Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has many highly controversial components that can be harmful to children.
Many CSE programs teach children about sex, sexuality, or sexual pleasure as young as age 5. World Health Organization (WHO) programs have CSE concepts targeting children from as early as 0 to 4 four years old.
The topics below are some of the most harmful concepts CSE programs promote to children. Actual excerpts from comprehensive sexuality education programs and materials can be found by clicking on each concept below.
Click on the topics below to access detailed program excerpts and target age groups.
15 Harmful Elements of CSE
1. SEXUALIZES CHILDREN
Normalizes child sex or desensitizes children to sexual things. May give examples of children having sex or imply many of their peers are sexually active. May glamorize sex, use graphic materials, teach explicit sexual vocabulary, or encourage discussion of sexual experiences, attractions, fantasies or desires.
2. TEACHES CHILDREN TO CONSENT TO SEX
May teach children how to negotiate sexual encounters or how to ask for or get “consent” from other children to engage in sexual acts with them.
3. NORMALIZES ANAL & ORAL SEX
Introduces these high-risk sexual behaviors to children and may normalize them. May omit vital medical facts, such as the extremely high STI rates (i.e., HIV and HPV) and oral and anal cancer rates associated with these risky sex acts.
4. PROMOTES HOMOSEXUAL / BISEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Promotes acceptance of and/or exploration of diverse sexual orientations, sometimes in violation of state education laws. May omit vital health information and/or may provide medically inaccurate information about homosexuality or homosexual sex.
5. TEACHES CHILDREN SEXUAL PLEASURE
Teaches children about sexual pleasure. May tell them they are entitled to or have a “right” to sexual pleasure or encourage children to seek out sexual pleasure.
6. PROMOTES SOLO OR MUTUAL MASTURBATION
While masturbation can be part of normal child development, encourages masturbation at young ages, making children more vulnerable to pornography use, sexual addictions or sexual exploitation. May describe masturbation or provide instruction on how to masturbate. May encourage children to engage in mutual masturbation.
7. EROTICIZES CONDOM USE
May use sexually explicit methods (i.e., penis and vagina models, seductive role play, etc.) to
promote condom use to children. May provide medically inaccurate information on condom
effectiveness and omit or deemphasize failure rates. May imply that condoms will provide complete protection against pregnancy or STIs.
8. PROMOTES EARLY SEXUAL INDEPENDENCE
Teaches children they can choose to have sex when they feel they are ready or when they find a trusted partner. Fails to provide data about the well-documented negative consequences of early sexual debut.
9. FAILS TO ESTABLISH ABSTINENCE AS THE GOAL
Fails to establish abstinence (or a return to abstinence) as the expected standard for all school- age children. May mention abstinence only in passing. May teach children that all sexual activity—other than “unprotected” vaginal and oral sex is acceptable, and even healthy. May present abstinence and “protected” sex as equally good options for children.
10. PROMOTES GENDER CONFUSION
Promotes affirmation of and/or exploration of diverse gender identities. May teach children they can change their gender or identify as multiple genders, or may present other unscientific and medically inaccurate gender ideologies. Fails to teach that most gender-confused children resolve it by adulthood and that extreme gender confusion is a mental health disorder (gender dysphoria) that may be helped with therapy.
11. TEACHES ABORTION / CONTRACEPTION
Presents abortion as a safe or positive option while omitting data on the many potential negative physical and mental health consequences. May teach children they have a right to abortion and refer them to abortion providers. May encourage the use of contraceptives, while failing to present failure rates or side effects.
12. PROMOTES PEER-TO-PEER SEX ED / SEXUAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY
May train children to teach other children about sex or sexual pleasure through peer-to-peer initiatives. May recruit children as spokespeople to advocate for controversial sexual rights (including a right to CSE itself) or to promote abortion.
13. UNDERMINES TRADITIONAL VALUES AND BELIEFS
May encourage children to question their parents’ beliefs or their cultural or religious values regarding early sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.
14. VIOLATES OR UNDERMINES PARENTAL RIGHTS
May instruct children they have rights to confidentiality and privacy from their parents. May teach children about accessing sexual commodities or services, including abortion, without parental consent. May instruct children not to tell their parents what they are being taught about sex in school.
15. REFERS CHILDREN TO HARMFUL RESOURCES
Refers children to harmful websites, materials or outside entities. May also specifically refer children to Planned Parenthood or their affiliates or partners for their lucrative services or commodities (i.e., sexual counseling, condoms, contraceptives, gender hormones, STI testing and treatment, abortions, etc.)
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