Dirty Words: The Rhetoric of Public Sex Education, 1870–1924

233 Pages·2010·1.965 MB·English

by  Robin E. Jensen

ROBIN E. JENSEN
Dirty
Words
THE RHETORIC OF
PUBLIC SEX EDUCATION,
1870–1924
Dirty Words
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Dirty Words
the rhetoric of
public sex education,
1870–1924
?
Robin E. Jensen
University of Illinois Press
Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield
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©2010 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 c p 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jensen, Robin E.
Dirty words : the rhetoric of public sex education, 1870–1924 /
by Robin E. Jensen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-252-03573-9 (alk. paper) —
ISBN 978-0-252-07766-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Sex instruction—United States—History. I. Title.
HQ57.5.A3J46 2010
613.9'51071273—dc22 2010009557
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For Jake
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Contents
Acknowledgments / ix
Introduction / xi
1. Engaging Ambiguous Discourse / 1
2. Championing the Chicago Experiment / 36
3. Propagating Wartime Sex Education / 67
4. Speaking for Women at War’s End / 91
5. Campaigning for “Separate but Equal” / 115
Conclusion: Making the Case in the
Twenty-First Century / 149
Notes / 161
Bibliography / 179
Index / 195
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Acknowledgments
I have learned so much about research, rhetoric, sex education, and, most
importantly, the generosity of others throughout the process of writing this
book. I am glad to have this opportunity to think back on and thank those
who have played a role in bringing this project to fruition. I am thankful
for the editorial assistance of Karen Ross, the editor of Communication, Cul-
ture, and Critique, who published an earlier version of part of chapter 1 (1.4
[2008]), and Susanna Hornig Priest, the editor of Science Communication, who
published an earlier version of part of chapter 2 (29.2 [2007]).
This book’s claims are grounded in sources housed in several excel-
lent archival repositories. I am indebted to the staff of the Social Welfare
History Archives at the University of Minnesota, especially head archivist
David Klaassen, for helping me to access such amazing primary sources. My
thanks also go to the dedicated individuals overseeing the Special Collec-
tions Library at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of
Illinois Archives in Urbana-Champaign.
Funding for this project came from an Illinois Project for Research in
the Humanities (IPRH) fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, a Clarke Chambers Travel Fellowship from the Social Welfare
History Archives at the University of Minnesota, and a Marianne A. Ferber
Scholarship from the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at the Uni-
versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The support and encouragement
I garnered from individuals representing these organizations, especially
Matti Bunzl and Christine Catanzarite at the IPRH, helped me to find my
scholarly voice.
Cara Finnegan repeatedly offered me excellent feedback and encourage-
ment, and I am honored to call her both my mentor and my friend. For as
long as I have known her, Cara has modeled for me what it means to be a
wonderful mentor, a dedicated member of the scholarly community, and an
altogether mighty and awesome woman. These are lessons I will always hold
close. Thank you, Cara. I also extend my warmest thanks to Dale Brashers,
Stephen Hartnett, and Leslie Reagan for helping me to shape this project
when it was in its earliest stages.
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