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The Sexual Revolution
"Sex education was invented in the midst of the first sevaul revolution (the Prograssive Era), between 1880 and 1920." -
Beginnings of Sex Education
In 1912, the NEA call for programs to help train teacher in sexuality education -
Sex Education was "Conceived"
Grace Dodge has the idea of coming together and becoming a part of "one thing" -
Sense of Urgency
The U.S. Public Health Service fell that schools in the U.S. need some kind of sexuality education, and advocate it strongly. -
1944 Education Act
The 1944 Education Act gave lip-service to the need for sex education in schools. However, it was an extremely laissez-faire situation, with individual schools being allowed to choose how they wanted to approach the subject, and there was little government support. -
AHSA Lauch Nationwide Program in Family Life Education
In 1953, the American School Health Association launched a nationwide program in family life education. Two years later, the American Medical Association, in conjunction with the NEA, published five pamphlets that were commonly referred to as "the sex education series" for schools. -
SIECUS Report
In the 1970s, SIECUS began publication of the SIECUS Report, which is still used as a key resource for thousands regarding critical sexuality issues. We also grew our influence by attending conferences and developing curricula for medical school and college students. -
Congress Amends Title X
Congress amends Title X to emphasize the importance of serving teenage population. Pilot program for sexuality education is launched in Lynn. U.S. Supreme Court strikes down New York statute that prohibits sale or distribution of contraceptives to minors (under age 16) as unconstitutional. -
Discovery of HIV/AIDS
AIDS was first recognized as a new disease in 1981, when a number of young gay men in New York and Los Angeles were diagnosed with symptoms not usually seen in individuals with healthy immune systems. This information was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the branch of the U.S. government that monitors and tries to control disease outbreaks.
With the discovery of the HIV/AIDS virus, the 80s began a new chapter for SIECUS. -
Abstinence-only Programs
The federal government began funding these programs in 1982, and vastly increased the amount of funding in 1996 with the introduction of the Title V abstinence-only program. In 2000, Congress created the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance Community-Based Abstinence Education Program (now known as CBAE). Congress has the power to increase or decrease funding for these programs, or to eliminate them entirely. -
AIDS and Sexuality Education
In 1986, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report calling for comprehensive AIDS and sexuality education in public schools, beginning as early as the third grade. "There is now no doubt that we need sex education in schools and that it [should] include information on heterosexual and homosexual relationships," -
Georiga Laws and Policies
Since 1989, schools in Georgia have been required to teach sexuality education and sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV-prevention education. Local school boards are largely responsible for deciding the specific subjects this education must cover and the grade level in which topics are introduced. -
Mandates for Sex Education
By 1989, 23 states had passed mandates for sexuality education, an additional 23 states strongly encouraged sex education, 33 mandated AIDS education and 17 additional states recommended it.2 In June of 1989, SIECUS published “Sex Education 2000: A Call to Action,” which outlined 13 goals that would ensure that all children received comprehensive sexuality education by the year 2000. -
Surgeon General Dr. Jocelyn Elder Fired for Comments on Masturbation
In December of 1994, then Surgeon General Jocelyn Elder answered a question at a World AIDS Day event in New York City. The question was about the possibility of masturbation being included in comprehensive sex education in schools. As quoted in White House transcripts, Dr. Elder replied, “I think that is something that is a part of human sexuality and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught.” -
Title V
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act was passed under former President Bill Clinton’s administration and fundamentally changed how low-income families received federal assistance. A part of this legislation was Title V, Section 510(b), which allocated $50 million per year over a five-year period to states for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. -
FoSE Project
In May of 2008, Advocates, Answer and SIECUS formalized these discussions with funding from the Ford, George Gund and Grove Foundations, and the FoSE Project was launched. It was decided then that the purpose of the project would be to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools. -
Healthy Students Act of 2012
"Healthy Students Act of 2012," would address not only sexuality education but other topics that are plaguing today's youth: resisting peer pressure; the dangers of the Internet; healthy relationships and dating violence; sexual abuse and sexual assault; the effects of drug and alcohol use; even the legal and ethical responsibilities of child care and child-rearing.
