I attended the Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE) meeting that Rep. Peggy Bennett and Julie Quist presented. I was angered and alarmed by the unscientific bias against CSE. We were shown graphs that said STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) increased greatly after a CSE course. Pregnancy and pedophilia also increased greatly. We were told that pedophiles were more apt to groom young children because of CSE. The “facts” we were told about and shown are based on falsehoods from the anti-LGBTQ hate group, Child Protection League.  So sorry that good Albert Lea people had to be exposed to such fear-mongering trash. 

I am disgusted that disinformation concerning a very important and necessary topic is being used to convince our community that we should be afraid to teach our children about sex. We should let TV, the internet and their friends fill in the details and needed information. Children need to know the correct names for their body parts so if they are confronted by a pedophile trying to groom them, they will have the knowledge to tell them no, (body autonomy) and have the ability to tell their parents or guardians what happened. We were told that having body autonomy was all about abortion. No, it is knowing you have control of your body and no one should be touching you anywhere.

Unbelievable for a representative to go to such lengths to perpetrate anxiety when science-based information is not presented. Thank you to give us correct information, Thomas Martinez.

Joan Anderson

Albert Lea