A Brief History Of Sex Ed Films

On this, the 100th anniversary of the first sexual education film, Bitch Magazine is taking a look back at the long, strange history of sex ed films in this country.

As you can see from that map up there, not all states require sex ed. I know that growing up in Jersey, we had it every year of high school, but there's literally no pattern to which states do and which states don't have sex ed. Blood red states like Texas and Indiana don't, but liberal havens like New York, California, and Illinois also don't, so it's a strange mix. 

But anyway, back to this centennial celebration. What was the first sex ed film?

In 1914, the nation’s first sex-ed movie debuted in theatrical release: Damaged Goods. This film about the dangers of syphilis is rather grim: On the eve of his wedding to a “virtuous woman,” a man sleeps with a prostitute and contracts syphilis. The movie ends with the him about to commit suicide. Damaged Goods was originally made as rather educational entertainment and screened to the public, but soon the U.S. Army began to screen the film in training camps.

“There were films used to portray pornographic situations since the beginning of film,” says Eberwein, in a recent interview. “But what legitimized the use of film to discuss sexual topics was the fear of diseases.”

Sounds great, I'm thinking of hosting a screening at my next Bridge club meeting. Who's in? 

Seriously though, go to the site and read the full article, it's fascinating.

Via Bitch Magazine