Vermont schools are required by law to provide comprehensive sex education, but classes can vary widely from school to school and educator to educator. Burlington-based sex educators Jenna Emerson, who's also a comedian, and Celia Bird, who's also a family nurse practitioner, share how they create age-appropriate lesson plans and embrace the awkward humor of the human body.
At a national level, the Trump administration cut sex ed funds for California after the state refused to remove references to gender identity from its curriculum. If the same thing happens in Vermont, the state could lose around $670,000 dollars in federal funds. Carter Sherman, a reproductive health and justice reporter with the Guardian US, has been closely following this story. She’s also the author of The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future.
Resources mentioned in today's show:
The staff of the Fletcher Free Library have shared a list of books that may be helpful for parents and caregivers:
Bodies
- Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies by Megan Madison & Jessica Ralli
- Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen & Matthew Nolan
- Everybody Has a Body by Molli Jackson Ehlert and illustrated by Vermont artist Lorian Tu
- Bodies Are Cool by Tyler Feder
Consent
- Welcome to Consent: When to Say No, How to Say Yes, and How to Be the Boss of Your Body by Yumi Stynes & Dr. Melissa Kang
- Yes! No! A First Conversation About Consent by Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli & Isabel Roxas
- Consent (For Kids): Boundaries, Respect, and Being In Charge of YOU by Rachel Brian
- This Is My Body: I Get to Choose by Brook Sitgraves Turner
Sex/Reproduction
- What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
- You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty and Other Things by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth
- Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book About Bodies, Feelings, and YOU! by Cory Silverberg
Gender Identity & Presentation
- Being You: A First Conversation About Gender by Megan Madison & Jessica Ralli
- Me and My Dysphoria Monster by Laura Kate Dale
- Pink, Blue and You!: Questions For Kids About Gender Stereotypes by Elise Gravell
- Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Broadcast live on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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