Austinist Daily: Let's Talk About Sex in Texas Public Schools ~ articleonthenet

Some public school students in Texas may get to learn a little more about the birds and the bees. It’s hard to dispute the facts of an abstinence-only sex education program: Don’t have sex and you won’t get pregnant. Don’t have sex and you won’t get a sexually transmitted disease. This kind of sex education program is taught in 96 percent of Texas classrooms, according to the Texas Freedom Network. Despite standing on this moral high ground and their best efforts, schools districts around the state appear to be realizing that--shock and amazement--teens will still have sex. The state's lackluster record helps prove that. Texas ranks fifth in the country for teen pregnancy, third in young people with AIDS and fourth in terms of syphilis among teens, according to the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. The Texas Tribune reports that several districts, including those in Midland, Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Plano, are employing or exploring "abstinence-plus" models, which encourage students to abstain but also teach about birth control methods and condoms. Susan Tortolero, the director of the University of Texas' Prevention Research Center in Houston, told the Tribune that research shows that teaching kids about birth control can delay sexual initiation. Tortolero, who helped develop a new Midland program, notes that "kids aren't getting aroused when they see a condom." The article also notes that Obama administration gives grants to districts that focus on "evidence-based" teenage pregnancy prevention, while the Bush administration had designated federal grants for abstinence-only programs. The movement could be slow-moving as more comprehensive sex education models still face conservative attitudes that believe more information would encourage teenagers to have sex. The Tribune quoted one such advocate for abstinence-only programs, Ed Ainsworth, a Lubbock pastor: "Will a condom protect your heart? As a female, will a condom protect your reputation?" he asked. During the 2010 elections, Gov. Rick Perry, when questioned about the state's unimpressive sexual health statistics, gave his own insight into the way he views sex education. "Abstinence works," Perry said, noting his own personal experience, without providing further detail on what those experiences might be. He declined, however, to offer a statistic to prove such a claim when asked to produce one. [MORE]

TRIBEZA Rock & Runway Show [Style Week]

Austinist attended TRIBEZA's Rock & Runway show. The men's event, part of the magazine's eight annual Style Week, was well attended. As we arrived guests were already staking claims to the benches and covered hay bails set-up along the stone runway. Light rain briefly moved the party inside, but passed with plenty of time to enjoy the night. Austin-based rock band, The Happen-Ins, provided pre-show music. ... [ MORE ]

Gang Gang Dance and Prince Rama Tonight [Show Preview]

2008's "First Communion" - is this not the killer apocalyptic worldbeat single for which all the world was waiting? Simultaneously shaking the scene by its limbs while handing M.I.A. her ass, Gang Gang Dance have infiltrated real rhythm into the self-conscious New York rock scene (and how). Their call to arms was the misleadingly-titled Revival of the Shittest in 2004, and their latest for 4AD is called Eye Contact. The album includes a guest spot from Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor, and it pleasingly stretches the web between political art rock and club bangers. ... [ MORE ]

Authority Zero, Subrosa Union, Last Action Hero at Emo's [Photos]

While you were in bed snoozing last (last) Sunday night, punk rock at Emo's was awake and moshing. This series begins with Last Action Hero, Subrosa Union, and then Authority Zero.... [ MORE ]

Kyuss Lives!, The Sword, MonstrO [Photos and Show Review]

Headliners Kyuss Lives! are not on a comeback tour. ... [ MORE ]

Delivered by Gothamist LLC P.O. Box 510, New York, New York, 10012. 2003-2011 Gothamist LLC

articleonthenet

Label

Support Blog

Follower

Arsip Blog

About

Blogger news

Selasa, 04 Oktober 2011