Sexual Education and Sexuality - Essay Example

Journal When I was growing up from childhood through to adolescent, sex was regarded a taboo. I ended up learning little from my surrounding about sex. Having come from a Christian background where sexual terms and words were regarded as being obscene and indecent most of the time I was left in the dark regarding most issues about sexuality. The only spoken message about sex was the male and female anatomies but also indirectly. There was no direct mentioning of the sexual organs like it is today. I remember at one point in time where I was so inquisitive to get to know where babies came from, and my father ended up telling me babies were bought. I grew up knowing babies were bought until when I was 12 years and the topic was addressed in class. Love was widely spoken about and even marriage. The little spoken about messages about sex was how people got pregnant and there was little or no referral of sexual organs directly. Sexual societal norms at the time were so conservative. I remember contact with the opposite sex in the public was something weird and could really attract attention. Public display of affection through such things like hugs and kisses were not welcomed especially with the parents who had conservative views about sex. Nudity was also not welcomed, thus most women wore clothes that covered most of their bodies to avoid being regarded indecent. Sexual messages in the media were also limited and very conservative. When doing adverts of condoms, they did them late in the night to avoid explicit exposure of material to the children. Therefore, having been brought up in a conservative family I learnt more about sexuality in school and from friends. Journal #2 The one thing I appreciate about sexuality today is contraceptive use. In the past there was little information or limited use of contraceptives. Recently my brother almost went into a depression when he learnt he had impregnated his girlfriend and had no resources to cater for the needs of the lady. Had he been attending this class then I am sure he could not have resulted to that. When I was growing up my Christian background taught me that no other contraceptive use was allowed except for the natural method of the lady getting to know her safe days. Today most youth are active sexually, and any assumption that they are not engaging in sex will be lying to ourselves. Contraceptive use should be encouraged and promote public awareness in order to curb the many unwanted pregnancies that are facing the youth today. Sexual education of the youth should be introduced at an early age going by the fact that sexual information is nowadays readily available even in the internet. Letting them get to learn about it themselves like I did can make them indulge in unhealthy sexual practices hence exposing their lives to unhealthy risks. Education on conception, pregnancies, and birth is one message that ought to be preached to the youth because some engage in sexual practices without knowing the consequences involved. Advice should also be given on the best contraceptive use as it could lead to infertility cases among populations. Personally, at some point when I discovered contraceptive use I almost ended up engaging in sex frequently. Contraceptive should be used in promoting healthy sexual practices to prevent unwanted pregnancies and not to promote sexual behavior. Journal #3 Another topic I find interesting is the male and female reproductive anatomy. This topic has helped appreciate a lot concerning myself and the opposite sex. When I reached adolescent I started seeing weird changes in my body and that of others. During my childhood years I knew female breasts were only for mothers. Therefore, when changes stared occurring to me and my class mates I observed some mood changes including embarrassment. One of the notable changes was my pubic hair. I found it weird and thought I was abnormal. During this time an incident also occurred which left scars in my mind about menstruation. One of the ladies who were not aware of her menstrual status started bleeding in class. I think this was her first time. It left me wondering how someone could bleed without feeling pain. But we came to learn about the reproductive anatomy and that when I learnt the pubic hair and menstruation were part of human growth and development. This has made me have a negative attitude toward oral sex because I have a phobia for blood. This has cost me a relationship where the lady was insisting for an oral sex but I declined and we had to part ways. Journal #4 One of my friends from the opposite sex bought a sex toy recently. It has got me thinking and to wonder the importance of this toy or how she benefited from it. Consensual sexual behavior is one thing that has caught the public attention. Today sexual practices are very weird especially to someone like me who have had a religious upbringing I find it difficult to tolerate some sexual issues. It is the long old tradition that sex should only take place between two people from different sex. That is between a man and a woman. There is a growing trend in sexual practices like now the use of sex toys to satisfy ones sexual urge. We have also seen individuals advocating for same sex relationships. I found all these practices as being weird. People ought to practice the same old sexual practices that were based on love between two separate genders (Baumeister 347). Solitary sexual practices are not helping but instead prompting people to indulge in weird sexual practices like having sex with animals. I propose partner sexual practices and especially from different sexes. This will help people of different and from same sexes exist in harmony. Recently I met a man who was expressing interest in me and I was not impressed because we were from the same sex. It really makes one uncomfortable. Journal #5 Recently I went partying with my friends in club then at around midnight the show was somehow weird. I was shocked to see completely naked ladies dancing on poles. I was told to relax and enjoy because that was the latest trend in town. Sex for sale has been on the increase. This is where prostitution, phone sex and strip clubs come in. some of my friends ended up paying prostitutes for sex but I was not in a position because it was not my culture. Coming from a religious background I grew up knowing sex was meant for procreation and only those in marriage. The current sex for sale that has seen the widespread pornography grow into a billion dollar industry is only but a curse to the society today. Pornography breeds addiction and in most cases these sex addicts are the ones who end up defiling children when they lack partners to have sexual relationship with. It is this addiction that has led the public turning a blind eye into other indecent behavior that is now regarded as normal. Inappropriate dressing, nude photos that are doing rounds in the internet are all as a result of sexual addiction. Journal #6 Current sexual societal norms have changed drastically. Had my late parents been alive then I suppose they could have fainted or developed a heart disease regarding the drastic changes concerning sex and sexuality. Technological advancement has transformed societal thinking of sexuality and I found sex to be so explicit today compared to my childhood. There is widespread publication and display of matters to do with sex. I tend to support public display of information creating awareness concerning risky sexual behaviors and how to protect one from becoming a victim. Some of the norms I tend to disagree about concerning sexuality are the earlier exposure of sexual materials to the children. This has attributed to the many indulgences evident in the society today with children as young as 10 years old engaging into sex. Another incoming trend that I tend to dispute is homosexuality. Sexual attraction to same sex is the one thing that I cannot condone. I think my Christian background is to be blamed for this. Growing up I knew the art of seduction was a thing for the men and women were not supposed to engage in it. I also grew up knowing sex was for the married couples as this was the message passed to us in church. After interaction with both sexes have come to realize and believe that anybody be it male or female can engage in seduction because affection is controlled by both external and internal factors like hormones which we are not in control of. This class has been so educative and has helped me distinguish myths and facts regarding sexuality. I have learnt to appreciate the anatomy of the opposite sex and its weaknesses. For example have always had negative attitude towards menstruation but through this class have come to appreciate it because it is a crucial factor in human existence. I have also developed skills to handle my relationships, dating and contraceptive use to prevent unwanted pregnancies and enjoy my youth responsibly. Work cited Baumeister, Roy F. "Gender differences in erotic plasticity: the female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive." Psychological bulletin 126.3 (2000): 347. Read More