Touting itself as “by teens, for teens,” the magazine Sex, Etc. has created a stir at a middle school in New Jersey. Parents concerned about the magazine’s explicit content are demanding that it be removed from the middle school’s media center.

The group of over sixty parents has the support of at least one school board member. According to wusa9, “school board member Stephen Kubricki urged the board on Monday to vote to remove the material from the junior high. Kubricki said the magazine contained ‘a level of graphic and explicit images and text which goes beyond valuable information.'”

The magazine and website, which I’ve linked to here, brazenly promotes same-sex relationships, gender confusion, and abortion. I’m sure most parents can remember when safe-sex education was touted as, “we don’t want teens to have sex, but since they’re going to do it anyway, we’re going to teach them safe sex.” Well, going far beyond the run-of-the-mill liberal promotion of safe sex, Sex, Etc. encourages teenagers to have sex.

From the website: “Sex, Etc. is a comprehensive sexuality education website for teens 13- to 19-years old. Sex, Etc. is published by Answer.” The site’s about section proudly states, “Sex, Etc. is on a mission to improve teen sexual health across the country! Each year, five million young people visit Sexetc.org, and over 45,000 read our magazine to get honest and accurate sexual health information. We’ve helped teens with answers to their question about sex, relationships, pregnancy, STDs, birth control, sexual orientation and more!”

Normally, I wouldn’t encourage traffic to a site like Sex, Etc., but I believe that it’s important for parents to familiarize themselves with what may end up in their children’s school libraries, if it’s not already there. So, if you’re a parent, I encourage you to click on the link posted above and peruse the website of a magazine that is specifically written and marketed as sex-education for teens.

In an article titled “The Clitoris and Pleasure: What You Should Know,” the magazine is quick to point out:

Anatomy is not identity. While this story is about clitorises, G-spots and pleasure, there are people who identify as female who have penises—just as there are some people who have vulvas and vaginas who may not identify as female. Having a vagina, vulva, clitoris or uterus does not make you any more of a woman, nor are they necessary parts in finding someone to have a fulfilling relationship with. What’s important is educating yourself about your body, regardless of your gender identity.

Another article, titled “Crisis Pregnancy Centers: The Illusion of Choice,” written by a seventeen-year-old, claims that going to a Crisis Pregnancy Center is a “catastrophic error.” In case you haven’t already figured it out, the reason such a decision is a “catastrophic error” is because Crisis Pregnancy Centers are pro-life. Sex, Etc. would prefer that our children never hear the other side of the “debate.” The author of the piece admits that she is “definitely not qualified to handle this,” yet she wrote an article about “this” anyway.

And therein lies the rub. Or, rather, therein lies one of the problems among many problems with Sex, Etc. Sex is an adult topic. Our society is now having children teach children about an adult topic.

This isn’t an issue that parents can afford to be passive about. Most especially, those who have their kids in public schools, should be pro-active in finding out what resources are being used to teach their children.