You have a burning question that you’re simply dying to ask. The only thing is it has to do with…sex. Normally, you’d go straight to your friends, but you’re afraid they’ll laugh at you because it’s kind of embarrassing. And your parents are too exhausted from work to talk about anything. Just when all hope seems lost, your grandma calls.

“Gran, I don’t feel like talking—”

Wait a second. This is your grandma—the one who always knows the right answers, never laughs at your questions and drops everything to make time for you. So why not ask her? When it comes to sexuality, we often overlook Gran and Pop as some of our most reliable and trustworthy sources of information. This Grandparents Day on September 12, don’t forget that your grandparents may be the adults you can talk with about sex. The truth is many of our grandparents are experts on the topic.

Just ask Susie Wilson, the founder of Answer, the organization which publishes Sex, Etc. Ms. Wilson celebrated her 80th birthday earlier this year. She is a true “sex ed heroine,” who has spent her whole life fighting for sexuality education programs that support young people in making better, informed decisions about their health. In fact, Ms. Wilson was involved in helping pass the New Jersey state mandate requiring family life education in all public schools. Through her groundbreaking work, Ms. Wilson has written many articles and appeared on television and radio shows, changing the lives of teenagers everywhere.

If I ever have a burning question, I know who I’ll be going to!

You’ve got to hand it to the British TV show, The Sex Education Show, and its companion Web site Sexperience; they know how to create a stir. You’ve probably never seen anything quite as frank as the Sexperience Web site’s featured videos of people answering questions, like “How did you know you were ready to lose your virginity?” or “When did you come out?” And the TV show uses videos of live nude models or pictures to address questions about penis size and what happens to your body when you’re pregnant or when you age. The Sex Education Show travels around with host Anna Richardson, speaking to audiences of teens in the U.K. and sometimes consulting with health professionals. For example, in one episode, Anna Richardson spoke with a clinical psychologist about the benefits if having “lots of good sex.” I don’t know about you, but this is definitely different than my high school sex ed.

If nothing else, The Sex Education Show and Sexperience Web site are blunt, in all the best ways: they aren’t dancing around issues and nobody is skirting the truth. In fact, to answer the question “Are my breasts normal?” the show features a gallery of photographs of breasts, so we get to see what normal really looks like in all of its various shapes and sizes. If only something this gritty and true could make its way into American sexual health, we might all understand the facts a lot better

—Taylor McCabe, 17, Staff Writer

I spoke to Montel Williams on his Air America show Montel Across America, last Thursday. We talked about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2008, which was released last week. The CDC’s report found that STDs, such as chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea, are on the rise. And why is this relevant to us? Because the report found that there are over 19 million new STD infections each year and almost half of them occur in young people who are 15 to 24 years old. Montel, much like other adults who’ve been talking about the report, was alarmed by these numbers and referred to the high rates of STDs among young people as “frightening” news.

It is surprising to hear this news. But what’s really frightening is the fact that many teens are in abstinence-only programs or not getting sex ed at all. This means there are teens who aren’t getting the information they need about safer sex. It also means that many teens haven’t gotten the skills they need to talk about and make decisions about safer sex with their partners if they do decide to become sexual. Comprehensive sexuality education may be able to help reduce STD rates. It teaches teens the skills they need to take care of their sexual health, make healthy decisions, get clear about their own values and set boundaries when it comes to sexuality.

For more information, check out our stories, FAQs, Forum and quizzes on STDs and having important conversations about sexuality with your parents, partner and health care provider.

-Colleen Tierney, 16, Staff Writer

What comes to mind when you hear the words “politics,” “budgets” and “Congress?” Lots of teens might think, That’s boring. I don’t care. But what happens in Washington has a direct impact on you and your sex education. If you’ve avoided politics up to this point, now is a good time to pay attention: President Obama wants to cut funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Under President Bush, ab-only programs received million of dollars. Coincidentally, teen birth rates and STDs went up. It seems like “Just say no” just didn’t work. But President Obama plans to shift money from ab-only programs to sex education programs “that stress the importance of abstinence while providing medically-accurate and age-appropriate information to youth who have already become sexually active.” In plain English, President Obama knows that you can’t just teach abstinence—teens need info about birth control and condoms, too!

But wait, don’t think that Obama can magically change your sex ed with a snap of his fingers! The budget must pass through Congress, so it’s entirely possible that the people elected to represent YOUR interests—senators and state representatives—can stand in the way of improving YOUR sex education! So don’t just stand there, do something about it!

Tell your senators and state representatives that you want, need and deserve better sex ed! Advocates for Youth has made it easy for you to contact your senators and congress members with the click of a button. So take a stand with President Obama, and fight for your right to a better sex education!