What is sex ed looking like in Canada right now?

[Guest lydiahardwood]

I grew up in the UK, so maybe my experience will differ to yours. But when I had my one sex ed lesson in junior school (yes, just the one), it really didn't cover much, and actually on reflection I think a lot of what we were taught was damaging.

For example:

- Girls and boys were separated

- They didn't once mention the clitoris

- They didn't talk about vulva orgasm at all, just penis ejaculation

- There was blatant scare mongering around STIs

- Nothing on LGBTQ+ sex

- Nothing on masturbation

- No mention of avoiding UTIs, thrush, maintaining a healthy vaginal PH balance

We're going back roughly 18 years now (wow, I feel old) but I've also been researching sex education courses as I would love to start doing webinars and presentations for kids/teens. But pretty much every course I find is focused on the same stuff: procreation and abstinence. Many of them are also run by church groups.

It's absurd to me that so many activist groups are anti porn, anti sex work, because it's "damaging" to children and not a good way to learn about sex. Yet we still don't seem to be prioritising teaching them about healthy sexual relationships, female orgasms, the pleasure side of sex.

I wanted to know what it's like in Canada. Do you know if sex ed is now more pleasure centric? Or is it still the old trope of "man ejaculates, woman could get pregnant, there is no such thing as safe sex, if you have sex you will get pregnant and die"?

PS, proud of myself for including two mean girls references in this post 😉 

[newfy 167]

All the new education documents are on-line  from the province. They are available free to teachers and the like. Search the education websites and look for curriculum documents. I'm not sure exactly because I retired  a couple of years ago.  I do know that there was some discussion about the LBTQ groups and more talk about anal sex. Some of the church groups got all excited and complained so the documents have been re-written a few times.  The documents differ from the Public board and the Separate board.  I remember way back in my High School days that the sex-ed was taught by the physical education teachers in what was called the health part of Gym.  Funny part of this was that my Gym teacher was flaming Gay which was  difficult in the 70's. I learned all I know from experience and am still learning in my 60's .