Sexuality: Sex Ed, How Soon is Too Soon?
Photo Credits: Sean Cody
Starting this September 2018, five-year-old children attending schools all across Quebec, Canada will be taught about “different types of families” including those with same-sex parents. According to PinkNews, as the schoolchildren climb the educational ladder they will learn about sexual health and safety, homophobia and sexism for 12-year-olds, and consent for 13-year-olds. This is being done in order to “decrease the number of sexual assaults in Quebec.”
The British Government on the other hand, will launch a program of similar nature on September 2019. Daily Mail reports this is in compliance with their “Equality Act and that they must take into account lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans issues” in their bid to make the “new relationship lessons inclusive to all.”
Sex education in general is always met with parental opposition everywhere. Most parents think sex education is inappropriate and unnecessary because sex is embarrassing and uncomfortable to talk about, and that “sex is dirty.” As for the inclusion of the LGBT people in these lessons, well, never mind the gay sex aspect—the mere mention of the words LGBT or gay in schools is enough for some groups to call a ban for said words.
Personally, I support programs of this kind. For me there isn’t such a thing as too much and too soon when it comes to sex education. At the end of the day, there’s nothing parents can do: children grow up and they grow up fast. Because of this, I’d rather my child, nephew, or niece learns about sex during an intellectual discussion at school rather than learn about it the hard way.
Ignorance does not equate protecting the children’s innocence. Ignorance could actually lead them to experiment with risky behaviors not to mention they are more vulnerable to “forced sex, pornography, early pregnancies, STDs,” and sexual predators.
Children who lack sex education could fall prey to sexual abuse and not know it. As a result, they would not tell adults of the incident because they “didn’t think it was serious or wrong.”
Having said all that, I am able to sleep better at night knowing the kids in my family (and all kids really) are aware that the most dangerous predators live everywhere not just in the wilds.
But that’s just me, of course.
More importantly, the inclusion of all “sexualities and identities” in sex education will pave the way to a better world. Hopefully one with less bullying, harassment, and discrimination as such lessons—when handled properly—could teach students to treat everyone equally, to treat each other with dignity, respect, and courtesy that everyone else so richly deserves.
What do you think guys? Do you think that sexuality and sex education at school is necessary or not? How was sex education when you were at school? Was it inclusive? Share with us your thoughts and stories in the comments section below.
Honestly, I think sex ed starts to late in most places. Sure start with the sexuality thing in clean terms to the youngest generation, but at 10, kids should already be learning the biological side of things. They need to know why they have the urges they have. And leaving time gaps also lessens the effect. Sex education should be taught from the middle of elementary school until the end of middle school.
As an educator, I’m glad that these changes are coming along. This ridiculous idea abut children’s innocence is a delusion of parents. When you listen to your students, they are full of questions, and I’m glad to be able to answer them. Being a gay man, I have had to face ignorant parents telling me that ‘telling students that I’m married to a man is wrong’. To which I replied that either they withdrew that or they face a Human Rights complaint. Again, as an educator, I’m here for the betterment of my students. If their parents want to remain in obscurantism, their problem. Surely any student in my class won’t go home without knowing there are different types of families and that love prevails in all of them.
I think it is necessary and wish I was learned more about it during my younger school days. However, things are more in the open and acceptable today than it was way back when I was in school.
Let them watch a full season of Will and Grace, that will teach them a lot. “That Was Easy”
I was fucking at 9 so never too soon I guess.
Agreed! One of the boys from the block was nailing my arse when I was 12. My mom was scandalised, but I could not care less, the cock just felt too good 😉
Wow……..lucky you……..
Nine years old. I guess I’m behind the times. I didn’t realize most 9-year-olds had the ability. You must have developed earlier than most.
To be honest I’m happy that Quebec decided on this. My generation (I’m 35) is the last generation who has sex education in high school in Quebec. So everybody that came after me did’nt get anything, my sister, my nieces did’nt even learned how to put on a condom or learned what is HIV in school, which is in my humble opinion, very bad.
I started at 10. Took my first man dick way back then. 50 now so sex education needs to start early. So glad I had good Adult straight men in my life to show me how he cock worked and what it does.
When my son was 9 years old he asked at the dinner table “Dad what’s a blow Job?”. I told him
I can remember going to the doctor when I was 4 o4 5, and asking him why my wee-wee got big at times. I never did get an answer from him. He just said it was normal. Well it’s never to early to start talking about sex as soon as a child shows an interest. Questions like why, where do babies come from, how are men different from women, and how come 2 guys (or women) are kissing and hugging ( or having sex)? I hate it when people tells kids, babies come from the “stork” etc. Be truthful. Start talking about disease, hiv, condoms, prevention etc, as soon as there is interest. In todays world kids are exposed to sex everywhere, TV, internet, advertising, in public, and curiosity comes early. Don’t put down gay, lesbian, straight, bi, etc. Let them make up their own minds. Sex ed should be started in schools early, even as early as kindergarten.
I live in PA n i didnt bave sex ed in school (im 70)…lol…..but my children did and i thought that was good……they knew if they had any questions they could ask me…..n i would tell them what i knew…
There isn’t one set time for all youngsters to learn about sex. As a smart parent, you know to answer any question that’s asked at any age with an factual brief answer. It also means seizing the opportunity to test the waters with children whenever an opportunity to do so might present itself. It does not mean when any child asks’ “where do babies come from?” a answer about how dad inserts his erect penis in mom’s vagina until his sperm is introduced to her egg.
For sure, there should be discussions and education the begins by puberty … but that date can differ for different children. Factor in parental rights to decide whether their children are educated at 12 years old or 18 years old, and the task becomes more difficult.
While I don’t think schools are the best place for sex education, I fully understand that’s where it needs to be because too many parents are ill-informed themselves and/or not willing to enter into sensitive discussions with their children because they just may not want to admit their children will become sexual beings.
You know, it’s a fine thing to have sex education. Definitely, kids need to know how to protect themselves and such. I don’t think they actually need much education in the mechanics of sex. Thanks to the internet, the information, and shall we say training videos, are readily available. It’s odd that this article should come up now, as I was thinking some weeks ago that instead of having a class called sexual education, perhaps it would be better to have a course called relationship education. Perhaps I was thinking about this because of all of the news in the US about inappropriate contact. It seems to me that what is lacking is an understanding of what love is, and how to form long-lasting relationships of all types with other people. I know I personally could have benefited from such when I was in school. Of course, when I was in school being a homosexual was still a felony in the state. But today, I think learning about the impulses that young folks have, how to deal with them, how to respect themselves and each other might go along way towards helping our cultural civilization come along. Just a thought.
Sex ed is one thing. Indoctrination is another.
In the sane countries they aren’t afraid. unlike here in Murica still living in the puritanical dark-ages (certainly if the reich-wingers have their way).
Health class in seventh grade, all the physical details of reproduction, the hazards of stds, it’s enough to scare any kid off of sex for years!
I lost my virginity to an older boy when I was 10, so yes this seems a little late to me.
I had my first sex-ed class in fourth grade, so I was ten, and of course it was awkward. But from that point on, any sex that was talked about in any detail was purely from a biological perspective or a pregnancy and/or disease prevention angle. I had no idea what gay sex actually entailed until I was almost in college.
Modern day sex ed is called a smartphone and every kid has one so who the hell cares?
I started sucking cock and getting laid when I was 13 and loved it.
As a parent I believe in sex education as soon as a child can understand. I feel that a child should be informed but the level of intensity and information should vary according to age and ability for the child to understand what is being taught. I believe also that the initial disscussion should start with the childs parents and continue throughout the childs development..The problem I find is that there has to be follow up at home so it does not become embarrassing or difficult to talk about. When a child and parent can have an open and honest dissussion about sex, it can also lead to the child being open about other subject matters that may be also difficult to talk about such as drugs, relationships, bullying etc..
Bravo! It’s better to be early…then too late!
Frankly, it’s about time! In the first place, I never really understood the arguments against sex education. Lack of sex education represents a real danger to society. I know, I lived it. I had a gay cousin who was my age who died of AIDS at 19. He was totally uneducated as to the ramifications of his actions, and his parents were too embarrassed to discuss it with him. Being older than most here, I can tell you sex education when I was in school was being 13 and having some 19 year old guy touching you out behind the barn and enjoying it, not knowing anything about the dangers. Kids need sex education and most parents are ill equipped to home school them.
Long story short… When I was 8…i shared a bedroom with my 21yr old uncle… one night he came home drunk and fell asleep on top of his bed with no pants on… I remember trying to talk to him but he was passed out… I touched his dick and instinctively put my mouth on it…. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing but I knew I liked doing it,,, I sucked on him several more times before he finally caught on…
How late is too late? Rethink the question.