How the military inspired sex ed
& why women were always to blame!
Hey horny readers! In honor of Memorial Day in the United States, I’m looking into why the United States military started teaching sex ed. Hoping you all had a wonderful Memorial Day, including all those who risked their lives, and the soldiers who got “burned” in a different way.
Before we get to it, please remember the next ADULT SEX ED Live Show is NEXT WEEK June 7th at Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles! My special guests are Dylan Adler, Joanna Hausmann, Jeena Bloom, and Jeremiah Watkins (just added!). It’s going to be a great time, so please come out if you’re in L.A.
As always, thank you so much for reading the ADULT SEX ED newsletter! If you’re enjoying it, please share with friends, so they can be hilariously informed.
Adult Sex Ed comedically challenges why we think what we think about sex. In case you’re new, I’m Dani Faith Leonard, a comedy writer, film producer, and performer. In 2018, I started a comedy show called Adult Sex Ed and launched this newsletter last year. Each week, I take a fun deep dive into a topic that I’ve been researching. Want to know more? Read the whole description on substack here.
Ready to get a little smarter? Okay, let’s go!
One of my favorite and often-repeated segments at my live shows is the history of sex ed in America. We live in a country with puritanical roots and that’s reflected in early sex ed, which was basically just religious zealots leading anti-masturbation tours. There were early attempts to teach sex ed in schools, but it never really took hold. That is, until the military learned that they needed to take action. Here’s a short clip that explains why:
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The number of servicemen who ended up getting STIs during World War I was staggering and since they knew so little about it, they also gave them to the women once they came home! The military started implementing sex ed and distributing condoms in the years leading up to WWII.
While STIs can be treated quickly today, keep in mind that people were incapacitated for much longer in the 1940s. In 1943, coming down with a case of gonorrhea required 30 days of treatment in a hospital. Curing syphilis was a 6-month ordeal!
Pamphlets and other materials encouraged men to abstain from sex while abroad, while the visual materials were more specific. Posters and videos warned men in the Armed Forces to stay away from civilian women, depicting women as the primary carriers and spreaders of venereal diseases (rather than the men who were fucking everything that moved). In any case, it takes two.
The films that were distributed by the war department were big Hollywood productions that showed men exactly how to play it safe (stay away from the dirty broads). CHECK OUT THE WWII VENEREAL DISEASE SCARE FILM ‘PICK UP’ HERE.
Despite the silliness of the content, the education proved effective. Once at 18,000 per day, the number of servicemen incapacitated daily dropped to 606 by 1944.
Sex ed in the military inspired sex ed programs in schools, although luckily they left these posters and videos behind!
June 7th in Los Angeles!
Come to the next Adult Sex Ed live show at Dynasty Typewriter! We’re plugging the holes in our education with special guests Dylan Adler, Joanna Hausmann, Jeena Bloom, and Jeremiah Watkins. Seriously, it’s a stellar lineup and YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS IT!
Don’t miss these recent newsletters:
You can access all past newsletters here!