Sex and young Blacks; experts say many have different, 'more open' value system - Special Issue - The New Generation of the '90s

Ebony, August, 1990

SEX AND YOUNG BLACKS

Experts say many have different, `more open' value system

The bottom line is this: despite the alarming statistics on AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and the scarcity of Black men, more than 95 percent of Blacks between 20-29 are sexually active.

These numbers represent a sweeping change in Black America's sexual attitudes over the past 30 years. As we enter the '90s, thanks to contraception and a far more relaxed moral climate, young Blacks report that premarital sex has lost its pre-'60s stigma.

"Most people on campus are sexually active," says Kevin U. Chappell, editor-in-chief of Howard University's student newspaper. "We see it as normal, not negative."

Kevin's assessment of the new generation's "normal-not-negative" sexual philosophy is borne out by the numbers. Statistics illustrate clearly that despite today's lethal public health problems (Blacks represent more than one-quarter of the AIDS cases), young Black adults haven't stopped having sex--nor, they say, do they plan or want to.

Today's new sexual attitudes are hardly unique to young people of color. According to experts, the "normal-not-negative" sexually philosophy is a cross-cutting youth phenomenon, not a Black one. "The more permissive sexual attitudes of the day are shared by young Blacks and Whites alike," says Dr. Loretta Sweet Jemmott, professor of nursing at Rutgers University. "These new attitudes aren't race specific, but reflect the decidedly more open values of a whole new generation--Black and White-- that isn't nearly as inhibited about sex outside of marriage."

But while most have shed their inhibitions, many say they have significantly altered their attitudes about sex. With the deadly threat of AIDS hovering over their heads, many have dramatically changed how, when and with whom they'll have it. "I used to have sex every chance I could and I was pressed if I wasn't having it regularly," admits Keith O'Neale, a 21-year-old computer analyst from St. Croix. "But with AIDS out there, I've really slowed down. With AIDS, you can't take a shot and go home."

While the threat of AIDS cannot be overemphasized, it isn't the sole reason behind the changing sexual attitudes of many young adults. After years of instant intimacy, casual couplings, and no-strings sex, many say the casual affair has lost its appeal. "I've been celibate for more than a year," says 21-year-old Eric Davis, a college senior who has been dating the same woman since January. "And it isn't just because of AIDS. In the past, when I had sex without love, I felt guilty. Now I'm waiting until I know it's real."

Admittedly, Eric is the exception. The fact is, few young adults are choosing celibacy over sex. "In the 20- to 29-year-old age group, more than 95 percent of Blacks are sexually active," says Dr. Stephen Thomas, director of the Minority Health Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland.

Clearly, sex between consenting young adults hasn't diminished. It has, however, changed. Increasingly, young adults say they prefer making love in the context of a fully committed emotional relationship. "The truth is, sex is much better when you love and care for someone," says Keith, a fact he believes AIDS has made much easier for young men to admit.

Although sexual attitudes have changed enormously since the 1953 Kinsey Report, the old attitudes haven't been completely replaced in the Black professional group. On the contrary, experts say, educated Black women in their '20s are far less sexually adventurous than their White counterparts. "If you parallel sexual attitudes of educated, middle-class Black women in this age group with their White counterparts, you will find they are more sexually conservative," says Dr. Henry Edwards, a Washington, D.C., psychiatrist and contributing author of Black Families in Crisis: The Middle Class. This attitude, he says, stems from three major factors: the young Black woman's desire for professional success, her anxiety about Black men and her upbringing. Black families, he adds, "tend to preach more moral principles based on religion and the Black Church. There's less of that than a generation ago, but it's still there."

Striking evidence of the critical changes in the new generation can be found in Dr. Thomas' recent survey of sexual attitudes of 1000 Black college students. His conclusions? While virtually all are sexually active, their knowledge about AIDS and prevention methods is also strong. "More than 90 percent of students knew that multiple sex partners increase the risk of AIDS and that condom use is an effective means of preventing its spread," says Thomas. "So, while very few young Black people are opting for abstinence, they are restricting the number of partners."

Essentially, the new generation's feeling seems to be sex is still thrilling, but the deadly threat of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases has made it anything but cheap. They're right, and one statistic in particular has driven that point as close to home as it can get: 20 percent of all persons diagnosed with AIDS by September 1988 were in their '20s.