NEWS
Monday, March 9, 2015 15
Sex education
» continued from cover
taught about sex, or that they are being completely
removed from their children’s sexual education.
These are legitimate (but misplaced) concerns, and
although children aren’t in anywhere in my near
future, I understand their worries. On one hand, I
firmly believe society is incredibly misguided in its
treatment of sexuality and that things would be a lot
better if we lived in a sex-positive society. However,
no matter how much I disagree with what they decide
to teach, it’s still a parent’s right to influence their
children’s values based on their own values, culture,
and religious beliefs.
Their objections are nonetheless misguided. The
new Health and Physical Education curriculum is in
no way being “forced” into the minds of students.
Parents are permitted to remove their children from
any or all parts of the sexual education curriculum (as
has been the case for quite some time). Secondly, this
is a curriculum that was created by a democratically
elected government in consultation with four thousand chairs of parent councils. These chairs of parent
councils were also democratically elected and represent schools from across the province. So to say that
no one except Kathleen Wynne and the orgy-loving
liberals had a say in the new curriculum is completely
inaccurate.
Finally, it is the role of the school system to educate, not encourage. Teaching students what bananas
are is not the same as encouraging them to eat
bananas; teaching students that a penis is a penis,
a vagina is a vagina, and how to roll a condom on a
banana is not the same as encouraging them to have
sex. The same can be said of the inclusion of education on anal and oral sex. The curriculum includes
guidelines on how to engage in sexual activities
safely. It is an acknowledgement that some students
will want to engage in these activities. The curriculum clearly indicates that students should seek advice
from trusted adults such as parents, their doctor, or
religious leaders. The beliefs and values that a child
learns from their community will inevitably be a
part of their decision-making process when the time
comes for them to consider sexual activity. The new
curriculum, like all other curriculums, provides facts
and nothing more.
The new curriculum is a severely needed update
to what was previously in place. That said, I still have
concerns. The education around sexting appears to
revolve around teaching students to not do it and
that it’s a dangerous activity which could lead to serious consequences. There is a focus on bullying and
harassment which includes discussions on sexting
and why it’s inappropriate to share pictures you have
been sent or to coerce someone into sending pictures.
But there doesn’t appear to be any inclusion of why a
student may choose to sext, and the idea of consent
in online sexual activity is severely lacking. Students
need to be completely informed in order to have sufficient decision-making tools for all aspects of their
sexual lives, including online communications. There
also is no mention of asexuality or polyamory, but
maybe I’m expecting too much too soon.
A central aspect of sexuality which I think is
almost entirely lacking in the new curriculum is
that engaging in sexual activities might actually be
fun. Does it go beyond teaching students solely about
abstinence, date-rape, STIs, and unwanted pregnancy? Yes, and that’s awesome. But sex isn’t just
something that might result in pregnancy or disease.
It can be body-centered and solely for the purpose of
making your body feel good, or person-centered and
for the purpose of connecting with another person (or
other persons). It can be a way of showing love, a way
to relieve stress, or a way to try something new. As
long as no one is suffering harm and it’s consensual,
(legal) sex can be whatever you want it to be.
I understand the concern that telling students that
sex is something that people engage in for fun may
have the effect of encouraging students to have sex
themselves. But I see it as a way of ensuring that students are completely informed when thinking about
having sex and understanding if they’re ready or not.
Instructing a student that sex can be something that
is done for pleasure is not the same thing as saying
that it’s something they ought to do. It’s telling them
that when they’re ready, they aren’t acting inappropriately if they do want to engage in sexual activities purely for pleasure. That people have sex for fun
is a fact, same as the fact that some people choose to
wait until marriage or until they are in a committed
relationship to have sex and others don’t. If a person
is ready to have sex but not a child, that’s ok; if they
aren’t married or in a committed relationship but are
still ready and want to have sex, that’s ok too.
I do not have children, maybe I never will. We’ll
see. But I might someday, and I want my children and
all other children to have an education that fosters
sex-positivity, body-acceptance, consent and respect
for others. We all deserve to live in a society that is
full of respect and acceptance. The new Health and
Physical Education curriculum isn’t perfect but it is a
leap in the right direction which the province’s children desperately needed. u
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books & BACKPACKS
to prisoners
-
Please donate books & backpacks to inmates
held at Vanier Centre for Women and Millhaven
Institution.
Info: [email protected]
Organized by the Osgoode Hall Law Union &
Muslim Law Students Assocation
Donations accepted
@ CLASP
March 16-20