Glamour: 'How one reporter got an entire city talking about sex education'
Mackenzie Mays is a reporter for the Fresno Bee. Her series on teen pregnancy and sex education was done as a fellow with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
Other stories in the series include:
In combating the Valley’s high teen birth rates, what about teen fathers?
Here’s what Fresno high school students say they’re learning about sex
We asked 20 women what they wish they had learned in sex ed class
Teen birth rates are highest in our poorest neighborhoods. But they affect all of us
Sex education is now the law, but conservative school leaders aren’t happy about it
Why are birth rates higher for Latina teens than others? It’s complicated, experts say
This teen mom and her newborn rode a city bus to a school for delinquents. Here’s why
At 14, she was told to hide her baby bump and switch schools. Her shaming wasn’t unique
After reading teen mom’s story, strangers wanted to help. And they delivered.
Having “the talk” can be awkward. Even though there’s a lot of research that says talking honestly to youth about sex ed is the best thing to do, the subject is rarely taught as frankly as math or science.
California recently became the first state in the country to pass a law that actually requires schools provide comprehensive sex education. That means more than the dusty old textbooks or black and white VHS tapes some of us are used to. (Remember that alarmist scene in Mean Girls?) Now, schools in California must not only teach about birth control and safe sex, but also provide lessons on abortion, LGBT relationships, consent, gender identity, and more.
But not everyone is happy about it. Where I live, in the conservative Central Valley, there has been a history of pushback against sex education. In 2015, a nearby school district was sued because its sex ed textbooks didn’t mention condoms at all and compared a girl who was not a virgin to a dirty shoe . ...
Read Mackenzie Mays' full piece for Glamour on her fellowship reporting here.