Is the School House the Proper Place to Teach Raw Sex? is a pamphlet written in 1968 by Gordon V. Drake and published by Billy James Hargis's Christian Crusade. It was a key document in the conservative fight against sex education in public schools, a cultural issue that contributed to the development of the New Right. [1] [2]
The 40-page document, described by Time magazine as, "an angry little pamphlet," [3] was originally distributed as part of a direct-mail fundraising campaign for the Christian Crusade, so that the organization could lobby against sex education in schools. [4] It became a source of unfounded anecdotes about the supposed horrors of sex education for groups such as Mothers Organized for Moral Stability. [1]
School House targeted the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and in particular its director Dr. Mary Calderone. It described her as the "SIECUS Sexpot", [5] and said that the group sought to "toss[...] God aside" and "to teach American youth a new sexual morality independent of church and state." [3] [6] Besides arguing that sex education undermined Christian morality and promoted promiscuity, the document said it is part of a "giant Communist conspiracy." [7] [8] It said, "[If] the new morality is affirmed, our children will become easy targets for Marxism and other amoral, nihilistic philosophies—as well as V.D.!" [4] [5] [9] The pamphlet also identified the National Education Association as an enemy. [10]
The pamphlet was the most widely circulated attack on sex education in the 1960s. [5] Drake estimated that it sold over 90,000 copies in the three months after it was published, [1] while Hargis claimed one million overall. [5] A more conservative estimate is 250,000 copies. [11]
