While sexual activity today is a common topic for TV, movies, and music, it wasn’t always so.

 

According to Marilee Rogers, Class of 1961, the early ‘60s were conservative — parties were school spirit functions and booze was a bust. Sexual activity, if present at all, was disapproved of.

“It was ‘Leave it to Beaver’ or ‘Ozzie and Harriet,’ where twin beds were the norm. One foot had to be on the floor,” said Rogers, who also taught at Redwood for decades. “There were never sex scenes in movies — just implied.”

As a result, sex was a rare happenstance even in long-term relationships. Sex was serious business, according to Rogers.

“Sex was really reserved for long term couples,” Rogers said. “It was much more special than the casual sex of today. If girls had sex in high school, my guess is that they had one or two partners before marrying.”

When birth control became available, sexual activity increased. In a 1977 Bark survey, 31% of both males and females answered that they had sexual intercourse in high school.

Birth control was hard to come by because it was socially unappealing and difficult to access. The pill was nonexistent until the early 1960s, and condoms were inconvenient because they were not sold over the counter and parental assistance was almost unheard of.

The use of the pill increased steadily after its development in 1961. According to past Bark surveys, 40% of females were on the pill in 1977 and 60% in 2003.  In 2003, 15% of students said they received birth control devices from family members, compared to 2% in 1977.

In the earlier years, Redwood parents avoided discussing sexuality with their kids. Sexual awareness was not regarded as important until sexually transmitted diseases became more prevalent in later years.

“[Parents] were probably more ‘enlightened’ in Marin than in most of the country,” said Robin Moller, Class of 1969. “Like all parents everywhere, I’m sure they were worried about the safety of their children.”

Adult intervention in student sexuality peaked in 1981 when the California State Senate passed a law stating that any female under 18 was considered abused if she had sexual relations with anyone but her husband. Doctors were required to report any sexual activity to the local law enforcement agency.

However, a month later, it was dispelled for its breach of patient confidentiality.

According to the 1982 Bark feature story about sexuality and intoxication, an increase in alcohol consumption also affected student relations negatively.

The use of alcohol became a manipulating tool to sway the opposite sex into sexual activity at parties and the age of students engaged decreased as well.

Only in the earliest years of Redwood was drinking not a problem in relation to sexual activity. Although boys tended to drink more excessively than girls, drinking was still evident among girls.

“I remember sharing a bottle of champagne and spending the night at the porcelain altar. They could not hold their liquor very well,” said Rogers.

Near the end of the ‘60s, however, sexual activity was accepted and even promoted, according to Beth Fairbanks, Class of 1968. Sexual stagnancy had ended.

“When I started high school, you would be considered a slut if you had sex during your high school years,” Fairbanks said. “By the time I left high school, you were considered an idiot if you hadn’t had sex.”