October 10, 2016
The Salt Lake Tribune Op-Ed: Utah students need real sex ed and 'Fight the New Drug'
The importance of supporting youth as they navigate an increasingly sexualized world is something virtually everyone can agree upon. How to best accomplish this in homes, schools and communities — with many different complementary approaches available — is a conversation bound to involve some meaningful differences in perspective.
In an op-ed last weekend ("Utah students need real sex ed, not 'Fight the New Drug,'" Oct. 2), the authors portrayed our own public health efforts at Fight the New Drug (FTND) in a manner that misrepresented in significant ways who we are and what we do. We appreciate the opportunity to respond as researchers, therapists and professionals associated with or supportive of FTND.
Clay Olsen is CEO and co-founder of Fight the New Drug, and the founder, lead developer and artistic director of Fortify, an educational support community for those facing compulsive pornography issues. Gary Wilson is the creator and director of YourBrainOnPorn.com and the author of "Internet Pornography and the Emerging Science of Addiction." Jill Manning, Ph.D. is a licensed marital and family therapist, researcher and author based in Colorado. She currently serves on the board of directors for Enough is Enough, a non-profit organization dedicated to making the Internet safer for children and families. Candice Christiansen, CMHC, CSAT-S, is the founder of Namasté Center for Healing and The Prevention Project. She is a researcher, author, and forensic evaluator specializing in non-contact problematic sexual behavior. Donald Hilton, MD, is an adjunct associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.