Sex Ed For All Month is an effort spearheaded by a national coalition of sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations committed to ensuring equitable and accessible sex education for all young people.

Celebrated each May since 2019, Sex Ed For All Month is an opportunity to raise awareness and call for real investment in sex education in schools and communities across the United States. 

Sex education is about so much more than risk reduction and disease prevention. Sex Ed for All Month provides an opportunity to adjust the lens through which we have historically viewed adolescent sexual and reproductive health and address more holistically the sex education young people deserve so they can have healthy relationships, make healthy decisions, and have positive health outcomes. Sex education gives young people age-appropriate, medically accurate information and answers to their questions about sex and relationships, without shame or judgment. It has been proven to positively impact young people’s lives. But too many young people don’t have access to sex education, or the programs in their school are shaming or inaccurate.

While May was formerly known as Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, the shift to Sex Ed for All Month marked a dramatic turn away from what was previously often stigmatizing and problematic messaging. Instead, we want to stand with young people, so they have the power and the right to access the sex education and health care they need to achieve the best positive outcomes for themselves.

May is Sex Ed for All Month, a time parents, guardians, teachers, community leaders, and advocates call on local school boards, parent-teacher associations, and lawmakers to invest in high-quality sex education that meets the full needs of young people.  Join us in supporting sex education programs that promote critical thinking, communication, decision-making, consent, self-esteem, and self-efficacy by making your voice heard.  Use these social media posts on your own accounts to amplify our message that sex ed works by giving young people the tools, knowledge, and skills they need for success in life.

• I’m joining ACAP and other organizations around the country in observing #SexEdForAll Month this May because ALL young people deserve access to high-quality sex education.
• As a (parent, teacher, or member of ACAP, etc.), I believe all young people have the right to the information and skills they need to protect their health. They deserve age-appropriate, medically accurate information. Young people deserve answers to their questions about sex and relationships, free of shame and stigma no matter who they are, where they live, or what their income is. #SexEdForAll
• As a (parent, teacher, or member of ACAP, etc.), I stand for effective sex ed that empowers young people to make decisions that are best for their lives and experiences. No matter what choices young people make about sex and relationships, they should stem from empowerment, not shame. #SexEdForAll
• A one-size-fits-all approach to sex ed simply doesn’t cut it. That’s why I’m joining ACAP and other organizations this month to push for comprehensive, inclusive, culturally relevant, medically accurate, and shame-free sex ed that centers the lived experiences of all young people. #SexEdForAll
• 🗣No matter who you are or where you live, you deserve high-quality, inclusive, and medically accurate sex education. #SexEdForAll
• The research is clear—sex ed works! Parents, like me, want it, and young people demand it. The time is now to make #SexEdForAll a reality.
• LGBTQ+ youth deserve sex ed that works for them. 

Black youth deserve sex ed that works for them.

Indigenous youth deserve sex ed that works for them.

Latinx youth deserve sex ed that works for them.

Youth of color deserve sex ed that works for them. 

Asian American & Pacific Islander youth deserve sex ed that works for them.

Youth with disabilities deserve sex ed that works for them.

Young people that live at the intersections of these identities & many more deserve sex ed that works for them this #SexEdForAll & beyond

• As educators, we should give young people the sex, love, & relationships info they need to:

✅  stay healthy

✅  stay safe

✅  feel affirmed

✅  achieve their goals

#SexEdForAll

Sex education gives young people age-appropriate, medically accurate information and answers to their questions about sex and relationships, without being shamed or judged. It has been proven to positively impact young people’s lives. We all want the best education for our kids, including sex education. Sex education helps young people learn how to have healthy relationships, make informed decisions, think critically about the world, be a good ally to those who are marginalized, and love themselves for who they are.

• Sex education is more than just putting condoms on bananas. And it's even more than STI prevention and avoiding unintended pregnancy. Sex education teaches young people the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect, with racial justice, fairness, and compassion for others as core values.
• Sex education in elementary school covers foundational building blocks around things like consent and boundary setting with friends, understanding our bodies, and the beautiful diversity in the ways people form and have families.
• Sex education in middle school addresses relevant issues such as puberty, healthy peer relationships and anti-bullying, and media literacy skills to support kids in developing a healthy body image.
• Sex education in high school covers everything from birth control and safer sex, to sexual decision-making and communication skills, to understanding how society and culture shape our ideas about sex, gender, and race, and how we can work towards more equitable communities.

Sex education works. It gives young people the knowledge and skills they need for a lifetime of good health and happiness, and it sets them up for success in a diverse society.

 

• Research shows that sex education that is culturally responsive and inclusive helps young people develop the social and emotional skills they need to become caring and empathetic human beings. This type of sex education early and often leads to prevention of child sex abuse, development of healthy relationships, appreciation of sexual diversity, dating and intimate partner violence prevention, improved social/emotional learning, and increased media literacy.
• Research also shows that sex education helps students become healthier and more successful adults. It leads to lower STI rates, fewer unintended pregnancies, better self-esteem, healthier relationships, and many more benefits.
• From the American Medical Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics, experts agree that sex education that is comprehensive, inclusive, and medically accurate is critical for young people.
• Sex education teaches young people the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect, including themselves. All of these lessons are important to help young people develop into healthy adults. Sex education that teaches diversity, equity, and inclusivity can also help build school connectedness, which in turn supports student achievement. 

If you’re interested in sex education in our community, email Felicia Parks at Felicia.Parks@alexandriava.gov to learn about the Family Life Education work group.