Photo: WBZ NewsRadio \ James Rojas
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Bay State students gathered at the State House on Tuesday to push for reforming sex education in classrooms across the state.
Rallygoers in support of the Healthy Youth Act urged state lawmakers to expand sex education in Massachusetts during a time when some states continue to restrict sex education in the classroom.
Representative James O'Day has been trying to get his bill passed since introducing it in 2011, but so far it has yet to pass the House. He said lawmakers are failing students by not giving them a medically appropriate and age-appropriate education.
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Several students said the way sex education is currently being taught is not working to educate and inform students the way it should.
"We didn't learn about STIs, we didn't learn about consent, we didn't learn about healthy relationships or domestic violence, which are all very important and most importantly we didn't learn about LGBTQ at all and as an LGBTQ person it's not okay," Lex Ortiz, 17, told WBZ's James Rojas.
Ortiz said they are supportive of the bill to reform sexual education in the classroom.
"We shouldn't have to go to optional out-of-school programs to learn about this necessary information," Ortiz said.
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