If you entered an American sex ed class, you might be shocked at what you found: instead of contraception, they preach abstinence only until marriage. Instead of modern notions of identity, they promote regressive stereotypes about homosexuality and gender.

They're transporting us back in time to an era when dangerously little was known about AIDS. Sounds crazy, right? Yet, President Bush is actually proposing a $28 million increase in funding for these ineffective, discriminatory programs!

Join Gay Men's Health Crisis in calling for an end to this outrage.

Send a message to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Given the proven ineffectiveness of abstinence-only sex education, I was surprised and disappointed to learn that the President has proposed increasing funding for these programs by $28 million.

Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs promote sexist, gender-based stereotypes about women and men and their roles in sex and relationships. These curricula also promote an anti-gay bias, claiming, for example, that AIDS is the inevitable result of homosexuality. We urge the Congress to reject bigotry and ignorance and to support public education that protects the health of our nation's youth.

How could any sex ed. program be trusted after explicitly telling children that "AIDS can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact" or that "As condom usage has increased, so have rates of STDs?"

We are failing our young people in this country. Half of new HIV diagnoses are among people under 25, and a quarter occur among teenagers. Young people are sexually active, and need the information and technology to protect themselves from sexual diseases and unwanted pregnancy.

Please end federal funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Thank you,

Campaign Launched:
February 27, 2008