a reproductive system for a reason and we should know how it works! plus learning about sex from a teacher in health class is a lot less awkward than from a parent.

[Shar]

Thats absolutely ridiculous!! These parents arent thinking very logically. Being a teenager i know that we all have these questions and we are going to find out one way or another. So which is better finding out from a well educated teacher who knows what they're talking about or finding out from a friend who probably wont know much about the topic if they're living in Utah or even worse blindly experimenting. A well informed person is more likely to make good decisions but obviously these parents don't get that.

[Shar]

Thats absolutely ridiculous!! These parents arent thinking very logically. Being a teenager i know that we all have these questions and we are going to find out one way or another. So which is better finding out from a well educated teacher who knows what they're talking about or finding out from a friend who probably wont know much about the topic if they're living in Utah or even worse blindly experimenting. A well informed person is more likely to make good decisions but obviously these parents don't get that.

[Emily Vizzi]

I can't understand why there are so many taboos on sex
Sex is a natural and beautiful thing when done under the right circumstances

What are they succeding in Utah other than making their children ignorant on sex and how to be safe with sex

We are making our future , who may be the future leaders of america , ignorant to something that is happening and effects all people

this is stupidity
sheer idiocy

If you want to keep your children ignorant then you'll have to remove computers cell phones , school , televison and pretty much anywhere other people may be

Sex is going to happen so parents need to educate their children on sex , safe sex , birth control and abstinence

[Mallorie]

This is ridiculous.

How ignorant do these parents have to be to try to shield their kids from sex until they're 30 something (which they are probably attempting to do).

And a registry?! Are you kidding me? What the hell. Let's lump in proper, respected teachers just answering students questions with child molesters, sex offenders and rapists. Because that's the logical, conservative thing to do!

[dora]

thats totally NOT going to help anyone!! only make things worse waaaay worse!! ugh it makes me so mad! i had helth education my sophmore year and it was my favorite class. i had an A+ and i would usually answer the other students questions myself. my teacher would even ask me how i knew all about the topics we discussed. its just very interesting to me and i actually want to go into a field where i can use my knowledge about sex and health. im about to start my senior year of highschool and im so glad i didnt have to go to school in utah or i probably would have gotten in trouble for going into such detail. im not some sex crazed teenager who tried to brain wash innocent virgins into doing the deed, i just want everyone to be informed with as much as they can be and i really dont want my classmates to be ignorant about it. in fact im still a virgin i just find the topic extremely interesting. i hope all the utah board of education comes to their senses and starts teaching their students what they need to learn