Founder Mary Calderone | Headquarters New York, United States | |
Similar Advocates for Youth, Guttmacher Institute, American Sexual Health As, Kinsey Institute for Research, Planned Parenthood Profiles | ||
The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to affirming that sexuality is a natural and healthy part of life. SIECUS develops, collects, and disseminates information, promotes comprehensive education about sexuality, and advocates the right of individuals to make responsible sexual choices. It is acknowledged as the institutional voice of these concerns and a pioneer of the comprehensive sex education program.
The organization was founded in 1964 by Mary Calderone, medical director at Planned Parenthood, to challenge the American Social Hygiene Association's sex education program. In 1968, Billy James Hargis and Gordon Drake targeted SIECUS in the famous "Is the School House the Proper Place to Teach Raw Sex?" pamphlet, as well as other similar publications.
SIECUS is based in Washington, D.C.
SIECUS funds and manages the Future of Sex Education project, whose National Sexuality Education Standards and National Teacher Preparation Standards influence policy-makers and educators alike.