Sexuality : Teaching Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation is a topic that is very debatable and contains a lot of information. The information I have learned since beginning this research paper has been memorable and has taught me alot. The sociology of sexual orientation teaches us a lot without us being aware about it. Looking at someone else’s puzzle piece and incorporating it into one’s own life is the mission of sociology. Dealing with sexual orientation, it teaches us not to discriminate against someone because they are different than what we are accustomed to and learn to accept others who are different. If you look at it from a broader perspective everyone, is different to someone else and once the world understands this, it will be a much more safer and positive place to

A 2014 study showed that most (95%) Ontario parents supported some form of sexual education, and approximately 82% of the same group of parents were supportive of a sexual education curriculum starting in elementary school. While this seems like a large percent of the population, the study did state that their research group were mostly well-educated middle to upper-middle class mothers. This positivity was echoed in a Globe and Mail article, which stated a senior student, Joel Louzado, “was moved that different sexual and gender identities would be introduced to students as early as grade 3, when they are taught that some kids have gay parents.” The article continued, stating that sexuality and same-sex relationships were not previously taught in school, and that most students learned about these topics through friends or online. A 2013 article reiterated these opinions; a two-spirited social studies teacher stated that “no mention of sexuality was ever made explicitly in any social studies unit.” These articles show that there are many different types of people who agree and promote the new sexual education curriculum in Ontario, and that the progressive teachings may, in fact, teach these young children to be accepting of other’s differences. Those who support the curriculum tend to see it as a way to help children deal with modern issues in a world where men and women are sexualized at younger ages than

I think it is safe to say that no two words elicit more feelings of concern, anxiety, and anger in parents, and stirs up more controversy and debate than the words “sexual education”. This especially true with the implementation of the new, revised sexual education curriculum in Ontario schools. Consequently, this controversy has strongly divided individuals, families, and organizations between those who approved of and those who opposed and protested against school-based programs that providee sexual health education to children. But why so much opposition? This is due to the significant changes made to the sexual education curriculum and the sensitive nature of the topics being taught to children regarding sexuality as a whole, changes which are seen as both radical and “even more explicit and more age-inappropriate than before…” (“Ontario’s Radical,” n.d.).

Teaching about these orientation would be helpful not only to kids who identify as queer but to those who identify as heterosexual because they could learn how to support queer friends or decrease heteronormativity. The LGBTQ+ community is becoming a big part of society because of the increase in activism and the recent supportive law for same-sex marriage. Despite that, there is still harassment and homophobia. In my school, it is not uncommon to hear someone use gay as a derogatory term even in the year of 2015. Even more often, a teacher or student will state something borderline homophobic such as making a comment on a boy wearing something ‘feminine’ or a girl cutting her hair short. I firmly believe that like Sadowski’s student says, “I feel it is especially important…to include the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people into my curriculum…” (59), these issues can improve through teaching of LGBTQ+ through curriculums such as

Sex-ed is very important in children’s life. It could help children develop a health relationship in the future, and also could avoid risks. Parents’ support is essential for the quality education. Some parents may disagree about same-sex relationships or gender identity due to their different cultural and religion . Government could share more information to parents.

Sexual education is an important topic which as to be addressed due to the growing debates as to weather it should be implemented within the school system. The Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education states that sexual education curriculums addresses a range of topics including “puberty, effective contraceptive methods, prevention of STI/HIV, communication skills, sexual orientation, interpersonal relationships, and media literacy” (Public Health Agency of Canada). Children need to address such issues early in order to protect them from early initiation of sexual activity, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy. The issue is then weather or not parents support such a program.

Gabriella Visaggio Optional Assignment 3 10/1/14 Sex Education I graduated high school in 2013, during my four years of high school we were required to take all our health classes online, even Sex Ed. I remember being a junior in high school working on the lessons for the Sex Ed sections and found that I really could care less about the topic. I had no teacher to listen too or ask questions to so, by myself had to read the lessons online and get all the questions correct in order to get an A. In order to pass this health section I basically had to teach my self about everything that involved Sexual Education. After reading Michelle Fine’s “Sexuality, School, and Adolescent Female The Missing Discourse of Desire” really opened my eyes

Abstinence only education has been the most prevalent form of instruction in middle and high school courses for years in the United States. Instead of providing accurate scientific facts, it has been primarily based on ideology and what has been traditionally morally accepted: sexual activity within a heterosexual marriage. As a result, teenagers have been taught through biased information influenced by current heteronormative standards. Consequently, abstinence only education fails to acknowledge the minority populations of teenaged students who are different genders and sexualities other than a heterosexual male. Realistically, it can be inferred that a majority of the student bodies in America are rich in diversity. The classroom is no longer composed of homogenous individuals. Instead, classrooms are full of adolescents of various genders, sexualities, ages, and ethnicities. Abstinence only education strictly instructs through biological and reproductively compatible terms rather than addressing other methods of having sex, specifically pertaining to the LGBTQ community. The current curricula typically teaches that penile-vaginal sex is the “proper” way to have intercourse and that it is customary that sex occurs only between a man and a woman. Thus, emphasizing how genitalia should be used rather than having a more holistic approach towards sex. Ultimately, this disregards all of the possible mechanisms that exist when it comes to physical touch. As a consequence,

The first argument made by those who are against schools teaching sexual education to their children state that the school has no right to teach their children about sex. Those parents argue that they can educate their child themselves about the dangers of sex. Parents fear what the schools are teaching their child, and fear that they will become “more accepting of sexual behavior” (Lenth). Another fear is that the classes will make students believe that all teens have sex, peer pressuring them into having

Sex education, most commonly known as family life, is any information about sex and sexual relationships taught to maturing young people as a part of a school’s curriculum. Currently, there is a constant political and ideological debate in the United States over the merits of abstinence-only and comprehensive sex education programs in the teaching of our youth. Abstinence only sex education has been the primary sex education taught in the United States. Although different in their approach, the overall goal is to help them build a foundation to be able to make healthy informed decisions as they mature into adults. The objectives of sex education programs are to help adolescents develop a positive view of sexuality, body image and make responsible decisions in relationships (Knowles, 2012). Ultimately, any sex education should be a partnership between parents, guardians and school personnel. However, in recent years, a large amount of information about sexuality is acquired through friends, music, books and the media instead of from their parents. For some individuals,

Moving on to the third article, “The Sound of Silence: Talking About Sexual Orientation and School” by Renee DePalma and Elizabeth Atkinson primarily addresses how the parents feel about their students learning about sexuality. DePalma and Atkinson created an internet forum that let the parents express their opinions on statements regarding sexual orientation in their student’s curriculum. The purpose of this discussion was to find out where parents stood on this topic. DePalma and Atkinson (2006) clarify the statements varied from, “Discussing sexual orientation in class might make children gay. Children in school are too young to be thinking about things like sexual orientation. All teachers, pupils, and parents have a

On August of 2011, Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced that all middle and high schools will be required to teach compulsory sexual health education as part of the core curriculum. Required Health classes focusing on human sexuality are provided as mandated at Edward R. Murrow high school. Some of the topics of this course include but are not limited to the following: HIV/AIDS, practicing of safe sex, sexually transmitted diseases, description of both male and female anatomical differences, birth control etc. In October of 2012,

In my sexual health class, we talked about sexual orientation. We had two guest speakers, one was a lesbian that was engaged and a transgender from a man to female. The lesbian speaker talked to us about how her journey went when she came out to her family and friends that she was a lesbian. She said it was not easy, but over the years her family started to support her decision of being with the same sex. For the transgender male to female had a different story. He was the only child and only had one girl in his life which was somewhat not by choice. He was young and a little girl asked him if he was gay and at that time he was in denial so he said no and when she asked will you go out with he was like he did not care, but after one week he got his best friend to break them up. I found that funny because he got his best friend to break them up because he did like that fact that she was a girl. But to make a long story short, he found out that in his middle school years that he loves the same sex and that he saw himself as a woman and not a male. A year ago, he came out to his family and friends that he was gay and that he was going through the change of became a transgender. The person that was most hurt was his father because he was the only child and he was a boy. As he grew up, his father was a bishop and soon became a pastor and it was hard for him to support his new daughter when the Bible says otherwise. It was just interesting that his father has to decide what to do.

This is a scholarly journal by Elizabeth Marshall, a professor in the Department of Education. Marshall introduces a primary objective of modifying teacher certification programs by implementing LGBTQ awareness into them. She also notes that teachers should embrace sexual diversity in their classrooms by incorporating LGBTQ issues into their curriculum. I will be using this source to defend my argument on how critical is it to address other sexualities in school, especially in health courses for adolescents.

Sexual orientation is something that people hear about daily in the news, media, and daily lives of others, especially when it comes to the field of psychology and the nature versus nurture debate. For being as commonly debated and discussed as it is, there are many questions that come along with it: what is sexual orientation, how do people know their sexual orientation, what causes homosexuality, is it normal, is it possible to change, and can wanting LGBT, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, youth to change lead to suicide?