Dear The Heritage Foundation,

Using extremist language such as “perverted and immoral sex propagandists” to describe respectable organizations like SEICUS gets us nowhere fast. This is exactly the kind of language frequently advanced by the far-right group Oregon Citizens Alliance, where they conflated a way of life (homosexuality), with a set of practices (S&M) and a completely illegal act (pedophilia).

Polarizing tactics aside, the end goal here should be happy, healthy children who grow into happy, healthy and productive members of society. As many of us know, relationships, sex, having children and sexuality all play into our ultimate and collective happiness and healthiness. And so does meaningful, well-framed and productive dialogue.

Please reconsider your stance on sex education, as articulated by your senior Communications Fellow Rebecca Hagelin: http://www.heritage.org//Press/Commentary/ed081109b.cfm.

The current framing and language lead us to a dead end; let’s work towards a meaningful conversation that gets to the root and to the solutions.

Rethink, don’t regress (Change.org, 8/12/09): http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/engaging_rebecca_hagelin_lets_rethink_not_regress

Let’s talk about sex ed (Washington Times, 8/24/09): http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/24/lets-talk-about-sex-ed/

Thank you.