SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Volume 25 Number 3 Sexuality Education Worldwide, Volume 25 Number 2 Technology in Sexuality Education, Volume 25 Number 1 Sexuality In The Media: Part 2, Volume 24 Number 5 Sexuality In The Media: Part 1, Volume 24 Number 4 Sexuality Education Around The World, Volume 24 Number 3 Consenting Adults, Volume 24 Number 2 ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports For twenty-three years, the SIECUS Report has been celebrated as one of the most widely respected journals in the fields of sexuality education and sexual health. In addition to ground-breaking articles written by prominent leaders, the SIECUS Report offers updates on relevant advocacy and legislative issues, timely reviews of newly released books and videos, and announcements for conferences and meetings. Each issue includes additional valuable resources: the opinions of leaders in the field, current news and research, a calendar of conferences and seminars, reviews of books and audiovisual materials, and up-to-date bibliographies on selected topics. The readership of this bimonthly journal includes a diverse network of more than 3,500 professionals and organizations across the United States and in more than 40 countries abroad. Back issues of the SIECUS Report are $9.20. Membership includes a subscription. To learn more about membership or ordering, click on the Feedback button and fill out the form provided. copyright © 1995, SIECUS ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Volume 25 Number 3 Articles are: The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases IOM Committee Recommends Strategies For A National STD-Prevention System Preserving Reproductive Choice: Preventing STD-Related Infertility In Women Also in this Issue From the Editor of the SIECUS Report: SECRECY SURROUNDING SEXUALITY HINDERS STD-PREVENTION PROGRAMS by Mac Edwards When Carolyn Patierno, SIECUS's director of programs, returned in December with a glowing report from the 1996 National STD Prevention Conference jointly sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Social Health Association, I knew this SIECUS Report on "Sexually Transmitted Diseases" would contain new and important information. I wasn't quite prepared, however, for The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases, the substantive report released by the Institute of Medicine at that conference and based on collaborative work of dozens of U.S. organizations and hundreds individuals. We here at SIECUS felt that The Hidden Epidemic was so important that we asked and received permission from the Institute to reprint the Executive Summary as the lead article in this issue. The report is important because it talks candidly about the enormous problem that this country faces in battling STDs and because it offers step-by-step strategies for solving it. Not surprisingly, many of those strategies relate directly to SIECUS's mission of disseminating information about sexuality and promoting comprehensive sexuality education. The committee points out that one of the major reasons STDs are a problem is because they are rarely discussed. In reality, they say, Americans just do not feel comfortable talking about STDs--and about sexuality. They explain that this adversely impacts on STD prevention in the United States by: * impeding education programs for adolescents * hindering communication between parents and their children and between sexual partners * promoting unbalanced sexual messages in the mass media * compromising education and counseling activities of health care professionals * hindering community activism regarding STDs * impeding research on sexual behaviors. Statistics uncovered by the committee show that: * one of four women and one of five men (including married couples) in a recent survey had no knowledge of their partner's sexual history(1), * only 11 percent of teenagers get most of their information regarding STDs from parents and other family members(2), * embarrassment and discomfort discussing sexual health issues are major hurdles for clinicians to overcome in order to effectively communicate with their patients regarding sexuality and STDs.(3) Finally, the committee looked to other developed countries regarding sexuality and found that the secrecy surrounding sexuality in the United States adversely impacts STD prevention. The Scandinavian countries, they found, have comparable levels of sexual activity, but much lower rates of curable STDs and unintended pregnancies.(4) They concluded by stating that these differences may be attributable to the pragmatic, rather than the moralistic, approach to sexuality issues and universal access to health services in these European countries.(5) The committee also made recommendations for a National STD-Prevention System in the United States broadly based on information sharing and these four strategies: * overcoming barriers to adoption of healthy sexual behaviors * developing strong leadership, strengthening investment, and improving information systems for STD prevention * designing and implementing essential STD-related services in innovative ways for adolescents and underserved populations * ensuring access to and quality of essential clinical services for STDs. SIECUS is proud to share this important information developed by such an impressive group of health care professionals. We now ask that you use it to help implement a National STD-Prevention System in our country. In the process, you will also be helping SIECUS in its mission to inform and educate people about the role sexuality plays in all our lives. REFERENCES 1. EDK Associates, The ABCs of STDs (New York: EDK Associates), 1995. 2. American Social Health Association, "Teenagers Know More Than Adults About STDs, but Knowledge Among Both Groups Is Low," STD News, 1996, 3 (Winter):1, 5. 3. C. B. Risen, "A Guide to Taking a Sexual History," Clinical Sexuality, 1995, 18:39-53. 4. P. Piot, M. Q. Islam, "Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the 1990s: Global Epidemiology and Challenges for Control," Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 1994, 21(2 Supplement):S7-S13. 5. H. P. David, J. M. Morgall, M. Osler, N. K. Rasmussen, B. Jensen, "United States and Denmark: Different Approaches to Health Care and Family Planning," Studies in Family Planning, 1990, 21:1-19. copyright © 1995, SIECUS ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Sexuality Education Worldwide, Volume 25 Number 2 Articles are: Nigerian Guidelines for Sexuality Education Introduced at Ceremony in Lagos Survey Supports Arguments to Start Sexuality Education in Russia Reproductive Health is in Our Hands: The National Media Campaign in Bolivia Helping Teachers to Create a Climate for Learning About Sexuality Researching Cultural Backgrounds to Establish Effective Sexuality Education Programs Making Sense, Talking Sexuality: India Reaches Out to Its Youth Also in this Issue From the Editor of the SIECUS Report: Traveling the Road to Worldwide Sexuality Education by Mac Edwards When I first arrived at SIECUS, I was taken on a tour of the offices and introduced to the staff and their work. One office was conspicuously dark. It belonged to Jim Shortridge, SIECUS director of international programs. I was told that he was on the road helping facilitate implementation of the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education and that he wouldn't return for a few weeks. My memory of that day returns to me today as Jim announces in the December-January issue of the SIECUS Report the publication of the Nigerian Guidelines signaling the end of four years of work with Nigerian officials. His article on page 4 of this issue of the SIECUS Report is an interesting look at how the project evolved and succeeded. A companion piece to Jim's story is an excerpt on page 5 from Nike O. Esiet's speech at the official ceremony in Lagos where over 400 people--from dozens of government and service-related organizations throughout Nigeria--applauded and praised the publication of the Guidelines. Nike is the executive director of Action Health Incorporated/Lagos, and she pulled together the Task Force that made the Nigerian Guidelines possible. Her speech tells us from her perspective, why the Guidelines were developed. They also tell us why SIECUS has worked so hard in Nigeria and why it is involved in similar projects worldwide. WORLDWIDE INVOLVEMENT As I was editing this issue of the SIECUS Report, I frequently talked with Jim about my hope that, taken as a whole, the articles would help people understand SIECUS's involvement in the development of sexuality education programs around the world. After one of our talks, he told me about the activities that are key to implementing successful programs in different countries: * research the population * acknowledge that many young people are sexually active and that everyone deserves information to help them make responsible decisions * simplify goals and expectations * establish a Task Force * involve parents, peers, and the media * target program sites * train the trainers * invest time in ongoing advocacy once the program is established. This list is very similar to the subjects discussed by this issue's authors. Thomas Valente and Walter Saba of the School of Public Health at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, tell us of the steps that the Bolivian government took to increase understanding and acceptance of family planning methods in that country. It is an excellent guide for reaching people with this important information. Carol Flaherty-Zonis, a consultant and trainer, writes about her work with the Soros Foundation to teach teachers to teach health education. The twist is that she does this in countries where individual thought was previously discouraged and where government control was a way of life. Valeriy Chervyakov, a leading researcher in Russia, writes that even though 81 percent of Russians support sexuality education and nearly half of all Russian 16-year-olds are sexually experienced, the country is just now starting a sexuality education pilot project. The statistics in his article are support the critical need for such education. Lola Wagner, a consultant with the Health Associate Foundation and the Indonesian AIDS Society in Jakarta, Indonesia, explains how research on the citizens of the Batam Island of Indonesia was used to help develop a culturally-appropriate sexuality education program there. Likewise, Jayanthi Nayak and Rachana Bose of Parivar Seva Senstha Family Planning Programs in New Delhi, India, show how research on South Delhi young people ranging in age from 12 to 20 helped in the development of a life education program for young people in India. All of these authors show us not only that a lot is happening around the world in the area of sexuality education but also that much of the work is part of a systematic plan--a plan that SIECUS often helps to facilitate. WHAT NEXT? It is only appropriate to end this column with a look down the road to SIECUS' international activities scheduled for this fiscal year. They involve continued work on behalf of Guidelines projects in several countries as well as new efforts to strengthen our Web site on the Net. Jim, of course, is continuing advocacy efforts on behalf of the Nigerian Guidelines. He has just reached an agreement with Population Services International (PSI) to conduct a series of professional sexuality education and train-the-trainer workshops in conjunction with Pathfinder for the Society for Family Health, a Nigerian partner agency of PSI. These workshops will help the society's executive staff and regional field workers to incorporate sexuality education (based on the Nigerian Guidelines) into their work providing health products for maternal and child health, HIV/AIDs-prevention, and family planning throughout Nigeria. He anticipates these workshops will serve as a model for other PSI partner agencies as well as other international organizations seeking to address sexual health issues within their own programs. This year, Jim will also facilitate country-specific Guidelines efforts in Swaziland and India. These initiatives will establish groundbreaking frameworks for reproductive health, family planning, HIV/AIDS-prevention, and population education programs in these two countries. On the subject of international communications, Jim will work this year to update SIECUS' Web site (http://www.siecus.org) to provide more information on sexuality education, to increase dialogue via forums for sexuality education professionals and organizations, and to provide indepth information (including contact sites) on colleague organizations around the world. No doubt, Jim will continue to be on the road--both literally and via the Net--a great deal this year as he works to implement SIECUS' international programs. TALKING POLITICS SIECUS received a lot of interesting mail about the June-July 1996 SIECUS Report on "The Politics of Sexuality Education." Most of it was about the analyses provided by Kelly Nelson of Temple University and Dr. Evonne Hedgepeth of Evergreen State College in separate articles about people on both sides of the sexuality education debate. One such letter was from Linda Hendrixson of Branchville, NJ, who said that she takes exception to Hedgepeth's using Lawrence Kohlberg (and his study of 84 males to research moral development) as the basis for her article. "Hedgepeth's adaptation of Kohlberg's 'levels' to the sexuality education controversy is one way of understanding the mindsets of both sides," she says. "But we need to be careful not to imply that women (and girls), as a group, somehow miss the mark because, according to Kohlberg, they are unable to transcend the interpersonal domain in life to move to a 'higher; level' of moral abstraction." She goes on to say that "for the most part, women make their judgments within the care framework, and men do the same within the justice framework. But crossover from one to the other viewpoint can also occur." She refers interested SIECUS Report readers to the work of Carol Gilligan (1982), Nona Lyons (1989), and to an article, "Care Versus Justice: Two Moral Perspectives in the Baby 'M' Surrogacy Case" which she herself wrote in the Journal of Sex Education and Therapy (volume 15, number 4) in 1989. Hedgepeth responds that while she agrees with Hendrixson that "Kohlberg's research was admittedly flawed in its interpretation of female moral reasoning, it nonetheless provides a sound model for analyzing the moral perspectives of progressives and the orthodox using a justice-based moral scale. She goes on to say that Gilligan's work on female moral reasoning--revealing an orientation based on "caring" rather than "justice"--was also addressed in her article. In noting that most women, like most men, do not progress beyond the conventional level of moral reasoning, she said that she, unlike Kohlberg, did not suggest that women are incapable of such progression. "I agree with Gilligan that being 'different from' does not mean being 'lesser than' men. Ultimately, whether one uses Kohlberg's or Gilligan's scale, my observations hold true," she concluded. copyright © 1995, SIECUS ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Technology in Sexuality Education, Volume 25 Number 1 Articles are: Sexuality Education and the Internet: The Next Frontier Getting Started on the Net Betwixt and Between: An Organization's Relationship with Online Communications Kids Online: What Parents Can do to Protect Their Children from Cyberspace "Go Ask Alice!" Answers Health-Related Questions for Millions on the Net Reviews of CD-ROMS on Sexuality-Related Issues Also in this Issue From the Editor of the SIECUS Report: The Net and the Web: Unlimited Potential to Communicate Sexuality Issues by Mac Edwards Two women at Columbia University - Billie Lindsey and Judith Steinhart - have forever changed the way that I look at the Internet and the World Wide Web. Just a few months ago I was one of those people who rarely (and, even then, reluctantly) used my computer to find information or to talk with people. I used it essentially as a word processor. Even though I knew that the words "http://www" would lead me to important information sources, I was satisfied with the traditional methods: newspapers, magazines, television, and the nearby library. But Billie and Judith changed all that. I first met them when they called to suggest an article on the popular "Go Ask Alice!" Web interactive health advice column which they developed and currently produce for the students at Columbia University here in New York City. They thought their story about the success of the column would fit this issue's theme, "Technology in Sexuality Education." They sold me - and changed by mind about technology - when they said that their column, which was accessed ("hit" is the term used by Web site users) only 86 times when it started in May 1993, now regularly reaches a million people a month in 50 countries. A million people! And at a minimal cost to Columbia's Healthwise University Health Service. I won't spoil their story (on page 12), but I will say that the enthusiasm and excitement with which these two women produce the "Go Ask Alice!" column is contagious. And I think that you will be hooked, too, when you realize the full potential of the Net and the Web. The thought that all of us who believe in the importance of sexuality education can reach so many people at minimal cost is truly exhilarating. That message is repeated in this issue of the SIECUS Report. You will learn from Sandra Bargainnier at the State University of New York at Oswego about the equipment you need for the Net...you'll hear from Dorel Shannon and Chris Dwyer who brought the Net to Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania...you'll hear how Rea Carey uses computer technology to communicate daily with her National Youth Advocacy Coalition members nationwide...and you'll hear from Ralph Tartaglione, a father of two who sees the value of the Net for his children yet effectively controls their access to certain sites. PROBLEMS TO OVERCOME As with everything, there are problems to overcome in computer technology. A recurring problem is access. Many people and organizations are left out of the loop because they don't have the money or skills. In our haste to learn about the Net and the Web, we may unintentionally forget about these people who are not as lucky as we are to have the resources and the training to benefit from this technology. We must offer a hand (whether in the form of time or money) to those around us who need help to understand and use the Net and Web. Another problem is censorship. Daniel Daley, SIECUS director of Public Policy, gives SIECUS Report readers and excellent overview of actions in the past year designed to censor information on the Net. He warns that there are individuals and organizations determined to limit such communication. No doubt, we will see much legislature and legal action in the coming year. MILLIONS WAITING TO HEAR FROM US This issue of the SIECUS Report is rounded out with reviews of eight new CD-ROMs and a directory of Web sites on sexuality-related issues. As individuals who understand the importance of comprehensive sexuality education, we have a unique opportunity to reach so many people through the Net and the Web. There are literally millions waiting to hear from us. Now is the time to get started. copyright © 1995, SIECUS ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Sexuality In The Media: Part 2, Volume 24 Number 5 Articles are: Sexuality Advice on the Radio: An Overview in the United States and Around the World Advertising, Sexuality, and Sexism: A Slide Show Spotlights Gender Issues What's Old, What's New: Sexuality on the Soaps Nice Work if You Can Get it: Making the Most of Your Messages in the Media Part 2: Getting Into Print Also in this Issue From the Editor of the SIECUS Report: We have a Responsibility to Dialogue With the Media by Mac Edwards Whatever you think about the media's contributions regarding sexuality information and education, it is only through ongoing dialogue that change can be effected. Whatever your opinion, you need to let them know what you think about the shows they produce, the stories they publish, and the ads they carry. OVERVIEW OF CURRENT MEDIA PORTRAYALS Both this issue and the previous issue of the SIECUS Report - Sexuality in the Media: Parts 1 and 2 - were designed to give you an overview of the visual, audio, and print media, primarily in the United States, in terms of the roles they play and the responsibilities they have. The articles that indicate that: * prime-time television has 25 instances of sexual behavior for every one instance of preventative behavior over information * daytime talk shows often highlight controversy and confrontation over information * the movies most popular with adolescents contain as many as 15 instances of sexual intercourse in less than two hours * call-in radio is becoming increasingly popular as a source of information on sexuality issues * over 25 percent of women aged 30 to 49 rely exclusively on magazines for information about birth control * the news media - with an interest in maintaining the status quo - have remained remarkably consistent in subject matter and point of view over the last three or four decades * gays and lesbians - virtually invisible in the media two decades ago - now find their increased visibility often limited by narrowly focused stereotypes of villains and victims * soap operas, which attract over 35 million regular viewers, average 6.6 sexual incidents per hour as compared to about half that number 10 years ago * advertisements continue to have sexual - even erotic - themes to grab attention and increase ratings. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REALISTIC, ACCURATE IMAGES In conjunction with the publication of these two SIECUS Reports, 42 members of the National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education (NCSSE) have launched a campaign to recommend ways that the media can better meet their responsibilities to inform and educate. A Fact Sheet titled Media Recommendations for More Realistic, Accurate Images Concerning Sexuality (published in its entirety in the April-May issue) was just mailed to over 200 key media executives responsible for film, television, radio, books and magazines, advertisements, and on-line computer services. Some of the recommendations focus on: * dialogue which shows true communication between children, their parents, and trusted adults * situations which show planned mature relationships as opposed to spur-of-the-moment responses to passion * situations where unprotected sexual encounters result in negative repercussions * articulate responsible characters with whom teenagers can identify "What is needed are more realisitc and accurate images concerning sexuality - not just warnings that unhealthy depictions are going to be shown or no depictions of sexuality at all," said SIECUS President Debra Haffner in announcing the start of the program. "The best way to use the power of the media...is..to provide Americans - especially young Americans - with the information and models...they so desperately need to improve their responsible sexual decision making." This initial effort is just the beginning of a program that will include ongoing responses to media portrayals. Much of this work will involve you, our readers. SIECUS asks that you call or write when you see, read, or hear something that needs a response. It is this one-on-one approach that will truly make a difference in how the media portrays sexuality. copyright © 1995, SIECUS ---------- SIECUS Reports (1996 to Present Issue Samples) About SIECUS Reports Sexuality In The Media: Part 1, Volume 24 Number 4 Articles are: Sexuality and the Mass Media: An Overview Lesbians and Gays and the Broadcast Media Nice Work if You Can Get it: Making the Most of Your Messages in the Media Toy Story: A Look into the Gender-Stereotyped World of Children's Catalogs Also in this Issue From the Editor of the SIECUS Report: Insight and Information for More Realistic Media Coverage by Mac Edwards This issue of the SIECUS Report - Sexuality in the Media, Part 1 - not only provides readers with a broad overview of how sexuality issues are currently portrayed in the media, but also gives them important tools to use in advocating for more realistic and thought-provoking portrayals in the future. These articles make it clear that the media do not give sexuality issues the serious attention they deserve. So our readers must seize every opportunity to make the media aware of ways they can help communicate accurate information and reflect realistic situations. PART OF OUR CULTURAL FABRIC "Sexuality and the Mass Media: An Overview" - written by Dr. Jane D. Brown and Jeanne R. Steele of the University of North Carolina - is really much more than a quick look at sexuality issues in the broadcast and print media. True, the authors cover all the major points: from television to movies...from radio call-ins to video tapes...from women's magazines to popular music...from broadcast news to newspaper articles...to advertisements. But the authors don't stop there. They make an important point: that the frequent portrayal of consequence-free sexual behavior in mass media does, very probably, affect Americans' sexual beliefs and behaviors in an adverse way. They go a step further to suggest ways that health educators can help the media create a more realistic and more responsible picture of sexuality - one that will help people grow into healthy and responsible sexual beings. They specifically point to three vehicles: public information campaigns, media advocacy programs, and "edutainment". "The sexual health and happiness of future generations will be affected by whether we consider the media only as a backdrop or an important piece of the cultural fabric," the authors conclude. T