SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation authored by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) that would update the state’s sexual health and HIV prevention curriculum to provide more current, inclusive and comprehensive instruction.
“Our schools are a critical environment for providing young people with the knowledge and skills that they will need to protect their sexual health,” Weber said. “This is about empowering all young men and women – whatever their orientation or gender – to make the healthiest decisions possible.”
AB 329 would update the statutory language to reflect today’s understanding of HIV and AIDS; by ensuring that students are receiving comprehensive and accurate prevention information for HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy.
The bill will also clarify and bolster existing requirements that instruction and materials be appropriate for students of all sexual orientations and genders and in include new language relating to adolescent relationship abuse and sex trafficking and reinforce a focus on healthy attitudes, healthy behaviors, and healthy relationships.
“This legislation ensures that all students have access to medically accurate and unbiased sexual health education,” said California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. “By affirmatively recognizing that people have different sexual orientations and teaching pupils about gender identity, LGBTQ youth will be safer in school.”
“LGBT people and our families have been absent for too long from sex-ed materials available to students, leaving our youth feeling invisible and stigmatized” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “Age-appropriate, medically accurate, LGBT-inclusive education improves school climate overall and creates a safer environment for LGBT students.”
Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are growing in California and are highest among young people ages 15-24. California’s teen birth rate remains higher than that of other industrialized countries, and over 80% of births to teens are unintended.
Comprehensive sexual health and HIV prevention education has been shown to be effective in both delaying sexual activity and increasing condom and contraceptive use among youth who are already sexually active. LGBT-inclusive education has also been shown to have a positive effect on school climate and make LGBT youth feel safer at school.
The bill also allows students to opt out of instruction under certain conditions.
