Mail Bag

Patrick writes:

"I just read your cartoon about Sex Ed on the ACLU website and was surprised that it almost perfectly describes lessons that I received from the Operation Keepsake organization at Wiley Middle School (in University Heights) about five years ago. They lied about STDs and condoms, saying that HIV could easily pass through the microscopic mesh that condoms are made of (the instructor used the chalk board to illustrate this) and that sperm sometimes wiggles on through. They pressured us to sign abstinence pledges and we learned about "secondary virginity" in case we were already tainted. We played fun games about the doom of premarital sex (complete with a Wheel of Misfortune containing STIs, pregnancy, depression and a couple get away free spots). Gay people were not in the lesson plan. I'm pretty sure some of my classmates got pregnant in high school."