By Elizabeth Husom
When I was a young child, my parents taught me my body was precious and I needed to tell them immediately if someone touched me, spoke of sexual items, or showed me pictures. As I grew older and hit puberty, we had sex ed in health class, where we learned about who had what parts, and how babies were made. Again; we were told sex was not for minors.
This coincided with my parents who again reiterated that my body was a precious gift from God. No one had the right to touch it inappropriately, and sex was not something I had any right to be having because I was a minor. Before I started dating, they told me I was not a sex toy. If any boy wanted to have sex, he was abusing my body. He wasn’t dating me for the correct reasons. *They went into greater depth due to our faith, but I am making this appropriate for all backgrounds.*
I was happy, popular, and did well in school, but had a lot of below-the-surface body and brain issues growing up. I constantly compared myself to others. When these issues bubbled to the surface, my parents and other adults in my life
stated this was normal. It didn’t make it any easier, but God made me exactly who he wanted me to be. We couldn’t watch R rated movies or read info about kids and sex. That was considered pedophilia.
A couple of times I sought the guidance of a teacher or counselor. They immediately assured me from head to toe I was who I was supposed to be. They also talked about sex in terms of something for later.
This is what I cannot get over. Anything LGBTQ when it relates to youth is sexualizing children. I feel that there should be arrests made instead of celebrations held. It’s completely normal to question bodies, futures, and changes. Why don’t schools and the government, #1: Direct kids to the knowledge sex is for adults, and #2: Instill in children their bodies are precious, not to be inappropriately touched or viewed? Allowing boys in girl’s locker rooms means girls is abusive.
We aren’t respecting our children. Instead of protecting them, we are exploiting them. Let’s get back to the days when kids and sex are not intermixed, and kids are told they are special for being themselves.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Husom