Let's Talk About Sex (Ed) with Margaret Grace Myers
Summary
Host Chelsea Weber-Smith interviews Margaret Grace Myers, author of *The Fight for Sex Ed*, to explore the century-long history of sexual education in the United States. The episode traces the evolution of sex ed from early 20th-century STI crises and eugenicist influences to the rise of the Christian right, highlighting how the topic has remained a potent cultural battleground. Myers discusses the recurring nature of school board conflicts, religious opposition, and the tension between evidence-based health information and moralistic doctrine, illustrating that the arguments seen today are…
Topics discussed
Introduction and guest Margaret Grace Myers
Personal anecdotes and the confusion of early sex ed
Origins: STIs, moral prophylaxis, and early textbooks
The 'if we talk about it' fallacy and alcohol parallels
The 1912 Chicago scandal and religious opposition
WWI, military STI rates, and the shift to moral standards
Sponsor break and return to the show
WWII, the Kinsey Report, and the rise of comprehensive ed
Founding of SIECUS and the 1962 Anaheim film controversy
The 1960s: Cultural shifts and the birth of the Moral Majority
AFLA, abstinence-only mandates, and the AIDS crisis
Political funding battles from the 90s to the present
Current state of sex ed, heteronormativity, and future hopes
Closing remarks and show credits
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