Finally, Ready for Change?

This spring, we've seen all sorts of tension, drama, brilliance, achievements, breakthroughs, madness, setbacks, meltdowns, and more in Carson City. We've even seen this. Oh, and we've even seen this.

Late last month, many progressives were stunned and upset when AB 230 encountered a shocking demise. How on earth could such common sense policy to protect teens in school encounter such a ghastly demise in the Nevada Legislature? Today, we have another #FAIL to add to the #NVLeg pile as SB 221 looks to be encountering a similarly shocking and ghastly demise.

“I’m worried about the penalty,” said Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas. “It worries me how we inform the public so unwitting people don’t become criminals.”

Lobbyists working on the bill said that legislators like Ohrenschall are worried that Southern Nevada’s large bilingual population might not understand the bill if it becomes law, and people might inadvertently be punished for their ignorance.

The bill already passed the Senate with 11 Democrats in favor of Senate Bill 221 and 10 Republicans voting against it. [...]

Meanwhile, [SB 221 sponsor Justin] Jones [D-Enterprise] moved half of the bill into another bill in an amendment, a move that could acknowledge the background check provisions may fail.

Jones’ bill would require speedier mental health reporting to proper federal authorities. That aspect of the bill could make it more difficult for the mentally ill to acquire guns, which earned broad bipartisan support. Gov. Brian Sandoval also is in favor of the reporting requirements.

Sandoval earlier said he would veto the background check bill.

Jones amended Senate Bill 38 late Sunday night in a quick meeting between senators and members of the Assembly, said Sen. Mark Hutchison, R-Las Vegas.

Apparently, there is one key difference here. At least this time, we have a better idea as to how and why SB 221 has stalled. Assembly Member James Ohrenschall is concerned about clogging up criminal courts over ignorance. And a few other Assembly Democrats have expressed concerns about certain provisions in the bill. And they, in turn, have unintentionally strengthened Republicans' hands as they move to kill the bill. So now, Senator Jones is left searching for ways to salvage the most universally accepted provisions of an already milquetoast bill with 86% public support.

This seems so pathetic. But sadly, this is reality in Carson City. This is the final day. And with not much time left and an absent Democratic Senator, there's virtually no room left for error today.

So of course, we're stuck with yet another dead bill where there should have been advancement on good policy. Meanwhile, the state budget looks to be moving just in the nick of time. Apparently, the rude awakening hasn't been enough to shake Carson City out of its failed status quo.

However, that doesn't require us to stay there. As we've discussed here before, We the People will finally have our "Carpe Diem moment" for tax reform next year as SJR 15 (mining tax reform) and The Education Initiative (IP 1, corporate margins tax) head to the ballot box. Next year, we will have the opportunity to finally do what the Governor refuses to do and the Legislature can't manage to do.

So where does this leave us? Go West, young people. Remember when we discussed the looming prospect of "Californication"? Guess what... We're here.

The more Nevadans learn about how multinational mining corporations have abused our tax code to pay virtually nothing for profitting off our natural resources, the angrier we get. And if the decision on how much to tax them moves from the Legislature to "we the people", the mining industry will probably have to kiss its sweetheart deal goodbye.

This probably also explains why "big bid'ness" power brokers (like Monte Miller?) fear the AFL-CIO's margin tax on big business. In addition to the mining industry, other big multinational corporations like to set up "on shore tax shelters" here in Nevada to avoid paying taxes. But really, what do we get out of it? After seeing them profit while Nevada families suffer from decaying schools and inadequate transportation infrastructure, Nevada voters may also be ready to finally make the big guys pay their fair share.

So in the end, Pete Ernaut may have a valid point in stating the problems with "ballot box budgeting" and waging electoral campaigns on tax policy. However when the Legislature won't tackle this, someone has to. And when Nevada is in real need of real reform that finally moves our tax code into the 21st century, we can't blame citizen activists for wanting to take matters into their own hands. And since Ernaut's own BFF in the Governor's Mansion encouraged obstruction on tax reform in Carson City last year, he should have realized that he helped bring "Californication" of Nevada policy making here.

Oh, yes. That's right. I just went there... Again.

So California, here we are. We've already been experiencing the failures as state government has gradually been breaking down and extreme ideology has taken the place of good faith negotiation. And because the Nevada Legislature only meets for 120 days every two years, this problem is exacerbated here.

But can we finally begin reaping the rewards of success? Probably. We the People just have to make it happen ourselves. This involves some "ballot box budgeting" now, but it will probably also mean serious structural reform of state government later.

After all, the failure of common sense policies espoused by the likes of AB 230 and SB 221 should be embarrassing to the powers that be in Carson City. As they quickly approach sine die, do they really want to "declare victory"? Do they really want the failed status quo to continue? Or are they ready for change?

Remember why bills like SB 221 and AB 230 died. Remember why we will be experiencing some serious "ballot box budgeting" next year. And remember why we can't afford any more failed status quo. I increasingly sense We the People are ready for change. Now, Carson City needs to be.

Far from Finished

So this has been one hell of a Memorial Day weekend for many of us. It's especially been an awkwardly rough weekend for those citizen activists who worked tirelessly on AB 230 and improving teen safety. Last Friday, PLAN's Bob Fulkerson and Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood [NAPPA]'s Elisa Cafferata provided further perspective on what had just happened on "Ralston Reports".



Last Friday, we saw plenty of raw emotion explode all over the progressive blogosphere and social media. And yes, it even happened right here. I couldn't help it. I was so stunned, so verklempt.

Since then, we've had a chance to step back and notice the larger picture of what happened. For a "so angry one must laugh" take, check out Laura Martin's GIF loaded explanation. And if more catharsis is needed, check out Sin City Siren.



So now, let's take a moment and discuss the big picture some more. For so long, we've become accustomed to seeing the powers that be in Carson City as Kings and Queens of Pain who continually disappoint by agreeing to continue the failed status quo. That's actually a reason why We the People will be deciding on change at the ballot box next year.

Yet this session, we've also seen something we had not been accustomed to experiencing in Carson City: a slew of progressive victories. SJR 13 (marriage equality), SJR 15 (mining tax reform), SB 229 (saving Lake Tahoe), SB 303 (driver's authorization cards), and more progressive priorities have actually been advancing and winning in the Nevada Legislature. At times, activists have pinched each other to see if this is for real.

Yet while the bubble of happiness occasionally leaked with reminders of continuing fiscal madness, it didn't completely burst until Friday. The shocking demise of AB 230 reminded progressive activists of the continuing headwinds hindering further progress. How on earth could such common sense legislation aimed at protecting teens face such a ghastly demise?

It comes down to this: There's still a Republican Governor. And there are not enough votes in #NVLeg to override his veto(es). So it limits opportunities. Governor Sandoval had to be shamed into backing SB 229 and SB 303, and his action wasn't needed on SJR 13 and SJR 15. Yet on AB 230, he dug in his heels and refused to budge on his opposition... To educating kids on how to prevent teen pregnancies and spreading dangerous infections.

Could Senate Democrats have joined their Assembly colleagues in passing the bill anyway? Perhaps so. It would have been vetoed by the Governor, and perhaps it would have been fodder for the coming campaign cycle. (And it may still be anyway.)

Should Senate Democratic leaders have done this? It's often been recommended to "do what's right and let the consequences follow". I can't help but wonder why they couldn't have at least laid the blame directly on Governor Sandoval and shown everyone why comprehensive sex education couldn't become law in Nevada. Instead, there's no more bill... And these very Democratic leaders are being blamed for the bill's demise. Was it really good politics to treat good policy so badly?

Yet with that being said, it still would have resulted in AB 230's death. So what then? As NAPPA's Elisa Cafferata explained on Friday, there's still the possibility of parts of AB 230 being resurrected and amended into other bills. Perhaps this way, it will be harder for Governor Sandoval to veto it all way.

But whatever happens to the remains of AB 230 in the final days of the 77th session of the Nevada Legislature, progressive organizers and activists will again have to figure out how to regroup and move forward on this and other issues left by the wayside in Carson City. As we've learned the hard way on the above mentioned victories, they were all long and hard fought. They didn't come overnight, and they all met plenty of resistance along the way.



So what made the difference? You did. We did. The grassroots did. It took relentless advocacy to get us to the point where we are now. And clearly, we're still far from finished.

All too often, leaders in Carson City need for the grassroots to lead the way. That's clearly the case now. Regardless of what happens in the coming days, we're far from finished. One election can't change everything. Not even one legislative session can. It will take longer to achieve victories on issues like sex education and public education funding, but activists shouldn't throw in the towel just because of screwy politics in Carson City... Far from it.

We're far from finished.

The Ultimate Betrayal

Earlier this month, we saw the culmination of the extended 21st Century Know Nothing campaign to kill the prospect of comprehensive sex education throughout Nevada in the form of an outrageous editorial published on the web site of the state's "newspaper" of record setting embarrassments. Who could have guessed that one of the top Democrats in the Nevada Legislature would ultimately do the bidding of the 21st Century Know Nothings and the "newspaper" they so love? John Lee, meet Mo Denis (D-Coward).

The sex-ed measure was not a license for Planned Parenthood to invade schools and promote abortion. It was legislation designed to update a decades-old curricula that is no longer relevant and to educate kids about an array of dangers that didn’t exist or were barely known 30 years ago.

Isn’t it their job to educate any constituents who might have misunderstood the intent or whose fears had been fanned by the other side? Wasn’t this issue important enough to do that?

Instead, Democratic operatives and senators were trying Friday afternoon to tamp down a social media firestorm from the left. That was their priority -- not having THEIR people make this worse for them. Profiles in courage, they are.

And what do they say to their Assembly colleagues who backed this measure? I can imagine: "Sorry, we hung you out, but you know, people might be mad at us so we had to kill it. Hope it's not an issue for you in your elections."

According to a source who blabbed to the Las Vegas Sun's Conor Shine, Governor Brian Sandoval (R-Huh?!) was threatening to veto the bill. And considering Governor Sandoval's penchant for reluctance to accept reality, this is likely true. Still, why would Senator Denis concede defeat so quickly and without any sort of fight?

Was Senator Denis ever willing to even give this bill a chance? Did the Senate Majority Leader ever plan to even listen to the majority of his majority caucus? Does he really want to punish and endanger Nevada students just for the sake of pandering to 21st Century Know Nothings who will never support him or any other Democratic candidate anyway?

Supposedly, Senator Denis also did this to "protect vulnerable incumbents". But so far, blowback from progressives looks to be delivering the opposite result. And Mr. Majority Leader may pay the ultimate price for the ultimate betrayal.

From Shame to Fear

Last weekend, the local "newspaper" ex-publisher/current columnist engaged in some good old fashioned "slut-shaming" and enhanced it with a touch a racism in an effort to kill AB 230. Who knew comprehensive sex education we at the center of this? And that's only the start of it.

Shortly after her stunning testimony last month on her life story and why she supports AB 230, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) received death threats. And then when AB 230 finally hit the Assembly floor, opponents uttered complete nonsense just before the bill passed anyway. So why are opponents so afraid of AB 230? That's a good question.

“There’s a whole mythology to this bill that has really gone off the tracks,” [Assembly Member David] Bobzien [D-Reno, and author of the bill] said. “We’ve diverted this whole conversation of an important policy issue to someone’s visceral worst-case scenario.”

The Reno Democrat said he’s worked with the advocacy and education group Planned Parenthood to introduce a bill that would update the state’s standards for sex education in public schools.

His goal is to standardize the state’s sex education law from the 1980s while respecting local school districts and the rights of parents. He also hopes the bill helps reduce Nevada’s teen pregnancy rate, which is the fourth-highest in the nation. [...]

Beyond what’s already taught, [CCSD Chief Lobbyist] Haldeman said the bill would add to the curriculum discussion of gender stereotypes, sexual exploitation and human trafficking, relationship negotiating skills, resources for counseling, “effective and safe methods of contraception,” and sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment.

And it's likely not a coincidence this is happening. We're really talking about common sense. This should have been fixed long ago.

As usual, the 21st Century Know Nothings are stirring up controversy in hopes of defeating the bill. Since the actual policy is quite straightforward, they must invent things to scare people. And when people get scared, wild things happen. (See above.)

At the heart of this controversy is fear. It's fear of the unknown. It's fear of "the other". And it's fear of empowerment. But really, why should we fear empowering our kids to make smart choices?

Shame

Back in January, we decided to stop providing the local Southern Nevada "newspaper" the attention it clearly does not deserve. When was the last time the "newspaper" had a good reputation for actually reporting the news? So why treat it as such?

We've been doing our part here to actually pay attention to the real news. Yet yesterday, the "newspaper" published an editorial so heinous and disgusting that we can't let it get away with this. And fortunately for us, Sin City Siren managed to catch the racism and sexism on display yesterday.

I’m also irritated that in both of these op-eds, Sherm gives what he thinks is a clever indictment on Assemblywoman Lucy Flores’ testimony about having an abortion. He wonders allowed at whether or not Sen. Ruben Kihuen’s characterization of Flores’ testimony as courageous is actually courageous. You know why Lucy is courageous? She didn’t retract the truth about her life after she faced threats of violence just for sharing it. That is the culture we live in. You don’t like abortion —then you can just threaten and bully a person into silence. But I guess you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Sherm?

And, Sherm, for all your back-handed compliments to teen moms, do you support any programs or services that actually help teen mothers, who face a higher rate of poverty and less opportunities in the work force due to a higher rate of dropping out of school? (Only about 50 percent of teen mothers graduate from high, according to the CDC.) Where is your support for those brave teen moms, Sherm? Where’s your op-ed extolling their courageous decision to have their babies? And furthermore, where’s your reality check that growing up the child of teen mom isn’t all its cracked up to be? I should know. But I guess there’s no room in your world-view for the reality that, yes, white teens have babies, too. [...]

And by the way, comprehensive sex education has been proven more effective than abstinence-only programs and is endorsed by a large number of agencies that work to better the lives of children including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, the Society for Adolescent Medicine and the American College Health Association.

So the "newspaper" struck (out) yet again. Is anyone truly surprised? Here's the short response to this latest "newspaper" turdblossom.



And here's the longer answer: Clearly, the "newspaper" publisher/former editor doesn't know what's in AB 230, why comprehensive sex education matters, and who's ultimately hurt by the status quo (hint: everyone). And on top of that, he decided to engage in the time (dis)honored tradition of "slut-shaming". He must have learned nothing from Rush Limbaugh's EPIC FAIL in this department.



It's a shame that we've become accustomed to seeing this kind of garbage in the state's largest "newspaper". It's a shame that Nevada women continue to suffer this kind of degradation. And it's truly a shame that many in the media implicitly and/or explicitly condone what should be shameful behavior.

Oh, and it's not as if "slut-shaming" works in reducing teen pregancies and/or preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. If anything, the opposite may actually be true. Threatening young women won't stop the above from happening. Knowledge, on the other hand, will. After all, knowledge is power.

So we should know better. And the powers that be at the "newspaper" should have known better. What a shame.

AB 230 Passes Assembly

Over the course of this month, sex education has blown up into a major issue in Carson City. AB 230 was introduced. Then, Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) shared her compelling personal story in explaining why Nevada students need comprehensive sex education.

Today, Assembly Member Lucy Flores again gave powerful personal testimony, this time on the Assembly floor.

@LucyFlores in support of #AB230 :"In a perfect world, we wouldn't need this bill. But we don't live in a perfect world." #sexed #nvleg

"If we don't arm students with information, they make decisions based on wrong information." @LucyFlores #AB230 #sexed #nvleg #FierceFlores

She followed the bill's original sponsor, David Bobzien (D-Reno), who reminded his colleagues of what's at stake.

"Giving students the information they need can and will save lives." - @BobzienNevada #AB230 #sexed #nvleg

A few of their Republican colleagues predictably rose in opposition. And they seemed completely oblivious to what's actually in AB 230.

But in the end, it didn't matter. AB 230 just passed 26-15. All Democrats voted in favor of the bill, while all Republicans voted against. And just before the vote, my own Assembly Member (Andy Eisen [D-Paradise]) said this.

Asm. @andy_eisen "I represent a special interest group...and that is the youth of Nevada " stands up for #SexEd #AB230 #NVleg

In the end, they're the ones who matter. And they're the ones who stand to benefit from AB 230. So now, the Assembly approved consistent statewide standards for life-saving sex education. The bill now moves onto the Senate.

Why AB 230 & SexEd Matter

Earlier this month, a whole lot of controversy arose over AB 230. Its first hearing at the Nevada Legislature was already full of fireworks. But when a few opponents of comprehensive sex education (SexEd) actually made death threats (??!!) against Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) for simply sharing her own story on the matter, it just brought even more attention to the cause.

And this past Wednesday, the Assembly Education Committee passed AB 230 with a friendly amendment from Assembly Member Dina Neal (D-North Las Vegas). So another bill passed the first test at the Nevada Legislature this week. Why are we talking about this one today?

Here's why: According to the Guttmacher Institute, Nevada has the fourth highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. And teen parents are more likely to drop out of school than their peers. And high school dropouts are less likely to earn living wages than their peers & more likely to need public assistance.

And we're incurring these costs now because we can't guarantee decent SexEd. Just providing proper SexEd can ultimately save our state loads of money while also saving many kids' lives and opportunities. Yes, this is what's actually at stake with AB 230.

But in case you need a better understanding of what's in AB 230 and why it's necessary, read this from Sin City Siren.

AB230 is not creating a new standard out of whole cloth. There is already an antique sex ed law on the books. It’s just bringing it from the tapedeck era into the blue-ray era. And don’t let the NIMBY’s fool you. According to a January 2013 poll, 67% of Nevadans are in favor of sex education in schools, including teaching age-appropriate information about birth control. And the majority — we’re talking above the 90th percentile — of parents nationwide support sex education. Plus, research shows that sex education is linked with delayed first-time sexual experience. The more kids know, the longer they wait! [...]

In fact, 88 percent of teens said they support sex education. And need I remind you, research shows that sex education is linked with delayed first-time sexual experience. So the truth is, talking about sex does the exact opposite of making kids have sex! Talking to them and giving them the information they need to make healthy choices actually does just that… helps them make healthy choices! It can also help prevent the spread of STDs and AIDS. It can prevent unwanted pregnancies. And it can potentially save someone from remaining in dangerous situations that can turn violent, or even deadly. Look, I don’t exactly look forward to sex talks with my kid. I have the same fears that many parents do that my kid might make bad choices or wind up in bad situations. But if she does, DEAR GOD I want her to be armed with knowledge and confidence to act on that knowledge! I want to give my child a full voice in her life and the power to back it up! Why would you want anything less for your kids? [...]

Nevada has the fourth highest rate of teen pregnancy. Our current law, which mandates abstinence-only education, is a failure at preventing unintended pregnancies as well as informing youth about things like rape, domestic violence, sexting, cyber-bullying, and much more. A Congressional study already confirmed that abstinence-only education does not work and the American Academy of Pediatricians has recommended a comprehensive sex education approach, which includes but is not limited to abstinence education. And, let’s face it, parents don’t know everything (don’t tell my daughter!). We get intimidated about talking about certain subjects. Or, in some cases, parents just aren’t equipped or emotionally available to have those conversations. Does that mean that kids should grow up ignorant just because some parents cop-out or don’t have the latest information? I’m sorry, but that’s just stupid.

Got it?

Perhaps enough people in Carson City finally are. For everyone's sake, they must. We can either fix this problem now or continue to pay the consequences of the broken status quo. The Assembly Education Committee decided to finally fix it this week, and hopefully other legislators are paying attention to this.

On #FierceFlores, SexEd, & Sharron Angle's "Second Amendment Remedies"

What a week this has been. On Tuesday, the Nevada Legislature held its first hearing on AB 230, the comprehensive sex education bill. Sin City Siren told us about Assembly Member Lucy Flores (D-North Las Vegas) and her heart wrenching testimony on Tuesday. Yet while that moved us to tears, others had a very different reaction.



On Tuesday, Lucy Flores told her story of seeking an abortion at age 16 because she didn't have the kind of SexEd that AB 230 calls for. Her mother left the family when she was 9, so her father had to work 2 jobs to support her family. And after seeing all her sisters become pregnant as teenagers, Flores did not want to meet the same fate.

“I didn’t want to be like that (teen mom)," Flores said. “I wanted to do better and I knew I couldn’t do that if I had a baby, just like everyone else (in my family). My dad gave me the money and I went with a friend of mine (to have the abortion) and I will never forget that, having that done.”

Flores said she didn’t regret having the abortion. Clearly, however, it was difficult to talk about it.

“I don’t regret it,” Flores said. “I don’t regret it because I am here (at the Legislature), making a difference, at least in my mind, for the young ladies and letting them know their options. They can do things not to be in the situation I was in, to prevent it.

“And so how do we prevent this? We prevent by education," Flores said. "We prevent by giving them the information and the resources that they need, so they don’t have to go to their dad and say, ‘I need $200 for an abortion.’

“So I wholeheartedly support this because this is an epidemic that is affecting so many of our young people. And I am here today because I did not have the burden of raising children (as a teen).

This was incredibly moving testimony. Yet for anti-choice extremists, this was a call to arms. Oh yes, that's right. Sharron Angle and her "Second Amendment Remedies" struck again! Sin City Siren has more.

Within hours of the hearing, Reno Gazette-Journal political reporter Ray Hagar posted a story about Flores’ testimony. As far as I can tell, Hagar was the only mainstream journalist to cover the announcement, with his story posting about an hour before my re-cap of the hearing, here on The Sin City Siren. But just days later, local television producer Dana Gentry broke the news that Flores had cancelled her scheduled April 4 appearance on the political news show Ralston Reports after receiving death threats stemming from her abortion story. [...]

Those opposed to reproductive health care —lest I remind you that abortion is a legal form of health care —and those opposed to comprehensive sex education share the same goal: To silence and shame women. They seek to demonize human sexuality.

The real story here should be about Lucy Flores’ bravery and determination to not be shamed or silenced by the threats of an incredibly loud opposition, who is actually in the minority. Polls show that regardless of religious affiliation or political party, the majority of Americans support comprehensive sex education over an abstinence-only curriculum. And, on this year’s 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Pew Research Center released a poll stating that 42 percent of Americans find no moral objection to abortion, while only 25 percent do (the rest were a mix of other opinions). An NBC Poll that same week found support for abortion rights at an “all time high” with 70 percent of Americans saying they do not want to see Roe overturned.

But while the anti-choice folks have made hay with headlines declaring, “I Don’t Regret Killing My Baby,”* it is disturbing that any person or persons have threatened the Nevada lawmaker with violence. As a Christian and a mother, I pray for her safety. When I tucked my toddler into bed tonight, I hugged her that much harder as I struggled to hold back tears thinking about Lucy Flores, not because we should condescend to characterizing even highly educated, powerful women as simply “somebody’s daughter,” but because Lucy is a fellow human being living with fear tonight. I have empathy for the worry she must feel.

It is this complete lack of empathy that is at the core of the opposition to women’s autonomy, and their access to legal forms of health care, or even the education that can help them establish healthy relationships, healthy sexual experiences, and healthy futures. Rather than live and let live —or even turn the other cheek, as Jesus might say —the anti-choice movement cannot see the humanity in any person not living their life as a man in a heterosexual man’s world. Because if you are anything other than a heterosexual, cisgender man you are cast as unequal, weak, or even deviant. I daresay the only humans who come close to having equality with men in their patriarchal, misogynistic, homophobic, and often blatantly racist world-view are the fetuses they fight so hard to legally classify as “persons.”

So now, #FierceFlores is trending on Twitter. She is showing tremendous courage by sharing her story, and by refusing to back down in the wake of death threats. She is a woman who had to make a difficult choice. And she should be commended for what she's done with her life since then. She shouldn't be threatened with murder.

And really, when did advocacy for comprehensive SexEd start warranting death threats? Hello, comprehensive SexEd saves lives! And it means fewer teen pregancies, which also means fewer abortions. Is the extreme anti-choice religious right that out of touch with reality?

And that leads us to the other hot zone of public policy that this story leads us to. Just this past Tuesday, (Member of Congress) Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) received death threats for her gun safety reform advocacy. Again, when did this behavior become acceptible? When did Sharron Angle become a "source for good advice"? Just about 48 hours after this and less than a week after Steven Brooks was expelled from the Nevada Legislature for allegedly threatening the life of Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick (D-North Las Vegas), this happened.

Again, comprehensive SexEd saves lives. So why threaten people's lives over this? Perhaps it's finally time for the right wing to stop paying so much attention to Sharron Angle. It's time to stop with the "Second Amendment Remedies".

What's SexEd Got to Do With It?

Is it OK for us to finally catch our breaths? There's just been so much Nevada Legislature news lately that it's been difficult to keep up with it all. But yesterday, another important bill was heard.

This time, it was AB 230. And fortunately, The Sin City Siren was there to cover what happened. Here's a taste.

Of course, it was no surprise that a hearing about comprehensive sex education would be controversial or even draw a crowd. The conservative, anti-sex-ed crowd —a surprisingly homogenous, lily white, and largely grey haired group —was there in force. One proud grandmother boasted driving in from Pahrump to give her testimony. Alrighty then. Indeed, there were many proud grandparents on the anti side of the room. (I’ve got nothing against grandparents, but there were an awful lot on the anti side.) Many wore their religion like a banner and brandished it like a weapon, intent on cutting out the very heart of sex education in Nevada.

“Strike the whole thing. I am against sex education!” was spoken by more than one in the opposition.

On the other side of the aisle was a more diverse group with people of color, LGBT individuals, students, parents, teachers, at least one clergy member, and even a few grey hairs sprinkled in the mix. I was proud to sit next to Northwest Community Church’s Rev. Greg Davis, who was the first in Las Vegas to testify in favor of AB230. (Full disclosure, I am a member of NCC.) Committee Chairman, Assemblyman Elliot Anderson, was taken so by surprise to see a clergy member speaking in favor, he interrupted to ask if Rev. Davis was, in fact, speaking in opposition.

“No. I’m for this bill. I’m for sex education,” Rev. Davis replied.

Just before the hearing opened up to those in Las Vegas, we watched some truly powerful testimony by people who shared their experience with intimate trauma as a result of a lack of education on healthy relationships, violence in relationships, and what consent to sex means (and how a lack of consent is the hallmark of sexual assault, or rape).

Assemblywoman Lucy Flores gave tearful, raw testimony about growing up in a family of girls who got pregnant as teens. When she found herself pregnant at 16, she went to her father to get money to have an abortion, something she said she had never admitted publicly before. Flores’ story is just another thread in an amazing story of redemption that found a former gang member turn good by getting her GED, then law degree, and who now works as a state legislator. She described being raised, one of 13 children, by a single father after her mother walked out when she was nine. Flores described the hardship that she saw her sisters go through as teen parents and said she was determined to change the cycle —one that is all too common in the largely Latino district she now represents. It was inspiring and moving to witness a politician lay bear such a heart-felt and sincere plea for a change in law.

“I had an abortion because I didn’t have access to birth control, or even an understanding of what that meant,” an emotional Flores said. “I didn’t even understand that my worth did not come from men, or sex with men, trying to fill up a hole in me from so much pain.”

That's the problem. Because many Nevada students are not receiving the sex education they need, they may not know how to prevent sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies. That's why AB 230 is so badly needed.

Again, here's the problem.

The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the developed world. In addition, while young people ages 15-25 in the United States make up only one quarter of the sexually active population, they contract about half of all the country's 19 million sexually transmitted infections and almost one-quarter of the estimated 56,300 new HIV infections. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than three million teen girls have a sexually transmitted infection. That's at least one in four.

Teens need medically accurate, age appropriate, comprehensive information to help them both postpone sexual activity and protect themselves if they become sexually active.

Did you know?

Nevada has the second highest teen pregnancy rate, the third highest teen abortion rate and the 8th highest teen birth rate [according to the] Guttmacher Institute. The communities of color are bearing the brunt of teen pregnancy in Nevada. The Latina teens have three times the rates of pregnancy of their Caucasian counterparts; the African American teens have twice the rates of pregnancy and the Asian population in Nevada has twice the rate compared to national average. Our teens deserve better.

Nevada taxpayers contributed $67 million associated with teen childbearing in 2004 [according to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies].

This is the problem. And this is why AB 230 is no laughing matter. Rather, it's dead serious. And Nevada has to fix this problem soon.

All our STIs and teen pregnancies are costing us. And they cost us far more than simple prevention with comprehensive sex education. So why not start solving the problem now?

This is why SexEd matters. So will we finally do something about it?