Media, poor education trivialize sex, STDs
By Alina Varona
April 21, 2003 9:00 p.m.
When I turn on the television, I am bombarded by images of sex
on almost every channel.
“Girls Gone Wild” commercials, sitcoms and music
videos featuring the young, middle-aged and old. It doesn’t
matter. It’s always alluring or exciting, sometimes even
comical.
But then I’m reminded of the time my best friend told me
he was HIV positive. And it was none of those things.
Listening to the KROQ call-in show, “Loveline,” I
often become extremely disturbed and disheartened, wondering why a
15-year-old has had multiple abortions, or why a 16-year-old has
already had several sexual partners. I always return to the same
thought ““ that viral load and T-cells will now be permanent
fixtures in my friend’s life, along with daily dosages of
pills, regular doctor visits and a lingering fear that he may never
see his nephews get married.
With so many dangers out there, including the exceedingly
prevalent sexually transmitted diseases, why do images of
promiscuity continue to be promoted? And why does a generally
relaxed attitude toward sex continue to be endorsed?
College is often portrayed as the “appropriate time”
for sex and promiscuity. Case in point: spring break and wild
parties.
In a study titled “Tracking the Hidden Epidemic Trends in
STDs in the United States, 2000,” the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reports that 15 million people become
infected with “one or more STDs each year, half of whom
contract lifelong infections.” Somehow, I wasn’t
surprised to discover that teenagers and young adults are at the
highest risk, with teenagers accounting for approximately a fourth
of all new infections.
More than 65 million individuals in the United States are living
with an incurable STD. Good times, huh?
There are several layers to this problem, all of which are not
being dealt with adequately. Attitudes toward sex, both in the
media and individuals, are extremely casual and often apathetic.
The consequences of sex and the dire need to protect one’s
self and others against STDs are not being advertised nearly as
much as their counter images, which suggest there’s nothing
better than the feeling of warm apple pie.
In addition, our children’s sex education is failing them.
Advocates for Youth, an organization providing young adults with
the proper education and resources when and if they decide to
become sexually active, reports that 69 percent of all U.S. school
districts provide some form of sexual education. It also
articulates the two types that are primarily offered: comprehensive
and abstinence-only education.
Comprehensive education includes information about the
prevention of STDs, pregnancy and the effectiveness of
contraceptives. In my experience, as is probably the experience of
several other individuals who have received a comprehensive sexual
education, abstinence was merely a passing word at the end of long
presentation.
In addition students are bombarded with statistics which appear
as if their peers are sexually active, when in reality, the
majority of them are probably not. These statistics can create
feelings of isolation and produce inescapable pressures, leaving
abstinence as an unrealistic and unfavorable option.
Thirty-five percent of schools providing sex education present
teenagers with an abstinence-only view. It informs students of
either the ineffectiveness of contraception or merely informs them
to wait until marriage. It essentially does not educate the youth,
and therefore probably contributes to the increasingly large number
of pregnancies and STDs among teenagers.
Both these groups will lack the knowledge and tools to protect
themselves. Both will grow up and perhaps one day attend college,
wherein this cycle might continue.
There is no such thing as “safe,” but there is
“educated” and “safer,” which may keep some
from becoming a part of the 15-million-member group of people
infected each year. STDs do not discriminate against age, gender,
race, religion or sexual orientation. It can be you, a family
member, a significant other or a best friend.
Chances are that in your lifetime it may be one of the
above.
Varona is a third-year English student.
E-mail her at avarona@media.ucla.edu.
