Julia Considine, an Asheville-based health consultant, investigated sex education programs across the state and found confused middle school principals as well as gym teachers afraid to ask for help.

Julia Considine, author of “Supporting N.C. Schools with Implementation of Healthful Living Essential Standards,” collaborated with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to determine how NCDPI’s Healthful Living Essential Standards are taught, who teaches them, what resources are used and what additional support is needed. Her interviews with administrators and educators found that 88 percent of health and/or physical education teachers interviewed did not receive sexuality education courses for their degree and that the strongest source of support for health education in schools is the presence of a healthful living coordinator or student health coordinator.

​In response to Franklin Graham’s recent comments insinuating that sex education is both dangerous to adolescents and not in alignment with Christian values and morals, I offer the following open letter, as a mother, a student of public health – and a woman whose life is centered on my relationship to God.

My Body is Sacred is a groundbreaking and enlightening book for girls ages 4 to 8, designed to educate and inspire as the reader journeys alongside four girls and their tender and educational conversations with Divine Love. The Divine is described in a way that, irrespective of one's affiliations, they can connect to the unifying thread of Love that is woven through religion, spirituality, and nature. The illustrations are imbued with a beauty not usually seen in health education books. In these stories, the girls learn how to care for and love themselves, empowered with a solid foundation of health literacy. The book also explores the significance of prayer and meditation, highlighting that communication with Divine Love is open and accessible. Furthermore, the book covers essential anatomical knowledge while explaining that every part of a girl's body is sacred. It also addresses foundational health behaviors such as hygiene practices, a balanced diet, regular exercise, healthy relationships, effective communication, healthy boundaries, and safety.

Julia Considine Pierce is more scared of Appalachian black bears than anything in the Sahara Desert. When Xpress reached out to the local author and health expert about her forthcoming book, My Body Is Sacred, Pierce was in Marrakesh, Morocco, on a 60-mile trek into the Saharan sand dunes as part of a women’s retreat.

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Here, Pierce talks to Xpress about her work as a longtime educator and her book’s mission to normalize the discussion around sex education.