The resources shared on this page aim to make the El Camino sexual health curriculum more accessible to, and inclusive of, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth.
Access to sexual health education that is inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth is associated with improved health outcomes and reduced impacts from stigma related to being LGBTQ+—including reductions in risky sexual behavior, lower risk of depression, and fewer reports of bullying—among LGBTQ+ youth. LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education is not available for most youth, especially for LGBTQ+ youth who are Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). In a 2017 survey of LGBTQ+ youth, only 13 percent of Latinx LGBTQ+ youth reported that they received safer sex information in school that they found personally relevant.
El Camino is an adolescent sexual health program that employs a positive youth development approach by addressing youth goal-setting, healthy relationships, and sexual and reproductive health. While El Camino has focused on the needs and cultural norms of Latino youth and their families since its development, we have strengthened the curriculum to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ youth’s identities, needs, and experiences (see dropdown menu below for more information). This work has resulted in the following facilitator and youth resources that speak to different dimensions of LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education.
While these resources were designed with El Camino facilitators in mind, they can also be used outside of the curriculum and are intended to be a resource to anyone who works with youth.
Resources
Intended for facilitators and students, this resource defines terminology used throughout the student and facilitator resources. It can be used throughout the curriculum.
Intended for facilitators, this resource provides foundational information about sex, gender, and identity to strengthen baseline knowledge and confidence in delivering Activity 5B. Gender, Culture, and Pregnancy within Lesson 5 of El Camino.
Intended for students, this resource provides information and resources to support youth who may be exploring their sexual identity. While this resource supplements Lesson 5 of El Camino, facilitators should make it available to students, as needed, throughout curriculum implementation.
Safer Sex for LGBTQ+ Young People
Intended for facilitators, this resource provides an overview and resources on ensuring that conversations about safer sex are inclusive of all kinds of sex—not just penile-vaginal sex—and ways young people can protect themselves from STIs and prevent pregnancy. It accompanies Arc 2: Sexual and Reproductive Health (lessons 5–8) of the curriculum.
Intended for students, this resource includes questions to help young people determine whether providers and clinics are LGBTQ+ friendly. It complements Activity 8C. Sofia and David Go to the Clinic: Meeting with a Nurse Practitioner within Lesson 8 of El Camino; however, facilitators should make this resource available to students, as needed, throughout curriculum implementation.
Helping Young People Find LGBTQ+ Friendly Care
Intended for facilitators, this resource provides background information and strategies to encourage young people to think about what they want in a sexual health provider. It complements Activity 8C. Sofia and David Go to the Clinic: Meeting with a Nurse Practitioner within Lesson 8 of El Camino and the student resource Finding LGBTQ+ Friendly Care.
Supporting Healthy Relationships for LGBTQ+ Young People
Intended for facilitators, this resource provides information and resources related to healthy relationships and intimate partner violence so facilitated discussions around these topics are inclusive of LGBTQ+ young people. It accompanies Arc 3: Healthy Relationships (lessons 9–11) of the curriculum.
Originally published in 2019, Child Trends revised the El Camino curriculum and training materials in 2020 to strengthen trauma-informed approaches and make the curriculum more inclusive for LGBTQ+ youth, based on a curriculum review from trauma and medical experts. The 2020 revisions included:
- Adding language and strategies to curriculum instructions on presenting sensitive information such as sex, gender, and relationships
- Adding guidance for facilitators on discussing sexual identity and sexual orientation in an affirming way
- Replacing gendered language with gender-neutral/expansive terms such as “they/them” and “partner” wherever possible
- Adding information about presenting STIs for people who may not engage in penile-vaginal sexual intercourse
- Providing additional resources and tips for facilitators on creating more inclusive classrooms
The curriculum was implemented during the 2020–2021, 2021–2022, and 2022–2023 school years as part of a multi-year evaluation. During this time, Child Trends received increasing questions from facilitators and curriculum implementers about how to better support and address the sexual and reproductive health education of LGBTQ+ youth who were enrolled in the El Camino program. This suite of resources was created in response to these questions and out of our own desire to strengthen the inclusivity of El Camino curriculum resources for LGBTQ+ youth.
These supplemental curriculum resources are supported by Grant Number TP2AH000077 from the HHS Office of Population Affairs. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Population Affairs.
The authors wish to thank the following staff for their contributions to this work.
- For guidance regarding the overall framing of these resources, reviewing drafts, and providing feedback throughout product development: Jennifer Manlove, Alison McClay, Deja Logan, Emma Pliskin, Valerie Sedivy, Mackenzie Piper, and Gina Desiderio
- Equity review: Catherine Schaefer
- Editorial review: Brent Franklin
- Style and design: Catherine Nichols
- Fact check and copy edit: Maeve Day
- Translation: Lorena Fuentes
- Translation review: Valerie Martinez
- Coordination of product reviews and design: Shaniah Smith and Olga Morales
Suggested citation:
Tallant, J., & Schaefer, C. (2024). Tailored resources to make a sexual health curriculum more inclusive of LGBTQ+ youth. Child Trends. DOI: 10.56417/8751p7357a