History of Sex Education in the U.S.

By zmotz1

  • Minimal sex education

    Sex education for a girl may have likely been a mother explaining the ways of reproduction before the day of marriage. Boys and girls often lived on farms, so knew enough about reproduction by observation of the farm animals. Boys on the other hand may have been taken to brothels to experience the mysteries of sexuality,
  • Early manuals on chastity

    Early manuals on chastity

    Pamphlet created by John Todd urged young men to resist the urge to masturbate for this caused a decrease in energy and motivation.

  • Comstock laws prohibiting birth control information and devices

  • Chicago becomes the first city to implement sex education in high school

  • American Hygiene Association founded

    American Hygiene Association founded

  • Chamberlain-Kahn Act

    Chamberlain-Kahn Act

    The congress passed this act to educate soldiers about venereal diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea.
  • College courses on sexuality begin to appear

    College courses on sexuality begin to appear

  • John Money publishes book on gender roles and the idea that gender is a mindset more than a biological difference

  • Birth control becomes widely available

  • SIECUS founded

    SIECUS founded

    Mary Calderone founds the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
  • Anti Sex Ed Pamphlet

    Anti Sex Ed Pamphlet

    "Is the Schoolhouse the Proper Place to Teach Raw Sex" was a pamphlet that was against the liberal teachings of sex education in the 1960's and accused the movement of indoctrinating students and making them morally depraved

  • Congress passes Title XX which sought to reduce teen pregnancy by focusing on abstinence

  • HIV/AIDS education mandated in every state

    Because of the pandemic which started in the 1980's, every state required this subject to be taught but not necessarily in a sex education classroom

  • Provisions for abstinence added to the Welfare Reform Act

  • George W. Bush passes bill that sought to eliminate disparity between funding for abstinence only and comprehensive sex education.

  • Obama administration calls for elimination of abstinence education