The D.C. public school system is overhauling its sex education curriculum, but not everyone is happy, according to the Washington Times. Opponents to the proposed guidelines say the curriculum is biased against abstinence-only education, promotes homosexuality as innate and is not age-appropriate.

The proposed guidelines state the following:

• Ninth-graders should be taught to “analyze trends in … contraceptive practices, and the availability of abortion.”
• Eighth-grade students should be taught the definition of sexual orientation “using correct terminology” and learn that some people “may begin to feel romantically and/or sexually attracted to people of a different gender and/or to people of the same gender.”
• Sixth-grade students should be taught that “people, regardless of biological sex, gender, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity and culture, have sexual feelings and the need for love, affection and physical intimacy.”

Sex education’s role in D.C. may be under particularly scrutiny right now. According to the article, a recent report released by city officials says the number of AIDS cases per 100,000 residents in the District is much higher than the national average and that HIV cases in recent years have increasingly resulted from heterosexual contact.

The proposed guidelines still need to be given final approval by the school board before the standards are used to develop a health curriculum for public school students.

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