Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/669580
S E X E D M O R E I N C LU S I V E , ACC E P T I N G Ruth Bauer, a health teacher at Wash- ington High School in Fremont, also has students enact "Yes means yes" skits. But sometimes the skits may be between two boys or two girls. She wants to convey the message that harassment and violence isn't something that only happens in boy- girl relationships. It also occurs between same-sex couples. Bauer, Fremont Unified District Teach- ers Association, has another goal: She wants students to be more accepting of fellow students and themselves. Making everyone feel accepted was put to the test recently when a student came out in health class as being transgender ; the student was born female and now identifies as a male. e student shared with classmates during an Educator visit that the pronoun he is pre- ferred, and he would like his fellow students to be allies. Some students shared that they were speechless, but nonetheless wanted to be supportive. T h e s c h o o l h a s a d iv e r s e p o p u l a - tion, with students from India, China, Paki st an , L atin Am erica , Yem en and I s r a e l . S o m e c o m e f r o m c u l t u r e s w h e r e t a l k o f s e x i s t a b o o . S t i l l , d e spit e di f ferent valu e sy st em s, it i s rare for a parent to have a student opt out of sex education, and Bauer hopes her class sparks family dialogue. Bauer has always offered her students a comprehensive sex education curricu- lum, and is pleased that will now be the case throughout all of California. "I sleep better at night because the state now fully supports comprehensive education," says Bauer. Sometimes people get the wrong idea about sex education and mistakenly think students are being taught how to have sex or that it's OK to have sex, or being encouraged to use birth control. "My goal is not to advocate or be a salesman for any course of action," says Bauer. "I am just a person who helps s t u d e n t s d e v e l o p h e a l t hy a tt i t u d e s c o n c e r n i n g a d o l e s c e n t g r o w t h a n d development. I want students to love th emselve s. It 's my jo b to give th em information and the tools they need to be good decision makers." Resources • Rancho Cotate High School's student-created website: rchsstudentresourceguide.wordpress.com • NEA's webpage on trafficking and child slavery, with useful resources, an online toolkit, and links to organizations fighting human trafficking: nea.org/home/64228.htm • The Hunting Ground, a 2015 documentary about incidents of sexual assault on U.S. college campuses. The film focuses on female students who were raped, disbelieved, and ostracized by peers aer coming forward. Lady Gaga recorded an origi- nal song, "Til It Happens to You," for the film. • Planned Parenthood: Some school districts, including Los Angeles Unified School District, partner with their local Planned Parenthood office, which may have curriculum and speakers available about reproductive and sexual health information — along with information on decision-mak- ing and communication to help teens have respectful, non-abusive relationships. • Your local hospital: For example, Washington Hospital provides Ruth Bauer at Washington High School in Fremont with resources that are helpful for teaching comprehensive sex education. Gisselle Duenas, Brandon Bellati and Miguel Acosta act out a scene on sexting in Ruth Bauer's class. Heather Brown, Rancho Cotate High School, in front of a screen showing the website students created on "Yes means yes." 41 April 2016