How abstinence-only messages infiltrated thousands of schools like mine – and set sex education back decades
2 months ago

How abstinence-only messages infiltrated thousands of schools like mine – and set sex education back decades

The Independent  

Using the analogy of a piece of tape losing its stickiness on your hand to show how each sexual partner causes a loss of emotional connection is not sex education. I naively thought that abstinence-only sex education was pretty much obsolete in the UK, reserved only for a few deeply religious, closed off schools. Section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 states that there is “flexibility for schools in their approach” when it comes to sex education. While new and improved statutory guidance will be put in place from September 2020, after hearing about the deeply misinformed sex education that my school received only recently, I worry about whether this continued emphasis on “flexibility” will really just be used as another excuse to continue teaching outdated ideas. It’s this flexibility that is enabling an inconsistent and prejudiced approach to sex education in schools which is, in turn, raising teenagers that are much more misinformed than we would like to think.

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History of this topic

Rishi Sunak has a new target: Sex education
10 months ago

Rishi Sunak has a new target: Sex education

CNN  

CNN — As a general election inches closer into view, the embittered debates circulating inside British politics have entered a new arena: the classroom. New guidance unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government on Thursday seeks to overhaul the way sex education and gender identity is taught in England’s schools, a significant intervention into a delicate topic that appeared suddenly …

Thanks, Sunak – how will our son learn his same-sex family is normal now?
10 months ago

Thanks, Sunak – how will our son learn his same-sex family is normal now?

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And while hand-wringing parents seem to …

Children will learn facts of life from disturbing online porn: Experts slam banning sex education for under-nines as 'incredibly damaging' - and warn youngsters could develop an 'unhealthy relationshi
10 months ago

Children will learn facts of life from disturbing online porn: Experts slam banning sex education for under-nines as 'incredibly damaging' - and warn youngsters could develop an 'unhealthy relationshi

Daily Mail  

Banning sex education for children under nine could be 'incredibly damaging', experts have warned — as youngsters may end up learning the facts of life from disturbing online pornography. Dr Amanda Gummer says withdrawing sex education for under-9s will push children to get their sex education from disturbing online porn instead Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is set to announce a …

Ban on schools teaching children about gender identity under new sex education rules
10 months ago

Ban on schools teaching children about gender identity under new sex education rules

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Days after common sense minister Esther McVey announced a crackdown on pro-LGBT+ lanyards being worn …

Schools must not teach gender ideology under new government sex education plans
10 months, 1 week ago

Schools must not teach gender ideology under new government sex education plans

The Telegraph  

Rishi Sunak ordered the review into relationships, sex and health education lessons last year in response to claims that content was age-inappropriate, extreme and sexualising. It will also state that when sex education begins it must be based on “scientific” fact rather than gender ideology. Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at women’s rights charity Sex Matters, said: “Commentary suggests that …

Nearly fifth of teenagers say internet main information source on sexual health
11 months, 1 week ago

Nearly fifth of teenagers say internet main information source on sexual health

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Young people are turning to online sources to learn about …

Safe Sphere: Improving sexual education for young people
1 year ago

Safe Sphere: Improving sexual education for young people

ABC  

How might we ensure that young people in regional and remote communities receive relevant and comprehensive sexual education? We've developed Safe Sphere, offering a co-designed sex ed program Community groups can create a forum where young individuals can openly ask about topics left unanswered by traditional sex ed classes. Safe Sphere operates on a cyclical model designed by young people …

From Euphoria to Sex Education – how to get sex in teen dramas right
1 year, 6 months ago

From Euphoria to Sex Education – how to get sex in teen dramas right

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It’s about comedy as well.” That tone was set …

Commentary: ‘Sex Education’ was groundbreaking in its portrayal of teen intimacy. But was it realistic?
1 year, 6 months ago

Commentary: ‘Sex Education’ was groundbreaking in its portrayal of teen intimacy. But was it realistic?

LA Times  

This article contains spoilers for Season 4 of Netflix’s “Sex Education.” The fourth season of “Sex Education” opens with sex. Or at least bringing up a conversation about it.” He says he remembers watching Season 1 of the show, thinking, “I wish I had this when I was a teenager.” “Sex Education” was the first Netflix show to hire an …

Big W has withdrawn Welcome to Sex from its stores to protect staff — but teen sex education books can keep young people safe
1 year, 8 months ago

Big W has withdrawn Welcome to Sex from its stores to protect staff — but teen sex education books can keep young people safe

ABC  

Teaching young people about gender, sex and sexuality has long been controversial. Paul Venzo's research shows there are now more than a thousand sex education books for young people in English alone. Sex education for young people is valuable Sex education books can be used by parents and caregivers to guide tricky conversations about puberty, sex, gender and sexuality. It …

Sex Education: Guide For Teachers And Parents To Address Misconceptions
1 year, 10 months ago

Sex Education: Guide For Teachers And Parents To Address Misconceptions

News 18  

Sex education is a topic that has been debated for years in India, with opinions ranging from support to opposition. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that sex education is crucial in bringing about a much-needed change in society’s perception of an intimate relationship and removing taboos associated with it. The inclusion of such topics in sex education can lead …

Sex education in schools to be reviewed amid concerns over ‘inappropriate’ lessons
2 years ago

Sex education in schools to be reviewed amid concerns over ‘inappropriate’ lessons

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government …

We’re not being taught enough about sex ed and porn in class, say children
2 years ago

We’re not being taught enough about sex ed and porn in class, say children

The Independent  

More than half of 16 and 17-year-olds believe schools are not teaching them enough about the attitudes of boys and men towards women and girls and what a healthy relationship looks like, a survey has found. In polling by the Sex Education Forum charity among people aged 16 and 17, some 58 per cent said power imbalances in relationships were …

If you thought we’d learnt a lesson from Andrew Tate, think again
2 years ago

If you thought we’d learnt a lesson from Andrew Tate, think again

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The only way to ensure that …

Students and teachers demand better, more modern sexual education at schools
2 years, 5 months ago

Students and teachers demand better, more modern sexual education at schools

NL Times  

Sex education in schools must be improved and focus on more than just the biological aspects of having safe sex. Students, teachers, educational organizations, and expertise centers said this in a manifesto that they will hand to Education Minister Dennis Wiersma and Mariette Hamer, the government commissioner on sexually transgressive behavior, NU.nl reports. “Recent events around sexually transgressive behavior show …

Why sex education doesn't have to be awkward
2 years, 6 months ago

Why sex education doesn't have to be awkward

BBC  

Why sex education doesn't have to be awkward Prashanti Aswani Many parents would like to be a trusted source for their children, especially in the digital age. Many parents may feel a similar sense of squeamishness when trying to talk to their children about physical intimacy – though attitudes to sex education can vary widely between countries and families, research …

Sexual Offences Against Women: Key Interventions
2 years, 9 months ago

Sexual Offences Against Women: Key Interventions

Live Law  

A country in which women are violated in broad daylight, thrown on streets after gory torture and muzzled and suffocated under the garb of sacrifice and societal obligations is nothing short of a failure to its very existence. However, at this stage, what deserves our unequivocal attention is the long-neglected issue of the prevalence of rape myths attached to female …

Sex education & the classroom
3 years, 2 months ago

Sex education & the classroom

The Hindu  

January 08, 2022 11:22 am | Updated January 11, 2022 08:03 pm IST When Anamika, mum to a 15-year-old, wanted her son to know “about the birds and the bees beyond the ninth standard textbook lesson”, she approached a physician. While the country is obliged to provide free, compulsory, and comprehensive education to adolescents and young people — as one …

Netflix’s Sex Education is doing sex ed better than schools
3 years, 4 months ago

Netflix’s Sex Education is doing sex ed better than schools

Live Mint  

By Debra Dudek, Associate professor, Edith Cowan University and Giselle Natassia Woodley, Researcher and Phd Candidate, Edith Cowan University Perth, Nov 11 : Netflix’s comedy Sex Education, now in its third season, is set among a group of students and teachers at a British high school. The premise of the show is the teenagers at Moordale High do not receive …

How Netflix show Sex Education does a far better job at depiction of sex and sexuality than most school-based sex ed classes
3 years, 4 months ago

How Netflix show Sex Education does a far better job at depiction of sex and sexuality than most school-based sex ed classes

Firstpost  

Sex Education challenges a commonly-held perception teenagers should be protected from the harms of sex and sexual material. In depicting sex education, it teaches viewers about sex and sexuality – often doing a better job than school-based sex ed classes. The premise of the show is the teenagers at Moordale High do not receive adequate sex education classes, so Jean’s …

Sex ed in high schools is shockingly bad — and my college students are proof
3 years, 6 months ago

Sex ed in high schools is shockingly bad — and my college students are proof

Salon  

When my university announced its swift conversion to online teaching during the spring of 2020, I — like everyone else — raced to the local shopping center to stock up on food, sanitizer, and paper products. My own experiences with sex education and the increased politicization of sex ed in general have me wondering about the extent to which students …

Migrant parents call for support in sexual consent education as student-led petition gains momentum
4 years ago

Migrant parents call for support in sexual consent education as student-led petition gains momentum

ABC  

Zhen Liang desperately wants to talk to her Australian-born teenage daughter about consent before she graduates from high school, but she doesn't even know where to start. Key points: Migrant parents struggle to talk about sexual consent with their children due to cultural and language barriers One educator says schools are reluctant to communicate with parents about "sensitive" content There …

Review into sex education in Queensland schools welcomed by teachers and advocates
4 years ago

Review into sex education in Queensland schools welcomed by teachers and advocates

ABC  

The state government's decision to review sexual education in Queensland schools, particularly teaching sexual consent, has received high marks from teachers as advocates call for the topic to be discussed from a younger age. Key points: Schools welcome the state government's plan to review sexual education The move comes after disturbing allegations surfaced in an online petition Advocates say education …

Sex is a natural part of life, so why is it not taught adequately in schools?
4 years, 3 months ago

Sex is a natural part of life, so why is it not taught adequately in schools?

ABC  

Takeover Melbourne winner, Tamsin – Mount Martha, Victoria Do you know where the clitoris is? So, for my Year 12 extended investigation class I looked into how and why sexual education is taught. I found that all government schools are required to follow the Victorian education department's Catching On Later sexuality guide. I believe that the Victorian education department must …

'They Think We'll Teach Them How to Have Sex': NEP 2020 Misses the Point of Sex Education
4 years, 6 months ago

'They Think We'll Teach Them How to Have Sex': NEP 2020 Misses the Point of Sex Education

News 18  

“I was in class 9 and only fourteen years old when I realised how important sex education was during my biology class,” says 26-year-old Priyanka*. Consequently, repression of one’s sexuality could lead to “coercion, abuse and exploitation.” Rao explained that the major issue with sex education in India is the source of information. That reduces stress and improves communication with …

Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You gave me a better sex education than school ever did
4 years, 8 months ago

Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You gave me a better sex education than school ever did

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prior to …

Normal People couldn’t be further from porn – but it still makes me worry about my son’s sex education
4 years, 10 months ago

Normal People couldn’t be further from porn – but it still makes me worry about my son’s sex education

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A now-infamous …

Netflix's Sex Education has busted some whopper sex myths — here are some others
5 years, 1 month ago

Netflix's Sex Education has busted some whopper sex myths — here are some others

ABC  

"Don't use soap on the vagina." It was the '90s, and the beginning of my formal sex education, which previously just involved mum pointing to photos of genitalia in a "sex book". "We're not taught the ways we can feel pleasure and not even the ways we can communicate about it, so we miss a lot of the really practical …

By depicting the reality of ‘everyday’ sexual assault, Netflix’s Sex Education does something vitally important
5 years, 1 month ago

By depicting the reality of ‘everyday’ sexual assault, Netflix’s Sex Education does something vitally important

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As a …

Protest leaflets claim relationship education teaches primary school children masturbation
5 years, 6 months ago

Protest leaflets claim relationship education teaches primary school children masturbation

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Leaflets claiming …

Children over 14 will be able to defy parents and opt in for sex education classes, government confirms
6 years ago

Children over 14 will be able to defy parents and opt in for sex education classes, government confirms

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Children from …

Mental health education to be made compulsory in English schools
6 years, 8 months ago

Mental health education to be made compulsory in English schools

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Health education …

We cannot trust schools to provide sex education when they can't even keep their institutions safe
6 years, 11 months ago

We cannot trust schools to provide sex education when they can't even keep their institutions safe

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In an ideal world, yes, educating …

Make Every Class Sex Ed Class
7 years ago

Make Every Class Sex Ed Class

Huff Post  

Mac99 via Getty Images For over a century, social conservatives have demanded a ban on sex education. Whether they were pushing for outright bans on curricula they perceived as tax-funded perversion of innocent schoolchildren, or promoting more subtle erosions of sex ed in the form of “abstinence-only” programs that often take the “sex” out of “sex education,” banning sex ed …

Schools, sex and scandals: See it all at the movies
7 years, 1 month ago

Schools, sex and scandals: See it all at the movies

Salon  

Lately it seems that school sex scandals are in the news as much as school shootings. As the number of actual victims' stories published in newspapers now vastly outnumber the 50 or so films we address, perhaps it is time to take stock of how our society's fantasies of teacher-student relationships played out in film reflect and contribute to a …

The Power Of Inclusive Sex Education
7 years, 7 months ago

The Power Of Inclusive Sex Education

Huff Post  

Brendan McDermid / Reuters By Jeanne Sager The night the cable channel Freeform aired an LGBTQ sex-education-themed episode of its teen drama The Fosters earlier this spring, Madison Russell spent the evening in front of her television with tears rolling down her face. The state of Washington, one of the latter four, passed the Healthy Youth Act in 2007, mandating …

Underage sex considered 'normal part of growing up', report warns
7 years, 10 months ago

Underage sex considered 'normal part of growing up', report warns

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The evidence from recent serious case reviews clearly demonstrates that fundamental flaws in professional …

Sex education to be made compulsory in all schools in England, government confirms
8 years ago

Sex education to be made compulsory in all schools in England, government confirms

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In a written statement, Ms Greening …

'We picked you up from a bin': Sex education is still regarded as dirty talk in China
8 years, 1 month ago

'We picked you up from a bin': Sex education is still regarded as dirty talk in China

ABC  

After decades of phenomenal economic growth and modernisation, people assume China's conservative social and sexual norms have changed too. Parents still believe teaching kids about safe sex would only lead to premarital sex, so they don't mention it at all. The fundamental issue - the need for proper sex education - is not even up for debate, let alone being …

MPs quietly vote against compulsory sex education in schools
8 years, 2 months ago

MPs quietly vote against compulsory sex education in schools

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Debating the matter in Parliament this …

Schools may be forced to teach children about porn and sexting, reports suggests
8 years, 3 months ago

Schools may be forced to teach children about porn and sexting, reports suggests

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ministers are reportedly planning to make schools teach children about pornography, domestic violence, sexting …

Show porn to teenagers in school and scrap sex education, says Dame Jenni Murray
8 years, 5 months ago

Show porn to teenagers in school and scrap sex education, says Dame Jenni Murray

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Woman’s Hour host Jenni Murray has said teenagers should watch …

Thousands share their experiences of sexual harassment in school after calls for compulsory sex education
8 years, 6 months ago

Thousands share their experiences of sexual harassment in school after calls for compulsory sex education

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, …

How much do you know about sex education in UK schools?
8 years, 8 months ago

How much do you know about sex education in UK schools?

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Almost three …

Nudity and naturism is 'best way to teach sex education' to children
8 years, 9 months ago

Nudity and naturism is 'best way to teach sex education' to children

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Children should be receiving a sex education that teaches nudity …

No one can stop teenagers from watching porn – not even David Cameron
8 years, 10 months ago

No one can stop teenagers from watching porn – not even David Cameron

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. There is no one in their …

Children deserve better sex education for modern life
8 years, 11 months ago

Children deserve better sex education for modern life

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. So a study by the NASUWT …

Britain's schools 'hit by sexting epidemic involving children as young as 12'
9 years ago

Britain's schools 'hit by sexting epidemic involving children as young as 12'

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Tens of thousands of children have …

The rise of sex education for adults
9 years ago

The rise of sex education for adults

ABC  

Putting condoms on bananas is out; feeling good is in. The group has assembled for an adult sex education class called 'Pleasure 101', run by Vanessa Muradian, a charismatic sexologist and yoga teacher who refers to women's genitals using the Sanskrit word "yoni". Last July the University of Oregon Health Centre launched SexPositive, a comprehensive sex ed app that provides …

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