You know, people sometimes get after me about criticizing so many of these black churches in our communities, especially the ones where our preachers decide to join forces with the bigoted, sexist, right-wing slime attempting to force its phony "family values" agenda down the nation's throat. Sure, I know a lot of that is driven by greedy ministers trying to cash in on the Bush Administration's efforts to bribe the churches into complicity via faith-based funding. But the sad truth is, there are also some naive, narrow-minded clergymen out there willing to sacrifice all of the interests and needs of their parishioners and the black community as a whole just to engage in dead-end moralizing.
Some stunning numbers from recent federal study, though, shows just how pernicious these right-wingers' agenda can be for all Americans in general, black folks in particular. According to a recent study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four American teenage girls has some sort of sexually transmitted disease.
Even more alarming, a full ONE HALF of black teen girls in the study had suffered from one type of STD or another.
And yet, despite the alarming statistical and anecdotal evidence that our girls are endangered by herpes, chlamydia, HPV and other preventable ailments, many black churches continue to fight sex education in our schools. They continue to diminish the importance of condoms and continue to stand against groups that seek to make condoms available to our teens. They continue to promote abstinence-only programs that have shown clearly to be ineffective.
I realize that black folks are a traditionally socially conservative people. But that doesn't mean that's necessarily a good thing. And now that many black preachers allow themselves to be pimped by the right-wing agenda in an effort to exploit that conservatism, we are finding that not only is our narrow-mindedness not a good thing, it may very well be helping to kill us. (That, too, is part of the right-wing agenda, might I add.)
We cannot afford to maintain these Puritanical notions about sex and sex ed in the black community. We have to teach our children about safe sex and not only teach in an academic sense, but urgently promote real-life application of safe sex lessons.
Teach ya sons how to put on rubbers. Teach ya daughters how to put them on boys, too. Teach them about dental dams and spermacides, same as you teach them about self-respect and intimacy.
Most of all, though, teach them that sex is not dirty, not bad, that it's something they should feel comfortable talking about.
And yes, teach 'em that when you screw, you run the risk of having babies. Creating life is always one potential result of sex, and I agree that teenagers should never be saddled with the burdens of parenthood.
Neither, though, should they have to risk death.
Some stunning numbers from recent federal study, though, shows just how pernicious these right-wingers' agenda can be for all Americans in general, black folks in particular. According to a recent study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four American teenage girls has some sort of sexually transmitted disease.
Even more alarming, a full ONE HALF of black teen girls in the study had suffered from one type of STD or another.
And yet, despite the alarming statistical and anecdotal evidence that our girls are endangered by herpes, chlamydia, HPV and other preventable ailments, many black churches continue to fight sex education in our schools. They continue to diminish the importance of condoms and continue to stand against groups that seek to make condoms available to our teens. They continue to promote abstinence-only programs that have shown clearly to be ineffective.
I realize that black folks are a traditionally socially conservative people. But that doesn't mean that's necessarily a good thing. And now that many black preachers allow themselves to be pimped by the right-wing agenda in an effort to exploit that conservatism, we are finding that not only is our narrow-mindedness not a good thing, it may very well be helping to kill us. (That, too, is part of the right-wing agenda, might I add.)
We cannot afford to maintain these Puritanical notions about sex and sex ed in the black community. We have to teach our children about safe sex and not only teach in an academic sense, but urgently promote real-life application of safe sex lessons.
Teach ya sons how to put on rubbers. Teach ya daughters how to put them on boys, too. Teach them about dental dams and spermacides, same as you teach them about self-respect and intimacy.
Most of all, though, teach them that sex is not dirty, not bad, that it's something they should feel comfortable talking about.
And yes, teach 'em that when you screw, you run the risk of having babies. Creating life is always one potential result of sex, and I agree that teenagers should never be saddled with the burdens of parenthood.
Neither, though, should they have to risk death.
1 comment:
Hey Pressure,
Very, very, fly site, not to mention profound sentiments. Can't say enough about the hypocrisy in the black church, and in the white church too, for that matter. The level of denial and dishonesty about teen sex, homosexuality, disease, etc., by some of these black ministers borders on religious malpractice. Too bad we can't sue them and have their licenses revoked.
Keep speaking truth to power.
Green Feet
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