On February 2, 2022, Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier submitted testimony in support of H.7166. This bill would require schools that offer sexual health education to use curricula that acknowledge and affirm LGBTQ+ identities, which promotes the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and safety and inclusion in general in our schools.

All young people need accurate, medically sound, evidence-based information to learn about their sexuality, and that of others, at a particularly critical point in their sexual and psychosocial development. This is particularly true for LGBTQ+ youth, as same-sex sexuality has historically been silenced and stigmatized, thus depriving LGBTQ+ youth of the same opportunity.

Sex education curriculum that includes information about sexual orientation and gender identity doesn’t just teach LGBTQ+ students about their sexuality, it also educates all students that same-sex sexual expression is a normal part of human sexuality.