Utah LGBQ + Youth Need Inclusive and Comprehensive Sex Education Opportunities: Results From the 2022 Utah College Retrospective Sexual Behavior Survey

Abstract

Sex education in Utah teaches abstinence as its primary source of pregnancy and STI prevention. This approach is heteronormative, thus excluding LGBTQ+ youth which has been found to adversely impacts LGBTQ+ outcomes. The current study sought to retrospectively examine the perceptions of the sufficiency of sex education received by Utahns, specifically examining their perceptions of five core topics often included in comprehensive sex education and how their experiences differed by demographics. We conducted a one-time survey, using a convenience sample of 18–21-year-olds who attended high school in Utah. The survey was disseminated at four universities across Utah. The results of our study (N = 1,091) found that LGBQ + participants reported more negative perceptions, or higher levels of disagreement, of sufficiency of learning about CSE topics compared to heterosexual participants. Alternatively, participants who identified as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reported higher levels of agreement of being taught sufficient information about the five CSE topics. The results of the current study provide a rare examination of sex education in Utah and suggest the need for policy that supports inclusive sex education.