I am a devoted mother, an advocate of equal rights, and a citizen who is very concerned about the state of sex education in Tennessee.

When I was a student in Tennessee public schools, my classmates and I received truly quality sex education about which I have very few complaints.  I recently got involved with Healthy & Free Tennessee, an organization dedicated to promoting statewide reproductive health and freedom.  It was through them I learned that sex education in Tennessee has changed radically since I was a student.

When I contacted my local school board with my concerns about the current sex ed curriculum, I was advised (almost two months later), "The Family Life Coordinator who conducts classes in each school follows the Tennessee Department of Education guidelines with a State-approved curriculum."  When I then contacted Senator Rusty Crowe (R-3), I was told, "Knowing the current make up of the Senate as a whole(28  R) and (5 D) as well as the Senate education committee, and having served on the Education Committee for many years now, I can tell you that there is not sufficient support for amending the current approach being ' Family Life Curriculum'. [sic]"

I want my daughter and her peers to receive the best possible education in every subject so that they will be empowered to make safe, healthy choices throughout their lives.  The 107th Tennessee General Assembly was so unreasonable and unrealistic about sex education that they passed a law that makes that impossible by unfairly and recklessly withholding important health information from Tennessee students.

Because the current Tennessee General Assembly is unwilling to do so without our encouragement, we must take action to ensure our children receive an education that will serve their best interests in the short- and long term.  I encourage you to stand with with me and demand that the Tennessee General Assembly pass legislation reforming the current sex education law to enact a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in all Tennessee public schools.