WAIT Training

The Caspar Star Tribune published a letter to the editor earlier this month from Linda Burt, the Executive Director of the ACLU of Wyoming, about a recent abstinence-only-until-marriage event in Natrona County put on by the group WAIT Training.

WAIT Training was one of the 13 curricula reviewed in the Waxman Report and is included in the report's list of 11 curricula that contain major errors and distortions of public health information as well as gender stereotypes.

Some examples from the Waxman Report's findings on WAIT Training:

"[WAIT Training] erroneously includes 'tears' and 'sweat' in a column titled 'At risk' for HIV transmission."

"[WAIT Training] defines 'sexually transmitted infections' as 'bacterial infections that are acute and usually can be cured' and defines 'sexually transmitted diseases' as 'infections that are viral in nature, chronic, and usually can not be cured, but rather controlled through treatment.' In fact, these terms are used interchangeably in medicine, and the program's definitions are not widely accepted."

"[WAIT Training] lists 'Financial Support' as one of the '5 Major Needs of Women,' and 'Domestic Support' as one of the '5 Major Needs of Men.' The curriculum states: 'Just as a woman needs to feel a man's devotion to her, a man as a primary need to feel a woman's admiration. To admire a man is to regard him with wonder, delight, and approval. A man feels admired when his unique characteristics and talents happily amaze her.'"

"[WAIT Training] teaches that men are sexually aggressive and lack deep emotions. In a chart of the top five women's and men's basic needs, the curriculum lists 'sexual fulfillment' and 'physical attractiveness' as two of the top five 'needs' in the men's section. 'Affection,' 'Conversation,' 'Honesty and Openness,' and 'Family Commitment' are listed only as women's needs."

Clearly WAIT Training has some problems.

And then today I come across an article in the Journal Star out of Lincoln, Nebraska saying that WAIT training has been all over Nebraska.