The legacy of abstinence-only discourses and the place of pleasure in US discourses on teenage sexuality

This paper aims to examine the potential long-term legacy of abstinence-only discourses in the USA in order to consider the extent of the changes that might actually occur as a consequence of the 2009 presidential election. It first provides a brief overview of the history of discourses regarding youth sexuality and sex education over the past 30 years in the USA to underline the evolution towards a discourse on teenage sexuality as ‘risk’ behaviour. It will then examine the cultural support in the USA for sex education approaches that, while not necessarily focused on abstinence only, privilege abstinence as the most desirable behaviour and thus fail to or avoid underlining the pleasurable dimension of sexuality and the legitimacy young people have in seeking it. Finally, hypotheses on the possible evolution of discourses on youth sexuality in the USA will be formulated.