Sex Education and HIV Education

Comprehensive sex education and HIV education are critical for young people to be able to understand their bodies and make informed decisions about their health and relationships. To be considered comprehensive, education on sex and HIV should be medically accurate, age-appropriate, inclusive and culturally responsive. However, states take widely divergent approaches to providing sex and HIV education. 

Most US states have policies on sex education or instruction about HIV and AIDS, either established by statute or in state Department of Education standards. Some states provide only guidelines instead of legally enforceable requirements, and even legal requirements do not guarantee that young people will have access to comprehensive education around sex and HIV. In many states, these topics are becoming increasingly politicized as part of an escalating campaign against youth access to sexual and reproductive health services. 

The quality and content of sex and HIV education vary greatly from state to state. While some states strive to meet some or all standards for comprehensive education, others have established potentially harmful requirements for the types of information that can be shared. For instance, some states require that sex education include evidence-based instruction on topics such as contraception and pregnancy, while others promote ineffective and harmful instruction such as "abstinence only" education. Likewise, some states require sex and HIV education to be inclusive, while others require instruction that stigmatizes LGBTQ+ identities and relationships. In several states, “Don’t Say Gay” policies prohibit classroom discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation entirely or for certain grades. Furthermore, definitions of “medically accurate” instruction vary by state and may in some cases include outdated or inaccurate information. 

In addition to implementing requirements around the content of sex and HIV education, many states have policies mandating parental involvement, either requiring parents to consent to the instruction for their child or requiring schools to notify parents that their child will be receiving such instruction. Some states allow parents to opt their child out of these education programs altogether.

Highlights
  • 36 states and the District of Columbia require the provision of sex education, HIV education or both (Table 1).
  • 26 states require that sex and HIV education be medically accurate.
  • 42 states and DC require programs to cover or stress abstinence.
  • 20 states and DC have policies on whether or how sexual orientation and gender identity may be discussed.
    • 10 states and DC require instruction that is inclusive of a range of sexualities and gender identities.
    • 6 states require instruction that portrays sexualities other than heterosexuality and gender identities other than cisgender as shameful, unacceptable or illegal.
    • 6 states prohibit discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity or restrict it to certain age-groups (known as “Don’t Say Gay” policies).
  • The majority of states require schools to involve parents in sex education and/or HIV education by requiring parental consent or notice, or by allowing families to opt out of this instruction altogether (Table 2).
Current Policy Status Table

Table 1. Content Requirements for Sex and HIV Education

JurisdictionSex ed mandatedHIV ed mandatedEd must be medically accurateEd must be age-appropriateEd must include abstinenceEd must include contraceptionEd must cover consentEd must include sexual orientation and gender identityEd must cover healthy relationships
Alabama XXXStressX   
Arizona  HIVXStress    
Arkansas    Stress  *X
CaliforniaXXXXCoverX InclusiveX
Colorado  XXCoverXXInclusiveX
Connecticut X  CoverXXInclusiveX
DelawareXX  StressXXInclusiveX
District of ColumbiaXX XCoverXXInclusiveX
Florida  HIVXStress  Stigmatizing*X
GeorgiaXX  Stress    
HawaiiXXXXStressX  X
Idaho  X Stress   X
Illinois XXXCoverXXInclusiveX
Indiana X  Stress  * 
IowaX XX   *X
KentuckyX  XStress  *X
LouisianaXXX Stress  StigmatizingX
MaineX XXStressXX X
MarylandXXX CoverXXInclusiveX
Massachusetts        X
Michigan XXXStress    
MinnesotaXX  Stress    
MississippiX  XStress  Stigmatizing 
Missouri XXXStressX   
MontanaX        
Nebraska        X
NevadaXXHIVX     
New HampshireXX  Cover    
New JerseyXXXXStress XInclusiveX
New MexicoXX HIVCover (Sex), Stress (HIV)X  X
New York XHIVHIVStress (HIV)    
North CarolinaXXXXStressX Stigmatizing*X
North DakotaXX  Stress    
OhioXX  Stress   X
Oklahoma XHIV Stress  Stigmatizing 
OregonXXXXStressXXInclusiveX
Pennsylvania X HIVStress (HIV)   X
Rhode IslandXXXXStressX InclusiveX
South CarolinaX   StressX  X
South Dakota    Stress    
TennesseeXXXXStress   X
Texas   XStressX StigmatizingX
UtahX X Stress X  
VermontXX XCoverX  X
Virginia  XXCoverXX X
WashingtonXXXXStressXXInclusiveX
West VirginiaXX  CoverX  X
Wisconsin XHIV Stress    
TOTAL27 + DC30 + DC2626 + DC42 + DC20 + DC11 + DC20 + DC30 + DC

Notes: Table includes only those jurisdictions with current policies relevant to this topic. In columns 3−9, “X” denotes a policy that applies to both sex and HIV education, while “Sex” and “HIV” denote policies that apply to only that type of instruction. In column 6, policies that emphasize abstinence as correct or preferable to sexual activity are marked as “Stress”; policies that require discussion of abstinence but do not require that it be presented as preferable to sexual activity are marked as “Cover.” In column 8, “Inclusive” policies require instruction on sexual orientation and gender that is inclusive of a range of sexualities and gender identities. “Stigmatizing” policies require instruction that portrays sexualities other than heterosexuality and gender identities other than cisgender as shameful, unacceptable or illegal. 

*State prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, either completely or before certain grades.

 

Table 2. Parental Involvement Requirements for Sex and HIV Education

JurisdictionParental consent requiredParental notice requiredOpting out allowed
Alabama X 
Alaska XX
ArizonaSexXHIV
California XX
Colorado XX
Connecticut  X
District of Columbia XX
Florida  X
Georgia XX
Hawaii  X
Idaho  X
Illinois  X
IndianaXXX
Iowa XX
KentuckyXXX
Louisiana  X
Maine  X
Maryland XX
Massachusetts XX
Michigan XX
Minnesota  X
MississippiXXX
Missouri XX
Montana XX
NevadaXXX
New Hampshire XX
New Jersey  X
New Mexico  X
New York  HIV
North CarolinaXXX
Ohio  X
Oklahoma XX
Oregon XX
Pennsylvania HIVHIV
Rhode Island  HIV
South Carolina XX
Tennessee XX
Texas XX
UtahXXX
Vermont  HIV
Virginia XX
Washington XX
West Virginia  X
Wisconsin XX
TOTAL728 + DC42 + DC

Notes: Table includes only those jurisdictions with current policies relevant to this topic. “X” denotes a policy that applies to both sex and HIV education, while “Sex” and “HIV” denote policies that apply to only that type of instruction.

Source URL: https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/sex-and-hiv-education