Culture & Sexual Health
Written and researched by Tomei Kuehl.
Accompanying artworks selected in partnership with Talia Cardin, youth facilitator to the Youth Sexual Health Program Board.
Sexual Angst
by Devin Esquibel, a student at AUL Denver
“In this drawing I was trying to capture the fear in sex and the personal body for the young male teen. I decided to use mostly charcoal in this drawing because I I was trying to portray fear of the unknown through this shade. The red in the picture was meant to symbolize frustration due to this fear and the frustration of sexual angst in itself.”
Culture:
“Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones and a million other things.”
– Definition provided by Cristina De Rossi, anthropologist
Sexuality education in the United States is influenced by cultural changes. The early 1910s saw the government involved in disease prevention programs because of the fear of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among soldiers. The 1920s saw government funding for school sexual health education, with a focus on marriage, purity, and responsibility and STI prevention. The 1940s and 1950s saw the emergence of Family Life Education programs that focused on marriage preparation and discouraging premarital sex. The 1960s saw the advent and availability of birth control with the emergence of the pill. The 1970s saw liberalization of abortion laws, increasing reproductive health access for some. Sexuality education in schools was a reaction to the sexual revolution of this time. The 1980s gave rise to the AIDS epidemic and teen pregnancy and influenced a disease prevention approach in schools. The 1990s saw the development of the first ever Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education K-12, which served as benchmarks for a successful sexual education course. The 1990s also saw the proliferation of abstinence-only curriculum and federal funding for abstinence-only education. All these pieces continue to play out today and result in a disparate approach to sex education, with access dependent on the politics of a particular community, school, or classroom.
Soul and the Body
by Victoria Cordova, a student at AUL Denver
“Women’s bodies are often objectified, sexualized, and criticized. This art piece was inspired by the beauty of women’s bodies. It also can show that you can appreciate different bodies without sexualizing them. I’ve noticed that everyone always compares their bodies to others. I think it's important to understand that everyone's bodies are unique and beautiful no matter how you present. This project is also a way for me to portray “you are more than your body" and you should love your body for all she does for you.”
Smearing Paint
by Nora (She/Her) from Inside Out Youth Services
“When it came to sex education, my dad had decided to take me out of health class to teach me these things himself, believing the school’s education would not be appropriate. My sex education came down to abstinence-only which took years to break out of that concept. Not only that but being a trans woman taught me that my body was abnormal and even demonic to some, so when it comes to self-portraits I decided to embrace this in a positive way and began drawing myself as a beautiful many eyed demon. I also drew art of a character from my comic named Vivi, she is a trans woman, as well, and embraces her sexuality and desires. In a way she was my own version of the confidence I wished to work towards.”