Lessons, Tips and Tools from Sex Education Advocacy in California
Page Media
Today, California has the strongest sex education law in the country. Home to one out of every eight adolescents in the United States, California is the only state never to have taken federal Title V abstinence funds, and the landmark California Healthy Youth Act (CHYA) is praised by many as a model for progressive policy. However, the process that led to this legislative win was incremental. Other victories—won through over a decade of administrative advocacy, community organizing, and litigation—helped set the stage for passing and implementing a succession of laws and creating a movement for advancing sex education beyond the policy arena.
This toolkit provides examples of strategies we at the ACLU and our allies have tried, where we have been successful, and where we would make changes in hindsight. It is intended not as a manual but as a roadmap of California’s campaign, to help advocates who may be contemplating, or actively working toward, passing policy in other states and are wondering what else can be done to advance comprehensive sex education at the state and local levels.
