Guest Speakers and Sexuality Education: An Ethnographic Look inside One California High School

Abstract

Adopting an ethnographic lens, readers are provided a look inside a California high school sexuality education classroom. On this chosen day, two invited guest speakers from an outside company are teaching students about pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, and risks associated with having sex. Analysis of the guest speakers’ pedagogical strategies and accompanying curricula reveal exclusionary abstinence-only ideologies that provide students with limited and narrow constructions of commitment, romance, love, and sexuality. Although considered to be a comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education classroom space, content delivery strategically instills fear and disseminates misinformation. Through classroom observations and student interviews, findings highlight the need for increased attention to guest speakers’ involvement in sexuality education classrooms.