|
April 2008 update on new publications, actions you can take, and more!
Advocates for Youth's e-News Update
News You Can Use
Remembering Lawrence King
 The shocking tragedy occurred at Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California, when a classmate brought a gun to school and allegedly shot Lawrence King. The shooting came after the openly gay King had suffered years of name-calling and harassment from his classmates.
GLBTQ youth and their allies across the country will honor Lawrence King and all victims of homophobia this year on the National Day of Silence, April 25. They will observe a daylong silence to protest the bullying, harassment and name-calling faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and their allies in schools. There are many ways in which parents, educators, and youth serving professionals can support these youth - visit the National Day of Silence and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Web sites for more information on how to get involved.
Other recent events have highlighted the challenges GLBTQ youth continue to face. In March, Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern made headlines when she was caught on tape saying gays were a "bigger threat than terrorism." In addition, the CDC quietly made public data that showed from 2001 to 2005, the number of HIV/AIDS cases increased among adult and adolescent men who have sex with men (MSM) in all age groups, and that among young African American MSM, ages 13-24, the number of HIV/AIDS cases increased by eighty percent between 2001 and 2005. See the complete data set here.
Right-wing religious organizations oppose the Day of Silence and even place the blame for Lawrence King's death on his being allowed to wear "feminine make up."; They and people like Sally Kerns openly voice their homophobia. But there is silent homophobia pervading our society as well, and it shows in lack of research on GLBTQ issues, sex education that does not acknowledge homosexual youth, and buried health statistics. On April 25 hundreds of thousands of youth will protest bullying and harassment in schools. Show them your support, and keep fighting for the abolition of homophobia in all areas of society - young people's lives depend on it!
What About the Boys?
Excerpt from a blog by Debra Hauser, Executive Vice President, Advocates for Youth
On Wednesday the CDC finally released data it had long held internally that demonstrates an alarming increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases among young African-American men who have sex with men (MSM).
No one seems to know why it took more than a year for the data analysis to become public -- the data itself is now three years old -- or why it was released by email as a "slide set" with little fanfare or press attention...
Is homophobia fueling an irrational and dangerous response to a public health epidemic that has plagued us for more than 25 years? I wouldn't be surprised. After all this is the administration that has poured more than $1 billion into abstinence-only-until-marriage programs-programs that at their best ignore the existence of gay youth and at their worst demonize homosexuality.
Read the rest of the blog
April is STI Awareness Month
April is STD/STI (sexually transmitted infection) Awareness month! This annual observance is to raise awareness about STIs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HPV; and to encourage STI testing and partner communication. You may have heard about the recent studies that showed that one in four young women has an STI, or that almost half of all STIs occur in people ages 15-24. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created an STD Awareness site, including E-cards to remind friends to get tested and to stay protected.
Another online initiative to encourage youth STI disclosure and testing is InSpot a site where users can send an anonymous e-card letting intimate partners know they might have been infected with an STI. It's a helpful and private way to inform partners they may be at risk!
These sites and Advocates' HIV/STIs section all also have information about how young people can stay healthy and protect themselves from STIs.
Learn more about STD Awareness Month
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Studies show that at least one in ten young people ages 15-19 has been sexually assaulted. Youth who experience sexual assault not only suffer great trauma, but are at higher risk for pregnancy and HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) raises awareness of sexual violence and its prevention through special events while highlighting sexual violence as a major public health issue and reinforcing the need for prevention efforts.
Read more about Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Read The Facts--Dating Violence Among Adolescents
New Research
Research Shows Yet Again That Comprehensive Sexuality Education is Effective and What Parents Want
April's Journal of Adolescent Health (JAH) included an editorial and two important studies on sexuality education. In the first, researchers studied the National Survey of Family Growth to determine the impact of sexuality education on youth sexual risk-taking for young people ages 15-19. There are a number of important findings in this article.
- Abstinence-only education has no impact on reducing teen pregnancy, delaying sexual initiation, or reducing STIs.
- Youth who received comprehensive sex education had significantly lower involvement in teen pregnancy.
- Youth who received comprehensive sex education were not more likely to have sex or get an STI.
This study adds to the body of research that has showed time and time again that abstinence-only programs do not work and that comprehensive sexuality education is effective and does not increase sexual risk taking. Read more here: Abstinence-Only and Comprehensive Sex Education and the Initiation of Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy
In a second study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers surveyed parents of school-age children in Minnesota to determine what kind of sexuality education they preferred for their children. Nine out of ten parents responded that their children should be taught about both abstinence and contraception. Even among Catholics, born-again Christians, and those who identified as "politically very conservative," a majority wanted their children to have comprehensive sex education. This is by no means the first time parents have articulated their children's need for information that can help protect them from pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Read more here: Support for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Perspectives from Parents of School-Age Youth (Read about two other nationwide studies here and here.)
JAH's editorial describes the sexuality education most young people receive in schools as "fragmented, incomplete, and frequently based on ineffective approaches and curricula." It urges parents, the general public, and adolescent health professionals to speak more assertively about the need for comprehensive sexuality education. Read the editorial here: Converging Evidence Leaves Policy Behind: Sex Education in the United States
Important New Information from the CDC
The CDC recently released important information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV among young people. One presentation at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference found that one in four young women has an STI. The most common STI was cancer- and genital wart-associated HPV (18.3 percent), followed by Chlamydia (3.9 percent), trichomoniasis (2.5 percent), and HSV-2 (1.9 percent). Among the teenage girls who had an STI, 15 percent had more than one. By race, African American teenage girls had the highest prevalence, with an overall STI prevalence of 48 percent compared to 20 percent among both whites and Mexican Americans.Read more about this study.
Also in March, the CDC posted a slide show of new statistics about HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM). The statistics include alarming increases in AIDS cases diagnosed among MSM in all racial/ethnic groups between 2001-2005 and an 80 percent increase in cases among young African American MSM.
View the slide show here: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides/msm/index.htm
Other Recent Research in Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
Take Action
We are at a pivotal point in the fight to win full access to emergency contraception (EC) for all women, and we need your help!
The Center for Reproductive Rights - a legal advocacy organization that promotes and defends the reproductive rights of women worldwide - recently filed a lawsuit to force the FDA to reverse its decision to restrict young women's access to Plan B without a prescription.
Advocates for Youth and Choice USA have launched a 10,000 signature petition drive to keep pressure on the FDA. It's time to make sure that ALL women have access to emergency contraception - not just women 18 and older!
Click here to download the Petition Kit! Collect signatures on your campus and in your community and send them in by fax or mail. We will deliver completed petitions to the FDA later this spring. 
From the Frontlines
News from the War on Healthy Sexuality
I'm Not a Doctor But I Play One In the White House
On March 14, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt sent a letter to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). In the letter he objected to an opinion released by ACOG's ethics committee, which said physicians "have the duty to refer patients in a timely manner to other providers if they do not feel they can in conscience provide the standard reproductive services that patients request." Leavitt informed ACOG that if ACOG plans to revoke certification based on physicians' refusal to refer women, they might be violating federal law.
But, says ACOG official in charge of certification Norman Gant, ACOG does not revoke certification on those grounds and does not intend to. The ethics committee's opinion is nonbinding. Leavitt's concerns are groundless.
The question, though, is why is the Bush administration sending threatening letters to medical societies? Why are politicians trying to intimidate doctors? After ACOG had clarified the nonbinding nature of its ethics ruling, a spokesman for HHS said: "We would still hope that [ACOG] would revisit their position." Why? Because it's not enough that a woman can leave her doctor's office having been shamed and refused legal services including abortion, emergency contraception, or even regular birth control. The far right wants her not even to be told where those services can be obtained. So intent on restricting women's access to needed services are they that even basic medical ethics guidelines are questioned if they do not follow the social conservatives' ideology.
Read or listen to NPR stories on this issue here and here.
New At Advocates
Emergency Contraception Video Now Online
The video Emergency Birth Control Pills: Because There Is a Morning After is now available to watch online. This educational film provides up to date information about emergency contraception and features stories from young women as well as interviews with physicians and sexual assault service providers.
Watch the video now!
New Publications
Advocates has rolled out the first documents in its new series Strategies for Organizational Success. Check out these great tips for helping your organization achieve long-term stability!
Job Openings at Advocates!
Director, Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization
The Initiative for Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization is a three-year project designed to mobilize a strong and vocal youth constituency in support of honest sex education and other sexual health services at the national and state levels. The Director of Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization will be responsible for the strategic vision, implementation, and evaluation of the Initiative for Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization. Under the supervision of the Vice President for Policy, Communications, and Marketing, the Director of Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization will build a team of professionals to embolden a new youth movement in support of the sexual health rights of young people.
Go here for more details and to apply
Press Secretary
As part of Advocates for Youth's communications strategy, the Press Secretary provides day-to-day media outreach and response, with an emphasis on print, broadcast, and online media coverage. Working with the Vice President, Policy, Communications, and Marketing, the Press Secretary will implement strategies to enhance the visibility of the organization at the national and state levels on a variety of adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues.
Go here for more details and to apply
Program Manager, Teen Pregnancy Prevention
The Program Manager collaborates with the Program Director for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Department to draft and market proposals; complete foundation and government reports; manage budgets; develop and review resources and publications; conduct needs assessment surveys, evaluate program effectiveness; and manage the day-to-day operations of the project. In addition, the Program Manager provides technical assistance to project partners via email and phone; supervises program interns; and conducts all other activities as directed.
Go here for more details and to apply
Manager of Individual Giving
The Manager of Individual Giving will expand and sustain individual fundraising efforts at Advocates for Youth. This is a new position, and the successful candidate will develop and execute a plan to scale-up Advocates' existing individual donor program, including the development of a major donor program for the organization.
Go here for more details and to apply
You can help Advocates for Youth with a contribution today. To donate, visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/donatetoday.htm
Read previous issues from the Archive of e-News Updates >>
|
Send this page to a friend