TORONTO -- A revamped sex education curriculum that will see Ontario students learn about masturbation in Grade 6 and oral sex at age 12 this fall is a responsible way to teach children about a touchy subject, Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday.
Conservative groups who are mounting a campaign to get rid of the revised program, which will see lessons taught as early as Grade 1, are accusing the government of corrupting young minds with sexually explicit material.
Kids will learn about such topics anyway, whether it's from their friends or the Internet, McGuinty countered.
By making it part of the curriculum, children will get the information in a venue "over which we have some control," he argued. "Why wouldn't we recognize that we live in an information age and why wouldn't we try to present this information in a thoughtful and responsible and open way?"
But the self-described "family focused" groups say the material is "bordering on criminal."
Sixth graders would be taught about masturbation and vaginal lubrication and 12 year olds will get lessons on oral and anal sex, charged Dr. Charles McVety, president of Canada Christian College.
Teachers will also instruct eight year olds about gender identity, sexual orientation and same-sex marriage, he said.
"Now, most adults do not question their gender identity. But we're now going to teach little Johnny to say, 'Well, I'm male on the outside, but maybe I'm a girl on the inside,"' McVety said. "This is unconscionable to confuse an eight-year-old's mind with this type of indoctrination of a special-interest agenda."
The groups, which claim to comprise more than 100,000 members, are planning a rally May 10 -- right after Mother's Day -- to protest the curriculum.
-- The Canadian Press
[url=http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/ontario-accused-of-corrupting-yo... accused of corrupting young minds - Winnipeg Free Press
What does everyone think? Personally, the education is getting with the times. When I was in grade 6 all it was, was anatomy. Didn't get really heavy until grade 9. The more educated kids are, hopefully it will make them make better decisions in the future. I can speak from personal experience, that I have learned a lot from both sex ed in grade 9, and the media with tv shows and the use of forums like this one.
Exactly what are they going to be teaching 12 year olds about oral and anal sex. Safe sex? Technique? On the one hand, I think schools desperately need sexual education, so kids won't learn a distorted form of sexuality from porn...on the other hand. Teaching 12 year olds about anal sex sounds kind of insane. First of all, this is guaranteed to lead to some accidents. And why teach about anal sex before vaginal sex? Second of all, this sounds like another step by the patriarchy to teach women that they're supposed to enjoy whatever a man wants to do to them and they're total prudes if they're uncomfortable with it! Best to start them as young as possible in this important lesson...Wonder how much porn the people who created the curriculum watch. Are they even going to discuss the emotional and social aspects of sex? Encourage kids to find intimacy over casual sex? Or have they just given up on that? I need some more information.
A follow up:
Ontario to retool sex-ed curriculum
By Keith Leslie
LONDON, Ont. -- Complaints over a sex-ed curriculum for Ontario elementary schools with lessons about same-sex marriage, masturbation and oral sex at various grade levels saw the province beat a hasty retreat Thursday, vowing to consult parents and rework the program.
The curriculum, which was to be implemented in the fall, was quietly posted on a government website months ago but blew up publicly Tuesday when Premier Dalton McGuinty confirmed the details.
While McGuinty stood behind the program initially, he conceded Thursday the government went too far and didn't consult widely enough.
"We spent a good 24 to 48 hours now listening to parents, our caucus, and parents through our caucus, who have responded, and it's become pretty obvious we should give this a serious rethink," McGuinty said.
"I know that parents are in fact supportive of the idea that children should be taught about their body parts, their relationships and those kinds of things, but they are obviously not comfortable with the proposal that we put forward, so we're going to improve upon that."
The government, McGuinty added, will "create more opportunities for parents to lend shape to a policy with which they are more comfortable."
Under the changes released without fanfare in January, Grade 1 kids were to be taught to identify genitalia -- among other body parts -- using the correct word, such as penis, vagina and testicle.
Grade 3 students would learn about same-sex families while Grade 5 kids were to be taught to identify parts of the reproductive system and describe how the body changes during puberty.
In Grade 7, the plan was to teach kids how to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
Conservative groups charged that teaching sixth graders about masturbation and vaginal lubrication and 12-year-olds about oral and anal sex bordered on criminal.
The existing sex-ed program will remain in place for the time being.
On Wednesday, McGuinty was adamant that Catholic schools -- which are publicly funded -- would have to abide by the new curriculum and the government said the province's bishops were onside.
"There are certain proposed topics in that curriculum which concern many parents as well as Ontario's Catholic bishops," said Lou Piovesan of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario.
"If some content related to faith and morality matters is indeed determined to be at variance with (our) principles, it would not be endorsed for use in Catholic schools."
McGuinty, who is Catholic, denied he was bowing to pressure from religious groups.
"When we develop policies of any kind, but especially when it comes to sex education in our schools, something that touches our children directly, we (must) listen very carefully to what parents have to say and we take their concerns into account," he said.
-- The Canadian Press