It's more about public health than teaching teens to put condoms on bananas.
Health historian Alexandra Lord, an expert in the history of sex education, says the federal government has been instrumental in shaping Americans' views on sex and sexually transmitted diseases.
She wrote a book on the topic titled "Condom Nation: The U.S. Government's Sex Education Campaign From World War I to the Internet."
Lord will give a free public talk Wednesday as part of the Visiting Scholar Seminar Series at the University of Arizona College of Public Health.
Here's a brief preview.
Why did the government get involved in sex education in the first place?
"They were concerned about what they thought were very high rates of venereal disease, and in the early 20th century there was no easy cure."
People are also reading…
Why is the way young people learn about sex so controversial?
"It has not always been controversial. There were periods when most Americans supported sex education. There's always been a small, vocal minority, and that minority has received a great deal of attention. ...
"Most Americans want someone else to do it! Most surveys show parents want schools to do this."
What do you want people to take away from your talk?
"If people have a better understanding about why the government got involved, people might have a better understanding of why sex education is necessary."
If you go
The History of Sex Education in America
• When: Noon Wednesday.
• Where: College of Public Health, 1295 N. Martin Ave., Drachman Hall, Room A114.
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 807-8012.
