Pride and the Obsession with Sexuality
From the Desk of . . .
Collin Hall, Educator, SRAS
As I have gotten older I have noticed that with each passing year the amount of “National” days that are celebrated has grown. It seems as though every other week there is another thing to celebrate. Some months are filled with celebratory occasions and remembrances while others just come and go without much to fuss about. Some people think of June as a month that has a lot of significance, while others do not think much of June at all. If you were to ask a person who is in their 70s or 80s what significant dates are in June they would most likely mention June 6th, D-day. This is the day we remember those who died defending freedom for those in France and Western Europe. If you were to speak with someone of African descent they would probably reflect on June 19th or “Juneteenth” where the ending of slavery is celebrated, although we are all thankful for the ending of that! Some people might even bring up their excitement that it is Helen Keller’s birthday on June 27th. While June 6th and June 19th used to be the focuses of the month of June, the growing focus in the past few years (although it has been somewhat celebrated since 1969) is the month long celebration of “pride” where those in the LGBTQ+ community use businesses, organizations, social media, influencers, movies, TV shows, music, and many more outlets to gain focus and attention on their sexuality. While everyone is free to celebrate their diversity there are some worries and concerns that arise from such a strong movement towards a public focus on sexuality.
The message that Live Free teaches through abstinence education has often been misunderstood and at times shunned by those who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. There have been moments where I and other Live Free educators have addressed this confusion in real time to a
student or even school faculty member during the teaching of our program. Our message has always explicitly stated that the message and benefit of abstinence is for everyone, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or especially sexual orientation. The message of abstinence is inclusive in its reach, and the information that it brings helps dispel some of the falsehoods that actually plague the LGBTQ+ community, in regards to STDs, pregnancy, and sexual violence. Many of the teens
that we teach who belong to the LGBTQ+ community and even those who don’t have been passed down false information. What we teach helps provide them with factual information that can provide true safety thanks to statistical based evidence and scientific based studies utilized in our program.
While the month of June highly focuses on sexuality, even the sexuality of our youth, that's actually the opposite of what we hope to achieve with our program. The message of abstinence is one that attempts to dismay such an intense focus on sexuality but rather to focus on goals, the future, education, and safe/healthy relationships. Not all content throughout the month of June is directly targeted at our youth, but they are certainly influenced by it and anything that is promoted so drastically is not something we should take lightly! This can conjure up confusion and an unhealthy focus on sexuality that can potentially lead to at-risk behaviors.
Instead of teaching students to focus on the pride of their sexuality, we desire to see them take pride in who
they are growing to become and the future ahead of them through hard work, goal achievements, making good decisions, and thriving in healthy relationships. So as we go through the rest of this month, help your child, no matter their walk of life, consider what they take pride in and what implications it can have on their life now and in their future!