“Porn literacy” class picks up where standard sex ed leaves off – By Justin Sherman, Taylor Mooney (CBS News) / Nov 17 2019
Pornography is not usually a subject taught in public high schools, but one educator in Boston is trying to change that. Surrounded by a group of students in the offices of the Boston Public Health Commission, Jess Adler discusses the origins of the word pornography before delving into a deeper discussion.
“In 1857 the word porn was actually created. … It’s a Greek word and it combines two words: porne and graphine,” Adler explains. “That is combining the word ‘prostitute’ and ‘describe,’ so it’s the idea of describing prostitutes.”
Jess Adler is the program director of Start Strong, a Boston-based peer leadership program that helps high school students grapple with a variety of intimate topics like dating violence prevention, gender and sexuality, and healthy breakups. In 2016, a new course was added to the list: Porn Literacy. Dr. Emily Rothman, professor of Community Health Sciences at Boston University and co-creator of the course, was inspired by the interest she found that kids had in the topic.
“I went to talk to kids who were involved in the Start Strong after-school program and I was there to do a usual lecture about dating violence,” Rothman explains. “We realized that the kids were feeling a little bored by the usual discussion of dating violence and consent and respect, and that talking about some research that I had done on pornography really lit up the room.”
The program’s creators, Rothman, Adler and Nicole Daley, the former program director of Start Strong, decided that teens’ enthusiasm for porn would allow them an entry point to educate students about dating violence and relationship boundaries. It’s an especially important message because some research suggests teen boys who regularly viewed porn are more likely to perpetrate sexual coercion or abuse, and are also more likely to hold negative gender attitudes.
Continue to article: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/porn-literacy-teaching-teens-about-pornography-sex-relationships-cbsn-documentary/
