This preamble and call to action were developed by partners at URGE, SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change, Advocates for Youth, Power to Decide, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America as part of the larger Sex Ed For All Month Coalition.

This May, sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice partners will once again observe Sex Ed for All Month. This rebranded month of May from Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month to Sex Ed for All Month continues our efforts to support young people whether they choose to postpone pregnancy or become parents, and to provide them with the sexual health information and resources they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. It’s past time to stand with all young people, empowering them with education on the full range of topics they need to achieve positive outcomes for themselves. 

Why Sex Ed for All Month

Young people have clearly and consistently called for complete and accurate sexual health information and access to sexual and reproductive health care services. As organizations dedicated to improving sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice for all, we respond each May with Sex Ed for All. It’s a month focused on providing young people with the sexual health information and access to resources they need and deserve in order to make healthy decisions for themselves. While existing federal funding for evidence-based sex education is critical, it alone cannot meet the national need. Too many young people go without the sexual health information and access to care that they deserve.

Sex Ed for All is our pledge to work to provide all young people access to the information and care that they need to ensure their lifelong sexual and reproductive health, especially those who continuously face systemic barriers, racism, and discrimination, including young people of color, LGBTQ young people, immigrants, youth with disabilities, those with lower incomes, those living in rural areas, and system impacted youth. 

Young people face vast systemic inequities and structural barriers to ensuring their health. Sex education that is comprehensive provides information about consent and healthy relationships, anatomy and physiology, puberty and adolescent sexual development, gender identity and expression,  sexual orientation and identity, sexual and reproductive health—including the full range of birth control methods and pregnancy options. Additionally, a complete sex education is sequential from grades K-12; uses a trauma-informed lens; is infused with principles of reproductive justice, racial justice, social justice, and equity; is culturally responsive; addresses social determinants of health and how these can lead to inequitable health outcomes; is science-based; and takes an intersectional approach.

Calls to Action

The organizations below have signed on to promote the goals and ideals of Sex Ed for All Month, and are asking others to join in any of these ways:

• Encourage members of Congress to support federal legislation and programs designed to provide sex education that is expansive: the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (REHYA), the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services (YASHS) Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH) program, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP)

• Call on all public and elected officials to advocate for and invest in high-quality, sex education legislation that meets the full needs of young people
• Encourage state and local governments, education agencies, schools, and media organizations to recognize and support Sex Ed for All Month; which aims to reach youth who are LGBTQ+, youth with disabilities, youth who fall within racial minority groups, and youth that identify with a variety of ethnic and  cultural groups.

• Promote sex education programs that are more comprehensive in approach, evidence informed, medically accurate, age and developmentally appropriate based on biological age, gender and gender identity sensitive, culturally and linguistically responsive and reflect the diverse circumstances and realities of young people

• Call on all public and elected officials to advocate for and invest in programming that provides comprehensive and accurate sexual health information and care to youth in the juvenile justice system and foster care, as well as training and oversight to ensure that such programs are fully implemented.

• Support sex education programs that promote educational achievement, critical thinking, decision-making, self-esteem, and self-efficacy

• Work to eliminate health education programs that are medically inaccurate, withhold health-promoting or life-saving information about sexuality-related topics, promote gender, disability and/ or racial stereotypes, or do not fully meet the needs of young people regardless of their identities 

• Recommend implementation of comprehensive sex education in schools and continued professional development for educators and administrative staff that work with young people

• Engage youth-serving professionals, educators, and decision-makers, who have an impact on the lives of youth, to take action to ensure access to comprehensive sex education for all young people

Young people deserve access to the information, education, and resources they need to make healthy decisions about their lives. They are leading the charge in demanding they get the information, skills, and services they not only need, but have a right to receive. It’s time we stand with them and provide Sex Ed for All. 

 

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 

Adolescent Sexual Health Education and Research (ASHER) Project

Advocates for Youth

AIDS Alabama

AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families

AIDS Foundation of Chicago

Alabama Campaign for Adolescent Sexual Health

American Academy of HIV Medicine

American Atheists

American Sexual Health Association

Annex Teen Clinic

APLA HEALTH

A Step Ahead Foundation.org

Ascension Institute

Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum 

Ask Michal

Black AIDS Institute 

Black and Pink

BRYANT & BRYANT

Callen-Lorde Community Health Center

Cardea

Cascade AIDS Project

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Erotic Intelligence

Center for HIV Law and Policy/TeenSENSE

Center for Reproductive Rights

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Children’s Aid

Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues

Day One

Disability and Sexuality Access Network

Efficacity, llc.

Empowering Pinellas Youth Collaborative

EngenderHealth

Equality California

Equality Federation

Equality North Carolina

Equitas Health

ETR

Everyone Deserves Sex Ed

EyesOpenIowa

Feminist Majority Foundation

G Boutique

Gender Spectrum

Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP)

Girls Health Ed

Girls Inc.

Girls Inc. of Long Island

Girls Inc. of the Pacific NW

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Guttmacher Institute

Healthy Fathering Collaborative

Healthy Futures of Texas

Healthy Teen Network

Hearts on a Wire

Hipocampo

HiTOPS

HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute

Human Rights Campaign

Human Rights Watch

If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice 

In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda

Infinite Connections Consulting, LLC 

InnerView Behavioral Care (MBHC, Inc.)

Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Psi Chapter

1. Solomon Consulting, LLC

Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health

KIMBRITIVE LLC

Kintsugi Consulting, LLC

Latino Commission on AIDS 

Laurie Mintz, Ph.D., LLC

Life In Harmony, PLLC

Lifecycle Women’s Health

Lindsay Fram Consulting | SexuallySMART

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Louisville Youth Group

Love

Masakhane Center

Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH)

Modern Military Association of America

Muhlenberg College

NAF

NARAL Pro-Choice America

NASTAD

National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)

National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

National Black Justice Coalition

National Center for Lesbian Rights 

National Center for Transgender Equality

National Coalition of STD Directors 

National Council of Jewish Women, Columbus section

National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland

National Equality Action Team

National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association

National Health Law Program 

National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)

National LGBTQ Task Force

National Network for Youth

National Network of Abortion Funds

National Organization for Women

National Partnership for Women & Families

National Women’s Law Center

New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault

New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

New York State Council on Adolescent Pregnancy 

Newton Psychotherapy & Consulting, PLLC

North Dakota Women’s Network

NYC Department of health

Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

Oklahoma State Department of Health

Oregon Youth Sexual Health Partnership – A Statewide public/private partnership of organizations and individuals throughout Oregon

Outspoken Sex Ed

Peer Health Exchange

People For the American Way

PFLAG National

Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California

Planned Parenthood Arizona

Planned Parenthood California Heads of Education 

Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Planned Parenthood of Maryland

Planned Parenthood Metro NJ

Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii

Population Institute

Positive Women’s Network

Power to Decide

Pride Action Tank

Pridelines 

Provide, Inc. 

Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH)

Puberty: The Wonder Years

Raven’s Lair

Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice 

Reproductive Health Access Project

Research

riseHFL.org

Roads To Family

Scarleteen 

Self- Independent OWL Facilitator in Las Vegas

Sex Coach U

Sex Work Outreach Project – Salt Lake City

sexgenlab.org 

Sexual Health Promotion Lab

Sexuality Education Alliance of New York City (SEANYC)

SexyShan, LLC

SHAPE America

SHIFT NC

SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change

Silver State Equality-Nevada

Sister Reach

Soaring Heart Counseling

Stop the Shaming

Teen Health Mississippi

Teen Pregnancy & Prevention Partnership

Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

The AIDS Institute

The Brazen Project

The Long Island Institute of Sex Therapy

The Well Project

ThembiAnaiya LLC

Thrive Alabama

Together For Youth 

Treatment Action Group

UN|HUSHED

Union for Reform Judaism

University of Minnesota

University of South Florida- St. Petersburg

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

Utah Consent Coalition

Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

Virtual Parent Coach

We Are Family 

West Wind Foundation 

WHARR (Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights)

Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health

Women Have Options – Ohio

Women of Color Sexual Health Network

Women of Reform Judaism

Women’s Foundation of Florida

Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga

WV FREE