Abstinent: All The Way To the Airport

As we slid our tired bodies into the miniva/taxi to go to the airport, CHAMP staffers Lei, Cameron, and I (Kenyon) were met with yet another challenge. We were riding with two other people whom we did not know, but were headed to the same destination.

I say in the passenger seat, while Lei and Cameron were in the middle and back row respectively. Both were sitting next to the well scrubbed and "professionally" dressed people who had, by account of their conversation, attended the same conference we did. But what message did they get?

The two began to talk about their work. (Just to describe, they were a white man and a black woman. Both presumably straight). Without cause of provocation, they launched into their work. The woman spoke the most, while the dude offered assuring "Yes, and Uh-huh, and Something's gotta be done!" every so often. She started talking about youth in juvenile detention facilities--boy/teens. She said she has been talking to ministers about getting on board with the issue of HIV education and being more frank about sex and sexuality.

I think, OK cool.

But she says that she tells them that those boys are having sex when they're locked up, and then they get out, and bring HIV to the girlfriends and later their wives. She then announces that she apparently teaches "abstinence-only" curriculum to high school students, clergy, and whomever else all over the country. If I recall, I think he mentioned doing the same work.

She also talk about the fact that she was Christian and came very close to saying she didn't support a "homosexual lifestyle, but I think Lei's eye-rolling and my multi-colored striped super scarf draped around my neck might have made her a little shy about going that far.

Anyhoo, the two of them continued the entire ride to the airport basically spreading every piece of right-wing rhetoric and false-hood about abstinence-only, sex ed, hip-hop, young poor black women's sexuality/morality, condoms, etc. It was a disaster. The worst thing they both kept saying was "we need a comprehensive or holistic" approach. Since when is abstinence only "comprehensive" or "holistic?" Did they actually attend any sessions presenting data on the abstinence only education programs?

There were several times during the conversation I thought I was going to turn around and really let them have it. But I just didn't feel like it. I was tired, spent, and I had had a great weekend working on the PJM and didn't want to leave Atlanta cursing and screaming. Besides, in that 20 minute ride (that seemed like 200 years), I was not going to change their minds. I decided to take with me the inspiration that the PJM gave me, and let that be my energy on the way back to NY.