Is it age-appropriate to introduce twelve-year old children to anal sex? Is it medically accurate to encourage students to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by using non-microwaveable Saran Wrap as a prophylactic for oral sex? Planned Parenthood thinks so, and so does the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which lists Planned Parenthood’s “Get Real” curriculum as in compliance with their health frameworks.

In schools across the Commonwealth, “Get Real” and other Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) curricula like it are used to instruct middle and high school youth how to participate in dangerous and unhealthy sexual activity. CSE does not refer to sex education programs in general, but rather to a specific form of graphic sexuality education that claims to be “age appropriate and medically accurate.” It is designed to change the sexual and gender norms of society, promote high risk sexual behaviors, and encourage even the youngest of children to experiment sexually. It’s no wonder that Planned Parenthood is pushing it in our schools. They know that if they sexualize young people, they will create new customers who seek out their abortion services, STI treatments, and transgender hormone therapies. Monica Cline, former Planned Parenthood sex educator, describes their educational programs as “the perfect business plan for lifelong customers.”

Currently in Massachusetts, sex education is optional for local school districts, and the choice of curriculum is at their discretion. Unfortunately, many districts are choosing to teach CSE. But, parents can opt their students out. HB410 and SB263, “An Act Relative to Healthy Youth,” (read our legislative brief here) now pending on Beacon Hill, would mandate the use of only state approved CSE curriculum for school districts already teaching sex education. The opt out for students would still be available to parents, but with the amount of sexually explicit material included in the curriculum, children will still be exposed to CSE content through peer relationships and as it appears across the curriculum in other subjects.

To make matters worse, school officials have not been forthcoming with supplying adequate information to parents regarding sex education curriculum, even though they are required to do so by MA law. Parents have contacted MFI to report that they have requested to review curriculum being used in their child’s school, only to be shown a very basic outline of topics covered that doesn’t reveal any of the actual content.

Two Stoneham pastors, Joshua Park of Open Heaven Community Church and Ismael Garcia of Family Life Christian Training Center, are concerned about the explicit nature of CSE and how it is being hidden from parents. They decided to host a community event at the Stoneham Public Library last Monday to inform parents on the issue. Pastors Park and Garcia both believe it is a parent’s right to know what their children are taught when it comes to human sexuality and gender, most especially if what they learn will conflict with a family’s values and religious beliefs. Parents, grandparents, educators, faith leaders, and concerned community members from Stoneham and surrounding towns attended the library event and filled the room to capacity, eager to uncover what children are learning about sex and gender in school.

The event featured several speakers, including our Community Alliances Director, Michael King. First, Massachusetts Informed Parents (MIP), a state-wide, grassroots effort to inform parents of the dangers of CSE, gave an overview of the curricula’s harmful elements. This included explaining how CSE sexualizes children and fails to establish abstinence as the expected standard, promoting instead the pursuit of sexual pleasure, solo or mutual masturbation, homosexuality, and transgender ideology. MIP gave examples from actual curricula being used in MA schools, such as the book It’s Perfectly Normal (recommended reading for ages 10-15 in Planned Parenthood’s “Get Real” curriculum), a core text in Our Whole Lives, another CSE curriculum approved by DESE. Shockingly, this pornographic book for children contains 67 nude illustrations, including adults having sex, teens masturbating, and a man putting on a condom.

Next, Jessica Gadarowski presented a better alternative to CSE. Jessica teaches Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) curricula in several MA schools as an outreach of First Concern Pregnancy Resource center located in Marlborough. SRA focuses on making wise decisions in relationships and helping students achieve optimal health and life success. She encouraged parents to approach their local school board and present SRA as a superior option that results in healthier outcomes for teens. Finally, Michael King explained the current MA law regarding sex education and ways that parents can effectively oppose pornographic, unscientific CSE and work to get it removed. He encouraged all in attendance that we can keep Planned Parenthood out of our schools just like MFI, parents, and church leaders were able to do earlier this year in Worcester.

Please help protect the children in your community by contacting your legislator to let them know you oppose “An Act Relative to Healthy Youth.” Find out what curriculum is being used to teach sex ed in your school district. Reach out to us if you need help getting accurate information from your school officials. Find Massachusetts Informed Parents on Facebook to stay up to date on what is happening in MA schools.

If you are interested in scheduling a parent information night for your church or community group like the one described above, contact MFI. Together, we can work to protect our children from harmful sexualization and indoctrination in dangerous transgender ideology.