San Diego, CA

Within one breath, two students at a high school in California were told by school administrators that their project No Glove, No Love would both receive a top grade and not be allowed to continue.¹

The project, assigned as a way of educating students about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), was rejected because it was “too controversial.”  A vice principal at the school explained, “We want to keep [the school’s] name out of the headlines, especially if it has to do with teen sexuality.”²

The students created the project because they felt their school did not provide comprehensive information on sexuality.  A school representative reported that the school, like all schools in the district, follows an abstinence-only-until-marriage policy.³  The students who created No Glove, No Love, however, argue that abstinence-only programs don’t work and this policy needs to be changed. The students hoped that by teaching teens about sex, adolescents would be less likely to simply “rebel” with no real thought of the matter.⁴  

Although the project was supported by a teacher and backed by three separate written proposals, administrators blocked each attempt to let the program move forward.  The students called the decision “censorship,” noting that STDs are on the rise and that “the school should help students deal with the problem.”⁵

The students plan to take their complaints about the lack of sexuality education in their school to their state senators and representatives. 

SIECUS will continue to monitor this situation.

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