because every 16-year-old girl should know she's worthless without a man.

so when i say that crappy sex ed [or no sex ed] basically amounts to school-sponsored sexism and the perpetuation of traditional gender norms, this is what i'm talking about.

i caught the link on feministing. the gist of the article is that the principal at a catholic all-girls high school in staten island decided that the girls can't attend the junior prom without a date. more specifically, a "male escort". the principal ran reporters off school property and told the students not to say a word. not only is this rule straight out of the 19th century [obvious], it also effectively alienates any students who'd rather take another girl to prom. what could have been a romantic, liberating night for these girls is reduced to nothing more than a depressing sham of heterosexuality.

now, i can't say for sure that this high school has crappy sex ed, but it is a catholic school, so it's pretty safe to say that there's not a lot going on beyond "your virginity is a precious gift," or maybe "you're a dirty toothbrush." i'm certainly not saying a lack of dialogue about sexuality is the only thing driving this, but it certainly makes it that much easier to keep backward policies like this in place.