Disclaimer: This topic is being written because it is relevant to the experiences of many individuals on our campus. In talking about it, we hope this campus will have healthy conversations about it in the present and future. Some individuals I interviewed wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of their experiences.
Sex education has been integrated into school curriculums for nearly sixty years and maybe even longer. The curriculum on such topics varies from school to school, whether it is just an anatomy lesson or an in-depth analysis of what sex is and whether or not it should be encouraged. In most Seventh-day Adventist schools and other institutions, the view on sex differs somewhat from some of the world around us. Sex in our institutions is often discussed as something to stay away from at all costs. Sex education ought not to be only about whether to perform the act but also about what to do in harmful situations. This also includes sexual orientation, ways to know your body, your rights of consent, and even about contraception and safe sex. Seventh-day Adventist institutions have taken a “don’t talk about it, and it won’t happen” approach without taking much time to discuss other possibilities in sex education. Although getting married and having children is generally encouraged in the Adventist church, sex outside of marriage is still taboo. What does this all mean for the conversations about sex in the SDA world? Should Adventists schools talk about sex more? Let’s talk about these issues.
First, I would like to talk about my experience. I went to the same Adventist school for about twelve years. In those twelve years, sex education and sex, in general, were only mentioned twice. We had the reproductive system and puberty talk in fifth grade and another seventh-grade anatomy lesson. My high school science teacher blatantly refused to go over the topic of sex in our textbook. Even when I switched schools in my junior year, I received no further mention of sex education. Luckily, my parents were open to me asking them questions about what sex was and the boundaries I needed to set for my body. Unfortunately, I know that many individuals on this campus have families who were never open to having conversations like this. Whether it was because of religious discomfort or embarrassment, parents trusted Adventist education to represent sex education accurately, but in my experience, they didn’t.
But I can’t go only off of my own experience, so I decided to ask a few of my peers what they had experienced regarding sex education. I asked each person three questions: Do you think your school gave you sufficient sex education? If not, where did you learn this information? And whether or not they believed Adventist schools should place more emphasis on sex education or if there are some things kids should not know about. One individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, said, “I did not receive proper sex education in school. I didn’t learn about sex until my freshman year of high school, and even then, it was skimmed over very quickly. I had to learn about it from bits and pieces of things I heard from the world around me. I did not learn from school or home. At least in middle school, there should be some form of sex education. I didn’t know what a menstrual cycle was until I had one. At least basic things about people’s bodies should be taught.”
Another anonymous individual said, “I don’t think I had a satisfactory sex Ed at school. I pretty much learned about it from other people and from online. I think Adventist schools should teach that subject at its utmost capacity so that it becomes unlikely that kids [will] get misinformation on the subject.”
Moriah Coleman (sophomore, pre-physical therapy) said, “I don’t think I received a satisfactory sex ed in school. I have been in Christian schools my entire life, and I have seen that sex is not a topic most Adventists like to talk about. Very often, we tend to hide the topic from discussion. I would even say that talking about it in a casual way is frowned upon. One can never be really old enough to learn about it. However, I would rather learn about sex ed formally than from the situations we usually do. It is never good to walk into an environment blindfolded and I feel like that is what is produced when hiding such topics.”
All three of these individuals make very important points. If kids are not learning about this from their teachers and parents, they will seek the information elsewhere. Those other sources may give them negative views on sex or bodies or promote violent and aggressive behaviors. These conversations also apply to university students. Asking questions and conversing will lead to healthier outcomes instead of being misinformed by the world around us.
It is very clear from the stories of the individuals I interviewed, as well as myself, that Adventist education has been lacking in the topics of sex, puberty, and other ways of perceiving our bodies. This article is intended to bring the issue of insufficient sex education to light and help start the conversation on our campus and other SDA institutions. If you feel you would like to speak with a professional about this topic, please feel free to contact our campus support at the CTC or a trusted adult. Otherwise, we encourage you to continue having conversations like this on our campus, and we hope you stay healthy in these final weeks of school.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.