ABSTRACT
Political fights over draconian abortion restrictions, mandatory focus on abstinence in sex education, marriage equality, massive cuts to public funding for family planning, and many other issues are all tied together by a common thread: that predominantly conservative, wealthy, straight, white, male legislators are fiercely attempting to regulate and control anybody that does not look like them. Public schools continue to devote more attention to abstinence than to any other sexual behavior. Despite Texas's high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, a bill that has been introduced every session since 2007 that would require sex education in Texas public schools to be medically accurate has also always died quietly without a vote. Anti-abortion activists want to keep children pure, uninformed, and ignorant, leaving parents in control. Legislators are often the most public face of policy battles, but local elected officials have also taken an active role in defending sexual health and freedom.
