Friday, February 04, 2000
Entertainer's un-Hollywood message: Say no to casual sex
BY KELLY NICKELL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — Lakita Garth, familiar to many in her youthful audience Thursday as an entertainer, delivered a tough, fact-filled talk about abstinence and the consequences of premarital sex.
The Los Angeles-based singer, who's been on national television on such shows as Politically Incorrect and MTV's Sex in the '90s, spoke at the Garfield Alternative School.
It was one in a series of appearances she's made in Butler and Warren county schools this week. On Satur day, she will put on a combined concert and talk at Miami University-Middletown.
She tells youngsters about the hazards of sexually transmitted diseases and teen-age pregnancy.
“I know where these kids are coming from, and I keep plugging into that,” she said. “I'm waiting until I get married to have sex, and I want the kids to know that I don't just talk about abstinence.”
Stressing the importance of strong family values, Ms. Garth, who declined to give her age beyond “over 21,” said she believes many teens incorrectly seek intimacy through sex.
“Today's children are casualties of broken homes and misguided family values,” she said. “Most kids having sex are really looking for the intimacy and trust that they aren't getting at home.”
Her visit was sponsored by the Middletown Pregnancy Center and other local and state health agencies.
Student Adrienne Brown, 17, said she learned a great deal. “I'd come to school every day if I could hear stuff like this,” she said. “Lakita was keeping it real.”
Ms. Brown said she plans to teach her 2-year-old daughter, Kelcey, about ab stinence some day.
“When she gets older, I want my daughter to know that she should wait for the right person and to be in love,” she said. “I want her to wait until she's married before she has sex.”
She added that she will not have extramarital sex again.
But fellow student Erickson Johnson, 18, had a mixed reaction.
“I learned a lot of information about diseases and statistics, but I've got a serious girlfriend,” he said. “The stuff she said about abstinence won't change how I live my life.”
For information on Saturday's appearance, call 513-424-2229.
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