Young people are sick and tired of poor sex education, and they are standing up against it with Juicy Fruit, Hubba Bubba and Spearmint gum in hand.
Sex ed. It’s not great. In fact, it’s quite backwards in the United States where abstinence-only education is the norm. Girls, in particular, are told by “health professionals” that having sex with multiple partners makes them the equivalent of a used toothbrush, un-sticky tape, a dirty shoe and, of course, chewed gum.
As of Oct. 30, the Advocates For Youth in coordination with the condom brand Trojan created a huge wall of chewed gum that is currently standing in the National Mall of our nation’s capital. The sign reads “YOU ARE NOT CHEWED GUM” and “Information is the best protection.”
(Photo from @thebestprotection)
The activist art serves as a protest to legislators who push abstinence-only education, as well as people who support that type of learning. The side of the wall has a sign that reads:
“No student should be taught that they are gross or worthless for having sex or having experienced sexual assault.
What we need is information and skills to help us protect ourselves from unintended pregnancy, HIV, and sexually transmitted infections.
Like how to use a condom and how to talk to a partner about protection.
Shame isn’t an education.
So we’re turning the piece of chewed gum into a symbol of protest.
Chew a piece, stick it on and join Trojan and Advocates For Youth in demanding better sex ed.”
“Trojan is a brand built on sex positivity and accurate information. So when we heard young adults were being taught sex in schools through shameful metaphors like chewed pieces of gum, we had to take a stance,” said 72andSunny group creative director Tony Kalathara who helped orchestrate the monument.
The gum wall also shares the web address to NotChewedGum.org, which allows readers to see sex education standards across the U.S. (Hint: The stats are ALARMING!) Additionally, the site reveals every horrible technique used in classrooms to push young people to stay abstinent.
If you are frustrated with the state of sex education in America, you have the power to reach out to Congress and tell them to stop funding abstinence-only or “sexual risk avoidance programs.” It all means the same thing: poor information. You can find a script here.
You can learn more here and feel free to follow the movement on social media, too! If you are in D.C., visit the wall in the National Mall and stick it to the legislators who are standing in the way of quality sex education.
Remember: You are not chewed gum, or a piece of tape, or a toothbrush or shoe. You are a person and you make your own choices for your body!