Sex Ed is Our Right is a BC province-wide call-to-action campaign for youth, educators, parents, and policymakers—produced by YouthCO HIV and Hep C Society in partnership with the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC). Sex Ed is Our Right is about centring youth voices in today’s conversations about sex ed curriculum in British Columbia.

YouthCO was founded in 1994 by a group of youth; those living with HIV and those who had a close family member living with HIV. Today, YouthCO continues to be a peer-led agency working to reduce the impact of stigma related to HIV and Hep C. Through programs led by Indigenous youth, queer and trans youth, youth living with HIV and Hep C, and youth most impacted by STIs, YouthCO affects meaningful change through peer support and peer education.

In 2017, CBRC’s gbMSM Health Network convened the Safer Schools Working Group, consisting of key informants from school boards, the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, the Ministries of Education and Health, and Sexual Education Facilitators to determine priority actions to research and address the shortcomings of sexual health education in BC. Partners in the Safer Schools Working Group include YouthCO, ARC Foundation, Options for Sexual Health, and Out on Screen.

Now, it’s time for us as youth, parents, and educators to mobilize for better sexual health education in our schools. Sex ed is our right!