This is a Facebook post, that I have just seen, from a teacher from Australia who took a closer look at the 'Safe Schools' programme in her country. She wrote this last year.
Her thoughts on the programme seem similar to some of the concerns raised here about the wider context in which sex and relationship education is being considered and possibly delivered in the UK.
This first part of her post particularly stood out for me are:
"I’ll be honest. I was busy teaching when I first heard about the SS program, and like most of my colleagues, I didn’t bother to read it. I already didn’t allow bullying of any kind in my classrooms, not of gay kids, not of any kids. But mostly, it was because I assumed the rumours of inappropriate content in Safe Schools were probably exaggerations by hysterical, ultra-conservatives.
It wasn’t until I was home on maternity leave that I had the time, energy and humility to check for myself. As a parent, I was horrified. But on a professional level, as a teacher- I was especially shocked and devastated to discover that in all likelihood, if this program went State-wide`, my career was probably over. There was no way that I could sign a contract to teach these topics using curriculums like ‘Safe Schools’. This program is not about breaking down gender stereotypes like ‘women belong in the home’ or ‘real men don’t cry’- as we have all been told. This program is not about fostering compassion for gay, intersex or ‘gender dysphoric’ students- as we have all been told. It is almost entirely consumed with graphic, erotic sex-ed and gender fluidity theory. Why do I protest? Firstly, I believe the scope for abuse of power and sexual harassment of students is just simply unacceptable, secondly it makes all students less safe and thirdly it usurps parental rights.
The first reason I won’t teach these programs, is that they erode the good and wise professional boundaries between students and teachers. These lesson plans don’t simply define a few different types of sexuality and encourage tolerance over moral disagreements. They literally require teachers to run whole class discussions about erotic sexuality, they provide resources to use which teach about specific sexual practices such anal sex, analingus, threesomes, cunnilingus, masturbation techniques and dildos. And gone are the severe warnings against STIs- replaced instead, with encouragement to “just get regular testing”. We are required to run role plays where children imagine themselves as sexually active, sexually promiscuous, sexually attracted to the same or both genders and talk about how it made them feel. We have never before gone into that much detail about heterosexual sex- only what was required to understand conception, and how to prevent conception and STIs. In the past, if a teacher overstepped a boundary in this area, they would be rightly reprimanded for abusing their position of authority. Actually giving legitimacy to this type of discussion between teachers and students gives legal cover to those few teachers with ill intent toward the children in their care. Furthermore, it will confuse children into to thinking that it is a perfectly normal thing for adults to want to know all about and graphically discuss their private, intimate sexual development. Now, when a student is made to feels uncomfortable, what right do they have to say it was sexual harassment? They won’t have that right and they will be left even more vulnerable to actual predators, inside and outside of school."
Also this bit stood out, which was towards the end.
"I also don’t believe that it is right, nor the best we can do to allow anyone to use the bathroom of their self-identified gender. And hiding this new policy, which is already in place in schools- from parents- is just a terrible precedent. Again, without a medical diagnosis, or full physical transition, or change of clothes, name or mannerisms- a male student or teacher has the right to enter female bathrooms and change rooms at will, simply by declaring themselves female. Need I say it again, the scope for abuse is enormous. It might be theoretical to you if you have no children and are not a teacher. But for me it’s a genuine dilemma, because in the worst case possibility, I will be the one, during the swimming carnival, who will be faced with 22 sets of imploring, teary eyes as my female students, beg me not to let someone whom they genuinely believe to be a ‘man’- possibly a disingenuous man using this loophole, to come into their change-room- what would you do?"
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156772299343488&set=a.10150353529713488&type=3