Cosmopolitan The Sex Ed Crisis: LGBTQ Youth Aren’t Getting the Sexual Education They Deserve

For Cosmo's 2018 investigation into America's sex ed crisis, our team traveled around the country to explore the shortcomings in public school sex ed curriculums. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we took a closer look at LGBTQ sex education, and how the lack of inclusivity is failing LGBTQ youth. Nefertari Sloan, a non-binary sex educator in Philly, explained the potential "trickle up" consequences of not focusing on LGBTQ issues in the sex education space. "If sex ed were more comprehensive, then it would shape a lot of the policies that we have."

As of 2021, only 11 states (and Washington, D.C.) require information on sexual orientation to be included in sex education curriculums—despite the fact that, according to the CDC, "LGBTQ youth are at a higher risk for substance abuse, STDs, bullying, isolation, anxiety, depression, and suicide than their heterosexual peers." The major lack of inclusive sex education is the reason why KC Miller, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, founded the Keystone Coalition at just 16 years old. Watch to hear about how Miller, Sloan, and other organizers are working to advocate for more comprehensive LGBTQ sex education.