Theorizing Student-Centered Sexuality Education within a Reproductive Justice Framework

An intersectional analysis of sex education in the U.S. reveals a need for a more nuanced and community-based approach to sexuality education. A Reproductive Justice framed sexuality education program attends to the needs and desires expressed by a community, while interrogating and resisting the interlocking systems of power that work to uphold white patriarchy and white supremacy. Reproductive Justice sexuality education is socially transformational when it centers student creation and community participation. Instead of risk prevention and rights-based sex education programs that often perpetuate oppressive structures and erase students' lived experiences, student-centered sexuality education with a Reproductive Justice framework allows for participants to feel safe and valued. This re/imagining of sex education also allows for pleasure instead of shame to be a product of sexuality exploration. Key words: Reproductive Justice, Sexuality Education, K-12 Sex Education, Community Created Curriculum, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Intersectionality