Gay sex education in schools
What do children learn in sex education?
Northern Ireland
Relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is mandatory for all pupils. Each school develops its own RSE policy in line with the school's ethos.
In secondary schools, a parent can eliminate a pupil from sessions covering sexual health and the prevention of early pregnancy and access to abortion.
Other RSE lessons are mandatory.
Wales
RSE has been a mandatory part of the curriculum since
Guidance to schools sets out which "developmentally-appropriate" topics should be covered from age three to
A legal challenge to RSE by a group of parents was rejected in the Lofty Court in
Scotland
Local authorities are responsible for the delivery of relationships, sexual health and parenthood (RSHP) education in schools.
Parents and carers are allowed to view key teaching materials, and can withdraw their children from the sexual health elements of RSHP education.
The Scottish government is in the process of finalising updated guidance, after a public consultation in
Only 17 States and DC Verb LGBTQ-Inclusive Sex Ed Curricula in at Least Half of Schools, Despite Recent Increases
Note: The CDC measures change in the percentage of schools that provide curricula or supplementary materials that contain HIV, STD, or pregnancy prevention information that is relevant to LGBTQ youth (e.g., curricula or materials that use inclusive language or terminology).
Sources: Centers for Disease Governance and Prevention. (). School Health Profiles Characteristics of Health Programs Among Secondary Schools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (). School Health Profiles Characteristics of Health Programs Among Secondary Schools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The policy landscape around inclusive sexual education continues to change quickly. As of , six states (California, Colorado, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington) plus the District of Columbia explicitly call for inclusive sex-ed curricula. While Alabama, Arizona, and South Carolina recently repealed
Public battles over what schools can teach about sex, identity and relationships, often framed around “parental rights,” have become more intense in recent years.
Behind the blaring debate lies a quiet contradiction. Many parents who say sex education should be taught only at home don’t actually provide it there, either.
As a scholar of sex education, I set up that parents strongly opposed to comprehensive sex education in schools were the least likely to discuss health-promoting concepts such as consent, contraception, gender identity and healthy relationships. I discuss similar themes in my book, “A Modern Approach to the Birds and the Bees.”
Comprehensive sex education delays sexual activity, increases contraceptive use and reduces teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection rates. It has a complex history, but has long received bipartisan support.
In recent years, however, elderly debates over sex education and funding have taken a sharper turn.
In June , the Trump administration ordered California to detach gender-identity materials from sex education lessons or risk losin
Sexual Education in Schools: The Hurt of Exclusion
We teach our children about the birds and the bees, but for some, this talk is as foreign as the metaphor. Today, as a consequence of the growing awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of the nature of sexuality, recent polls in Gallup estimate that seven percent of the United States population identifies as LGBTQ+. This statistic suggests that in the average classroom, one to two children will identify as LGBTQ+ at some point in their lives, if they do not already. So why, in the same classrooms, is a sexual education curriculum taught that neglects these children as if they do not exist? It is imperative to include LGBTQ+ representation in the sexual education curriculum, in accordance with our ethical principles, to support the health and well-being of our communities.
Sexual education (sex-ed) has a disappointingly contentious history in the US. The effort to provide new students with information about sex, gender, and sexuality began in public schools in with the distribution of vague pamphlets, which were largely ignored