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Should health classes incorporate a unit on sexuality/gender identity?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by FishMan27, Dec 10, 2012.

  1. FishMan27

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    I've often thought about this question. Health classes in high school teach us about mental, physical, and emotional health. Wouldn't it make sense to incorporate a lesson on sexuality/gender ID? It might also help clear up a lot of ignorance that seems to be rampant amongst teens.

    Thoughts?
     
  2. WilliamM

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    Yes health classes in school should teach this. Like you said it would clear up alot of ignorance. Plus it mite help some students that are questioning find out some helpfull info.
     
  3. Ticklish Fish

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    you mean health classes in HS are effective? lol.
    people still smoke pot/drink/have sex/other unhealthy things in HS...

    I for one, wasn't active lol
     
  4. jaysuss

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    I would like it if Utah would actually have a sex ed and a good one. They keep trying to vote and take it away and they don't talk about contraceptives. The state is controlled by the church so we don't learn anything at all in it if we have one anymore. They are to only talk about HIV and tell you to stay abstinent. Like fuck that give us a way to protect ourselves in case.
     
  5. FishMan27

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    Wow, that's stupid! Don't they know that teenagers get horny and rebellious? Perhaps they prefer turning a blind eye...because that always works...
     
  6. BradThePug

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    This sounds like Ohio. We talk about STD's and pregnancy. They tell the guys to wear condoms. They don't say anything else about them. They also stress abstinence a ton. We talked about birth control once. They were telling us how bad it is. They were also telling us how antibiotics make birth control ineffective.

    I think that eventually gender identity and sexuality should be taught in schools. I don't think that now is the right time though. We can barely have any sex ed in schools right now.
     
  7. ClassicRock

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    Okay, well I have two opinions on this. First it would be great to educate other people at a young age. But taught by the wrong people or heard by the wrong people, it could end up in a disaster. I'd rather let people know about my sexuality in a more casual setting.
     
  8. Pret Allez

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    Yes. Our school board tried to do this, but it was shot down, because queer-positive health education is "teaching our kids that homosexuality and gender confusion is okay."
     
  9. Gallatin

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    Yes, they should. As I recall, my high school health class (I believe it was styled "Lifestyle Management Strategies") actually did have a small section on sexual orientation, but nothing on gender identity, unfortunately. That was over six years ago, however, and perhaps things have improved in that regard since.
     
  10. Linthras

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    Yes they should.
    People should be aware of both contraception and different sexual and gender identities.
     
  11. Bree

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    I don't know the provincial policies, but my school taught birth control, STIs, and orientation quite thoroughly--with abstinence only mentioned as one of many forms of birth control. There was more emphasis on knowing when you are ready for sex and how to avoid being pressured.
    There was very little mention of gender identity, and transgender and transsexual were used interchangeably--very binary. Apparently they've gotten a bit better about it in the last year or so...probably partly because I told everyone in authority that they needed to do more, and partly because there is now a visible transwoman in the community so people remember to think about it.
     
  12. silkfrog1292

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    I wasn't taught about homosexuality in a formal school setting until i went to university lol
     
  13. Hexagon

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    I think stuff about homosexuality is a legal requirement here. Not that I'd know, because I haven't ever had a sex ed class...
     
  14. BoiGeorge

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    They need to incorporate this! It doesnt make sense not to!
     
  15. Luke Matt

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    Yes, definitely.
     
  16. Fiddledeedee

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    My health class does have sections on sexuality, and they're very informative. We were shown The Homophobia project, which helped me see gays as normal, to start with.
     
  17. GingerGuy

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    They definitely should, but please not the watered down and by the book type of sex Ed most schools have. Usually it's all about saying "use condoms", when they should be showing examples from people who were ruined by unwanted pregnancies or STDs. Our teachers should tell us about their own "first times", and also discuss that people are not the same and some will inevitably like the same gender or both. And all of this while showing movies and books. Perhaps it would put some sense in some teenagers, while also create an atmosphere that is welcoming to the LGBT ones.

    ---------- Post added 11th Dec 2012 at 07:52 AM ----------

    Curta - Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho - Subtitles: English French Spanish Turkish - YouTube

    Even though there's nothing sexual about it, this wonderful short film I have talked about so many times already should be shown in all sex Ed classes in all nations across the world, because the message it gives that "love is love and what any LGBT child experiences is the same as all the others do."
     
  18. Lewis

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    Yeah definitely. There's probably kids in those classes that would benefit so much from leaning about other sexual orientations - I mean no wonder we were confused growing up and no wonder kids grow up believing its wrong. We are only taught that men and women can love each other, which isn't true.
     
  19. aeva

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    Our sex ed was pretty good actually, but maybe that's because it was a well-funded public school in a liberal area of NY. The middle school health teacher was kind of a nut (she dressed up as the male and female reproductive systems), but the information was sound. It's been so long that it's tough to remember, but I'm pretty sure I recall some discussion of orientation and safe sex between same-sex couples in high school health. I don't really remember discussion of gender identity, but I could be mistaken. It's been 7 years!!

    I originally majored in human sexuality (as a branch of psychology) in college though, which was obviously much more geared towards orientation and gender identity.

    My general theory is that "the talk" should never be needed. If parents and educators can learn to treat genitalia, sex, sexuality and gender identity as perfectly natural facets of life and never shied away from as topics of discussion, then the children will grow up being comfortable with exploration and self-discovery, leading to increased knowledge and therefore safety. This is pretty much how I was raised. It was just me and my dad for many years, so I grew up being completely comfortable with human anatomy, as well as without the majority of gender stereotypes (he was mom AND dad, and encouraged my interest in male & female toys and activities). He and my step-mom were always incredibly open and honest about sex, and they have an astonishing number of LGBT friends who were a constant presence in my life. Like gender, sexuality was never something that needed to be 'discussed' because it wasn't even something that crossed my mind. All points on the spectrums were just normal to me. THAT is how it should be.
     
  20. prism

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    My "health" classes consisted of a week of receiving condoms and watching a video of a woman give birth. Maybe they said more, but no one was paying attention. As a fun fact, I also received my driver's license after watching the animated movie "Cars" and taking one road test.

    Honestly, it's high school. You can bring in a professional to teach a year-long course on sex, gender identity, sexuality, etc, but you'll never know what actually gets across.

    It's up to each parent to teach their children things that they feel are important.