Former Michigan State Representative and GOP National Committeeman Dave Agema wants the national governing body to approve a resolution calling for "truth in sex education." The resolution would require schools that teach about LGBT people in sex health classes to include "the negative health consequences of that lifestyle."
The Washington Blade broke the story this past weekend.
Agema, true to form, has followed up on that reporting with a post on Facebook.
"I got a call from the Washington Blade (an LGBT rag) a couple days ago and they once again twist words for their agenda," Agema wrote on his politician page. "THEY'RE UPSET. I am placing a resolution at the RNC meeting this week that simply states that if you are going to teach homosexuality in sex-ed at schools, then please teach the negative physical aspects of the lifestyle so our kids know the facts and health hazards. I called it a 'Resolution For Balanced Sex-Ed In Schools.' Apparently, they don't want the factual studies of the CDC, JAIDS, Oxford University etc. concerning the harmful effects of the lifestyle to their health to be taught. This is about equipping our kids with the necessary information that they need in order to make informed decisions concerning their health and behavior. 13-24 year olds are one of the faster growing groups getting HIV and other STD's according to the CDC. Shouldn't they know? Apparently not! One again, (sic) political correctness is rearing its ugly head!"
What Agema doesn't say is that the increased health burden on the LGBT community is the direct result of political actions he has long been associated with — anti-gay policies and abstinence only sex education.
"Homophobia, stigma and discrimination may place gay men at risk for multiple physical and mental health problems and affect whether they seek and are able to obtain high-quality health services," the CDC states in a report on men who have sex with men and HIV.
The American Psychological Association also raised concerns about homophobia as a barrier.
"Despite clear evidence for the social determinants of HIV transmission and the beneficial effects of structural interventions (Adimora & Auerbach, 2010), there have been limited efforts targeting these social inequalities, which place gay and bisexual men at greater risk for the acquisition of HIV disease," wrote Perry Halkitis in an online essay for the group. "Such health vulnerabilities driven by homophobia are often exacerbated for gay and bisexual men of color, who are often further burdened by the social circumstances of racism and poverty. Since discrimination based on sexual identity is critical to the ideas being put forth, and since the HIV prevention needs of gay and bisexual men differ widely from those of non-gay or bisexual MSM (Halkitis, 2010b), the focus of this issue of the newsletter is on gay and bisexual men, and not MSM in general."
During his time in the legislature, Agema proposed eliminating the Healthy Michigan Fund. That fund is the only matching fund mechanism for federal HIV prevention and care dollars. He wanted to transfer the fund balance into airport maintenance.
He is also a huge supporter of abstinence only sex education. Key messaging of this brand of sex education — which has been shown over and over again not to work in reducing unintended pregnancies or STIs in teenagers — tells teens they should remain abstinent from sex until married. For many LGBT youth in Michigan, however, marriage was not an option until June. It is yet to be seen what impact the Supreme Court ruling will have on abstinence only sex education, and whether or not it will be expanded to include same-sex marriage.
In short, Agema wants to point to the symptoms of systematic anti-gay social policies, without acknowledging that his actions and advocacy — and history as a lawmaker — have created the situation he wants to warn people about.
