When Lucy Anderson’s son attended a sex education class at East Lansing High School in Michigan, she decided to do something a little unconventional. After discovering that her seat had a strong wi-fi connection, Lucy couldn’t resist the temptation to live-tweet the entire experience. As the class progressed, so did her outrage—and her tweets!
The guest speakers, who were not regular teachers but rather specialists from an external group, presented a slew of alarming statistics and cautionary tales. They claimed that condoms are ineffective, that premarital pregnancies lead to a life of shame and hardship, and that one in six condoms fail. Lucy’s irritation grew with every tweet; she was clearly not impressed.
As the speakers continued to share grim anecdotes about the consequences of pre-marital sex, Lucy couldn’t help but get more vocal. Soon, she was tweeting in all caps, her frustration spilling over as the class shifted to discussing the ineffectiveness of birth control methods.
The school principal later clarified to Buzzfeed that the curriculum wasn’t strictly abstinence-only, but rather “abstinence-based.” However, a little digging revealed that the organization hired to teach the class had a strong pro-life Christian agenda. Lucy’s observations in class confirmed her suspicions.
Despite studies challenging the effectiveness of abstinence-only education, funding for such programs has been extended by Congress through 2017. As a Clinical Professor in Medical Humanities and Bioethics at a top university, Lucy found the entire situation infuriating.
Following her outbursts, Lucy faced consequences—she was banned from most high school events and informed that she would be under “special monitoring” due to her colorful language after class (I mean, who hasn’t had a moment like that, right?). While she still believes her son is at a good school, Lucy suspects the district has little awareness of the content being delivered by these external groups. Given the attention her tweets garnered, they might have caught on by now.
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In summary, Lucy Anderson’s live-tweeting of her son’s sex ed class was both a humorous and eye-opening experience that highlighted the potential pitfalls of certain educational programs.