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from Gay Activism in the Schools
Psychologists Analyze Pro-Gay Curriculum Considered In Montgomery County, Maryland
December 8, 2004 - Dr. Warren Throckmorton and clinical psychologist David
Blakeslee have just published a critique of a health education curriculum that
may be adopted by the Montgomery County school district in Maryland next year.
The study, "Health Education as Social Advocacy: An Evaluation of the Proposed
Montgomery County Public Schools Health Education Curriculum," outlines numerous
flaws and unsupported assumptions about homosexuality and sexual orientation in
the materials, which are part of the curriculum.
In late November, the school board voted 6-0 to adopt the recommendations of a
Citizens' Advisory Committee on Family Life & Human Development. The 29-member
committee is scheduled to make a final decision on the recommendations in 2005.
Throckmorton and Blakeslee point out a variety of problems with the curriculum
as currently written. In their Executive Summary, they observe that the section
on contraception unnecessarily presents some material that may serve to promote
sexual activity. The sections on same gender attraction "is based on a
theoretical orientation, called essentialism, which does not represent a
singular consensus of opinion in the social sciences and research community
concerning sexual orientation."
In addition, the authors observe that the health materials do not adequately
prepare students "for the additional risks they may encounter: higher levels of
mental illnesses and substance abuse, higher levels of STD's." The curriculum
also wrongly assumes that the harassment of gays will be ameliorated through
this educational process.
"We do wonder why the risk factors attendant to a gay identity were not more
obvious in the health education curriculum. This omission seems particularly
troubling since the curriculum is supposed to be designed to help protect
children during a vulnerable time. For example, recent research suggests that
those at highest risk for HIV infection, young men with many sex partners,
appear to be the least likely to have changed their sexual behaviors since the
onset of the AIDS epidemic. Despite being just 2-3% of the population, gay and
bisexual men accounted for 44% of new HIV cases reported between 2000-2003."
The curriculum is also faulted for using source documents on homosexuality
provided by gay advocacy organizations that have a political agenda.
"Furthermore, curriculum resources completely omit scientific information,
published in peer reviewed journals, which differ from the positions of these
political advocacy organizations," say Throckmorton and Blakeslee.
Updated: 8 February 2008
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