Story by Elise Elshire
Photos As Noted

Sex. It’s a topic that can embarrass, allure, and shame all at once, especially for young people and their parents. Let’s Talk About Sex, a documentary directed by James Houston, is playing at the Eugene International Film Festival this Sunday. The film delves into issues surrounding sex education and examines the experiences of young people across America. Elizabeth Reis, an associate professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Oregon, is featured in the film with her then seventeen-year-old daughter. Ethos sat down with Professor Reis to learn more about the documentary and the issues it explores.
Elise Elshire: What is the film all about?
Elizabeth Reis: It’s about what a bad job we do in our country of educating kids about sex. The movie profiles four kids from different parts of the country who either had no education or an abstinence-only education. As a result of that limited exposure to education, these kids have had to deal with really hard things.
EE: How does the abstinence-only view compare with your family’s view?
ER: With me, my kids, and my husband we’re very open about talking about this stuff. And my kids – I guess because I teach Women’s and Gender Studies – have heard a lot about topics having to do with sex and sexuality.
EE: So you and your daughter serve as a counterexample in the film?
ER: Yeah, exactly. We’re the only Oregon family that serves as a counterexample, but Oregon in general is a counterexample because we have comprehensive sex education. In middle schools and high schools students learn not only what sex is but all of those things that abstinence-only programs don’t cover. This includes what is a healthy relationship, what is safe sex, and how to avoid pregnancy.
EE: How do you think the state of sex education can be changed?

ER: I think that the more education, the better. I think abstinence-only programs are ridiculously stupid. There’s some research that connects high teenage pregnancy rates to states that have abstinence-only education. The rate is way higher in abstinence-only states than those states with comprehensive sex ed.
There’s the question of “Does abstinence-only education work? Does it prevent kids from having sex?” Personally, I don’t think it does. The fact that the teen pregnancy rate in those states is so much higher tells you that they are obviously having sex. So they should know what to do to prevent it.
ER: I don’t know if we learned anything, but it was nice to be validated in our approach. Because we think that, not only do we talk about a lot things, but that has led to closeness between us. She knows she can ask me any question and I’m going to answer her honestly. A lot of mothers and daughters don’t have that so we feel really happy to have that.
EE: What did you take away as the main message of the film?
ER: Basically the point of the film, and one of the points I tried to make, is that kids have always had sex. I mean, this isn’t something that just started to happen with this generation. My approach to my kids is that they should know everything there is to know. It’s not going to make you want to have sex sooner. You’ll have it when you’re ready, and you need to know everything.

Let’s Talk About Sex plays at the Valley River Center 4pm Sunday, October 10th. Tickets are $8.