PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Amalia Sanchez, Youth Fellow at Girls For Gender Equity, on Comprehensive Sex Education
2:21:56
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157 sec
Amalia Sanchez, a youth fellow with Girls For Gender Equity, testified in support of Resolution 94-2024, which calls for comprehensive sexuality education in New York schools. She shared her personal experience with inadequate sex education and emphasized the importance of comprehensive sex ed for student safety and well-being.
- Highlighted the limitations of her own high school sex education, which was brief and lacked crucial information
- Argued that comprehensive sex ed, including consent education, is vital for promoting safe sexual activity and preventing misconduct
- Cited statistics showing that many 8th graders are not receiving complete sex education, leaving them to rely on potentially harmful outside sources
Amalia Sanchez
2:21:56
Good afternoon, chair Joseph, chair Lewis, and the members of the Committee on Education and the Committee on Women and Gender Equity.
2:22:03
My name is Amalia Sanchez, and I am an undergrad student, a self defense teacher, and a youth fellow with Girls For Gender Equity.
2:22:11
GGE is a nonprofit that works through a black feminist lens, centering the leadership of black girls and gender expansive young people in reshaping culture and policy.
2:22:20
Today, I'm here to express my support for a resolution 94 2024 calling upon the New York State legislative to pass a 4604, which requires comprehensive sexuality instruction for students grades k through 12.
2:22:35
My sexual education in high school was limited to a one day class where the only things taught were how to put a condom on a banana and watching a video that used tea as a metaphor for consent.
2:22:46
Birth control was only briefly mentioned, and emergency contraceptive pills were taught as something to take if you've had unprotected sex in this time frame of 24 hours.
2:22:56
This is misleading and lacks any real medical information or guidance on where young people can find these resources.
2:23:03
There is an argument that learning about sex ed will encourage sexual activity.
2:23:08
In reality, not being provided proper information about contraceptives, STIs, and STDs means more unsafe sexual activity.
2:23:17
Another essential part of comprehensive sex ed is teaching young people about consent as soon as possible.
2:23:24
Knowing how to give and take away consent is vital for young people, whether they are sexually active or not.
2:23:30
All through my middle and high school years, girls would share with the school about situations in which boys would make unwanted advances, not listening to the word no.
2:23:39
Instead of any action being taken to help victims feel safe, the school would cite ignorance as the reason for bad behavior while allowing for this ignorance to continue by not providing more education.
2:23:51
New York Public Schools testified that only 37.2 of 8th graders received the complete 54 hour sex education course during the 2017, 27, 2018 school year, meaning that the remaining percentage is learning a majority of their sex education from outside sources, including mainstream media and explicit content, which normalizes violent sexual experiences.
2:24:16
To the members of the joint committees, I implore you to vote in support of resolution 94 so that young people across New York are informed about how how to have healthy, safe relationships and sexual experiences.
2:24:30
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
