"Race Sex Power" confab: Elders talks about sex

Former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders stressed the important of education and community involvement during an inspiring speech made at the largest conference on Black and Latina/o sexuality to date.

Elders, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, was the first African-American woman Surgeon General. She was fired because of her outspokenness about controversial health issues such as condoms and masturbation. Elders gave a rousing keynote address at the Race Sex Power: New Movements in Black & Latina/o Sexualities conference at University of Illinois at Chicago April 11. The two-day conference brought together nine universities and colleges, and countless activists and academics.

Elders, who is just as vocal about sensitive health issues as she was in the early- and mid-‘90s, started out by voicing her disappointment that the Bush Administration has spent so much time, money and energy focusing on abstinence.

“Abstinence-only education—I've never heard anything so sick,” Elders said. “The tenants of abstinence break far easier than latex condoms,” Elders said to a round of applause.

“We've been silent about our sex for far too long,” Elders stated. “It's time we begin to bring it out of the closet and talk about it.”

Elders stressed that because human beings are sexual creatures, sex is far more than a vehicle for procreation, and in fact, is “99 percent about pleasure.”

That silence comes at a price. Avoiding discussions of sexuality has led to the U.S. becoming a “sexually unhealthly nation,” Elders said, noting the high numbers of kids who become parents before they even become adults, which leads to poverty.

During her speech, Elders addressed LGBT issues, as well. In addition to gaining civil rights such as same-sex marriage for LGBT people, she said, we also need to ensure that the medical community knows how to address LGBT issues to help make the nation more sexually healthy.

One of the solutions is to set a new agenda. Part of that is developing new policies around sexuality, such as same-sex marriage.

“We need sexual rights,” she said. “Sexual rights is a part of human rights.”

“We need to educate and empower all of our communities,” she said. “We've got to be involved.

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