It used to be taboo. Just a few decades ago, "sex" wasn’t an acceptable topic of conversation—except in a locker room or doctor’s office. Today, it’s everywhere. It looks cool. It seems glamorous. But what we aren’t being told is sex outside of marriage carries serious emotional and physical risks.

The good news is promiscuity doesn’t have to be the norm. With the support of community leaders and the proactive education of young people, the sweeping trend of casual sexual relationships can be reversed.

That’s the message of a statewide conference coming to Lexington March 28 and 29. Organizers say "Raise the Standard: Kentucky Conference on Sexual Health" will motivate and equip professional leaders to teach others the benefits of abstinence until marriage.

Organizers point out that casual attitudes about sex have lowered moral standards and raised a harvest of destruction in the lives of many young people. Teen pregnancy, epidemic-level STDs, and emotional and relational damage are only a few of the side effects they hope to draw attention to with the conference.

Karla Duerson, a teacher with Heritage Community Services, said she has seen firsthand the hunger for sexual purity and integrity among young people. After a presentation of Heritage’s abstinence education program at a Lexington public high school, two teenage girls approached Duerson. "They were so thankful I had come to present the program," she said. "They told me their opinions about sex had totally changed and they were making a decision to be abstinent."

That’s the goal of "Raise the Standard"—to give professional and community leaders all the facts about sex outside of marriage, equipping and motivating them to educate young people, who can, in turn, weigh the pros and cons themselves.

"We are so pleased to be a part of the coalition of organizations that are bringing this event to Kentucky," says Kent Ostrander, Executive Director of The Family Foundation and project coordinator of its Kentucky Initiative for Sexual Health. "We believe that this conference will serve as a huge step forward for the state’s abstinence movement, bolstering the many individuals and groups that are already working in the trenches with Kentucky’s youth."

"Raise the Standard" will bring several prominent speakers to Lexington, including A.C. Green, Dr. Joe McIlhaney, Maggie Gallagher, and Martin Dannenfelser.

Green, a former NBA star who founded an abstinence-based, "I’ve Got the Power" curriculum for young people, says he strives to help them build self-esteem and character, and learn ethical principles to help them make responsible decisions.

McIlhaney, President of the Medical Institute of Sexual Health, will also bring his expertise to the conference. McIlhaney founded the Medical Institute, which identifies, evaluates, and communicates sexual data, confronting the epidemics of pregnancies outside of marriage and STDs.

Gallagher, a syndicated columnist and author, is a leading voice in the emerging marriage movement. Her recent book is The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially.

Dannfelser is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for External and Policy Affairs within the Administration for Children and Families. He has been an advocate for abstinence education and works with the Bush administration on matters related to sexual awareness and health.

Participating organizations include the Northern Kentucky Character and Abstinence Coalition, Healthy Visions, Gerard Health Foundation, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), The Family Foundation, A.A. Pregnancy Help Center, Lexington Leadership Foundation, Kentucky Initiative for Sexual Health (KISH) and Heritage Community Services.

In addition to the keynote speakers, the conference will offer a variety of breakout sessions geared toward several professional communities, including medicine, education, religion, public policy, and family/parenting. The conference will be held at Southland Christian Church, a large evangelical church in the Lexington community that offered to support the event by offering their campus as the site. For more information, contact Pam Larson at 859-255-2000, or visit the web site at www.RaiseTheStandardKy.com.