Teach Sexual Health Lessons in Your Usual Classroom Setting
Teaching sexual health education in gender inclusive classrooms (i.e., to all genders of students at once) has many advantages. It ensures that all students are receiving the same information, in the same way, thus decreasing any sense of secrecy associated with these topics. The experience of respectful discussion in an all-gender classroom cuts down on disrespectful communication between genders when students have less supervision, such as in hallways, recess, cafeteria, and outside of school. It prepares all students to communicate about sexual health related topics with a future partner, family members, a health practitioner, and friends, regardless of their gender. It supports sexual violence prevention by not creating false distinctions between men and women. And finally, it does not place an undue burden on nonbinary, transgender, and intersex children to choose a classroom to affiliate themselves with.
Teaching puberty and sexual health education in a gender inclusive setting also aligns with the California Healthy Youth Act requirement that "Instruction and materials shall be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners" [CA Education Code 51933(d)(1)].