The previous letter from Ms. Lohmeyer misses the central concern that many parents have about the sexual-health curriculum. While she is absolutely correct to highlight the dangers of pornography and the serious harm it inflicts on children, that point actually highlights why the district should remove, not embrace, Amaze.org from the proposed curriculum. Amaze’s own materials including the porn-related videos that students are directed to for ‘additional resources’— illustrate the problem. Consider the following quotes from an Amaze.org video on pornography:
“Is it normal to watch porn? Yes, it’s normal. Lots of people watch porn. After all, it’s right there and it’s free… But remember porn is not real, it’s just a fantasy like superhero movies.”
Further: “So don’t expect your own body or sex life, once you have one, to look anything like what you see in porn or to sound like it, either.”
Is this content really appropriate for an eighth grader? This is not the sexual ed program that most of us grew up with, it sounds to me like a pretty great advertisement for watching porn.
The concerned parents in town are not finger waggers trying to stop kids from knowing what sex is, we are concerned parents looking for some transparency in this process and a return to sanity.
– Daniel Green