That slippery sex ed slope
Bookworm on Sep 16 2008 at 8:38 am | Filed under: Barack Obama, Education, England
Last year, my daughter had her first exposure to sex ed, and I have to say I thought the school district approached it perfectly, focusing on the biology of sex. About half the kids in the class were just hitting puberty, and they had lots of questions, which the course answered with sensible science. At a meeting for parents before the course started, we learned that the class would be abstinence only, and that all values questions would be politely referred back to the parents. Listening to my daughter over the next two weeks, I learned that the school kept its promise about teaching basic human physiology, with an emphasis on abstinence.
I mention all this because John McCain’s campaign took a lot of heat in the last few days for allegedly lying about Obama’s sex ed legislation in Illinois. McCain’s ad noted that the legislation required heavy-duty sex ed in Kindergarten. As Byron York points out, this is absolutely true.
While Obama may now be blathering on about appropriate and inappropriate touching, the bill’s language makes entirely clear that even 5 year olds would be required to have comprehensive lessons in sexually transmitted diseases — lessons that can’t happen unless the 5 year olds are also taught a whole lot about sex. I suspect that, when legislative theory was put into educational practice, wiser heads ensured that the 5 year olds didn’t get any of these lessons, but that’s not the point. The point is that Obama had no problem signing off on legislation that, if read as written, would mandate such lessons.
Although I get squeamish reading about what Obama was willing (either intentionally or carelessly and stupidly) to inflict on Illinois’ 5 year olds, it could have been worse, a lot worse. In England, where common sense, human decency and childhood are vanishing concepts, a high powered “think tank” came up with a somewhat different curriculum for 5 year olds, and tried to sneak it into the schools:
Children as young as five should be taught to understand the pleasures of gay sex, according to leaders of a taxpayer-funded education project.
Heads of the project have set themselves a goal of ‘creating primary classrooms where queer sexualities are affirmed and celebrated’.
The ambition was revealed in documents prepared for the No Outsiders project run by researchers from universities and backed with £600,000 of public money provided by the Economic and Social Research Council.
The stated purpose of the project – which is operating in 14 primary schools – is to stop bullying and prejudice aimed at homosexuals.
However, at a seminar at Exeter University tomorrow, supporters of the group will go beyond the anti-bullying agenda and discuss ‘pleasure and desire in educational contexts’.
A document prepared for the seminar and couched in convoluted academic jargon says: ‘The team is concerned to interrogate the desexualisation of children’s bodies, the negation of pleasure and desire in educational contexts, and the tendency to shy away from discussion of (sexual) bodily activity in No Outsiders project work.
‘The danger of accusations of the corruption of innocent children has led team members to make repeated claims that this project is not about sex or desire – and that it is therefore not about bodies.
‘Yet, at a very significant level, that is exactly what it is about and to deny this may have significant negative implications for children and young people.’
You can read more about the proposed curriculum here.
Related posts:
- Children as the slippery slope in the immigration debate
- The slippery slope or true democracy
- Sliding down the slippery slope
Email This Post To A Friend
4 Responses to “That slippery sex ed slope”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The guidelines for Level One sex education (Level One is: Kindergarten to 3rd Grade) are the following:
- Both Boys And Girls Have Body Parts That Feel Good When Touched
- A Boy/Man Has Nipples, A Penis, A Scrotum, And Testicles.
- A Girl/Woman Has Breasts, Nipples, A Vulva, A Clitoris, A Vagina, A Uterus, And Ovaries.
- Touching And Rubbing One’s Own Genitals To Feel Good Is Called Masturbation.
- Some Boys And Girls Masturbate And Others Do Not.
- Masturbation Should Be Done In A Private Place.
- Vaginal Intercourse – When A Penis Is Placed Inside A Vagina – Is The Most Common Way For A Sperm And Egg To Join
- Some People Are Homosexual, Which Means They Can Be Attracted To And Fall In Love With Someone Of The Same Gender
- Two People Of The Same Gender Can Live In Loving, Lifetime Committed Relationships.
- Homosexual Men And Women Are Also Known As Gay Men And Lesbians.
- Making Fun Of People By Calling Them Gay … Is Disrespectful And Hurtful.
If there is to be no distinction between Kindergarten and 3rd Grade – because these are all called Level One grades and these are the Level One topics – then how can Barack Obama state that he does not advocate teaching Sex Ed in Kindergarten? I believe that these guidelines are included in the legislation as the recommended approach. Barack Obama voted for this.
My brother has a precocious young son who was entirely capable, when he was in first grade, of being the subject of my proposed campaign commercial:
[White On Black: Barack Obama voted for the bill that will teach K-3rd grade sex education. Including...]
[Fade Into Scene: Kitchen with door, windows, table. Mom is at sink. Shadow outside is seen climbing steps and approaching door, which wildly swings open against wall. Young kid with schoolbooks enters and drops em on the table.]
Boy: “Hi Mom!”
Mom: “Hi! How was your day?”
Boy: “Great!”
Mom: “Well, that sounds fantastic. Are you hungry? I have oatmeal cookies.”
Boy: “No thanks. I’m gonna go to my bedroom now and masturbate.”
Mom: “What?!?!”
Boy: “Mrs. Johnson said that touching myself will feel really good, and it’s called masturbation, but that I should do it in private. So I’m gonna go to my bedroom now.”
Mom: “Oh my goodness.”
Boy: “Mrs. Johnson said it’s all perfectly fine.” He leaves the room quickly.
[Mom stands there with her mouth gaping wide open. As scene fades to black with words that state: "Barack Obama: Sex Education For Your Children", we hear]
Mom, VERY loudly: “Get back here right now, young man! We have a few things to discuss!”
My prior post contained a listing of some of the SIECUS guidelines for sex education for Kindergarten (actually Level One Guidelines, listed as relevant for Kindergarten to 3rd Grade, though they make no distinction among the 4 grades).
I can actually find only one link between Obama and SIECUS, and I’ve spent an hour looking. His campaign spokesman sent a message to MSNBC, as reported on that channel’s First Read, pointing to Oregon’s state sex ed program, and to the fact that SIECUS had a sex education program relevant for Kindergardeners.
But I see no sign that Obama has either agreed with nor disagreed with the (monstrous!) SIECUS guidelines for what Kindergarteners should be taught. Nor can I find any proof that Illinois Senate Bill 99, which Obama voted for but which was defeated, ever referenced the (sick!) SIECUS guidelines as what would be appropriate for Kindergarteners.
All I can say is, I certainly hope that SIECUS does not receive any taxpayer funding. Please tell me they don’t!!!
What is true is that the Illinois Senate Bill 99 explicitly changed the fact that sex education was to be mandated for grades 6-12, and changed it to K-12. It suggested that any such instruction be “age appropriate”. The concept of what is age appropriate is not spelled out.
So McCain was correct, wasn’t he? He wasn’t lying, was he? I fail to see any reason for the mainstream media’s hysteria over McCain’s deception and lying on this ad. The ad _might_ be somewhat deceptive in the broadness of its claim, but why the HYSTERIA among our wonderful mainstream deceivers, oops, I meant to say, media?
Since the Obama campaign spokesman himself _explicitly_ cited the (horrifying!) SIECUS guidelines, in support of Obama’s stand on sex education, and since Obama has never come out against anything in the (outrageous!) SIECUS guidelines, isn’t it reasonable to wonder what Obama’s position is on SIECUS?
Here’s a link to the (perverted!) SIECUS document. Search the document for all references to “Level 1″ or “Level One”, and you will see what they suggest for Kindergarten – 3rd Grade.
http://www.siecus.org/_data/global/images/guidelines.pdf
(I’d save a copy as a PDF if I were you, just in case. Other link locations to that pdf have become unreachable now, and that _data location looks mighty fragile to me.)
After you’ve read all the Level One stuff, it’s useful to ponder the concept of how many of those topics are actually being taught to five year olds! What a sick outrage!
And then you will note that any discussion of Abstinence doesn’t begin until Level 2. Isn’t that a howler?! When you consider the detail involved in many of the sex-based level one topics!
I suppose if you were in a forgiving mood, you might think these topics are merely ideas and give them the benefit of the doubt: “They weren’t really serious; they couldn’t have been serious! These are just potential concepts for discussion and only for the more advanced student!” Well, toward the bottom of this SIECUS document you will find the following:
The task force designed the Guidelines to include all of the concepts and topics that young people need to learn in order to become sexually healthy adults. Ideally, all sexuality education programs would cover all of the concepts, topics, and developmental messages included in the Guidelines.
The above paragraph is in the section called “Prioritizing the Topics”, for those educators and administrators who are so unfortunate as to be in the position that, as they put it:
SIECUS realizes, however, that due to constraints on time, staff, and other resources, many programs will not be able to tackle every topic in the Guidelines.
For such educators and administrators that eliminate the most grotesque of SIECUS’ guidelines, those constraints on time, staff, etc, might very well be considered a wonderful godsend, I think.
Finally, the following indicates that, for SIECUS, it is the responsibility of the educator to fill in even more information, not to leave anything out. (I mangled some names so as not to be caught by comment moderation).
While the Guidelines contain the key concepts, topics, and messages for a comprehensive program, they are not a curriculum; therefore, specific information is often left out. For example, the Guidelines suggest that students in early elementary school learn that “Each body part has a correct name and a specific function,” and that “A girl/woman has br..sts, ni,,les, a v.lva, a cl.t.ris, a v.g.na, a ut.rus, and .var.es.” They do not, however, explain the specific function of each of these parts to students or educators. It is the responsibility of educators to fill in this information when necessary.
So, Barack, what *is* your position on SIECUS? Your campaign manager thinks that you think that it is perfectly fine. What do you think???
The prior post I mentioned disappeared on submission or is held for moderation due to referencing specific body organs. Not sure, but in it I said Illinois Senate Bill 99 referenced the SIECUS document. In fact it did not.
These are some of the items to be discussed in the SIECUS guidelines Mike Devx linked to.
Level 1 Topics 1-6
• Both boys and girls have body parts that feel good when touched.
• Human beings can love people of the same gender and people of another gender.
• Family members show love for each other.
• A person can have different types of friends.
• Friends spend time together and get to know each other.
• Friends can be male and female.
• Friends can be younger and older.
• Love means having deep and warm feelings about oneself and others.
• People can experience different types of love.
• Children learn most of their values from parents, other family members, community, cultural and religious teachings, and their peers.
• Children need help from adults to make some decisions.
• Everyone, including children, has rights.
• Telling trusted people about one’s feeling and needs is acceptable.
• Children sometimes have to do things they do not want to do because their parents or other adults say so.
• Negotiation requires give and take on the part of all people involved.
• If parents cannot help, one can ask another family member, a teacher, religious leader, guidance counselor, a friend’s parent, or another trusted adult.
• Bodies can feel good when touched.
• Touching and rubbing one’s own genitals to feel good is called masturbation.
• Some boys and girls masturbate and others do not.
• Masturbation should be done in a private place.
• People often kiss, hug, touch, and engage in other sexual behaviors with one another to show caring and to feel good.
• Both girls and boys may discover that their bodies feel good when touched.
• Like other body parts, the genitals need care.
Level 1 Topic 7
• One’s body belongs to oneself.
• There are parts of one’s body that are considered to be private, including one’s mouth, nipples, breasts, chest, penis, scrotum, vagina, vulva, and buttocks.
• No one should touch the private parts of a child’s body except for health reasons or to clean them.
• Children should not touch the private parts of other people’s bodies.
• Child sexual abuse is when someone touches the private parts of a child’s body without a health or hygiene reason.
• Sexual abuse can also occur when someone asks a child to touch the private parts of his/her body.
• Both boys/men and girls/women can be sexually abused.
• Everyone, including children, has the right to tell others not to touch their body when they do not want to be touched.
• If a child experiences unwanted or uncomfortable touching, he/she should tell a trusted adult, even if he/she was told to keep it a secret.
• Children can be sexually abused by a stranger or by someone they know.
• A child is never at fault if a person – even a family member – touches him/her in a way that is wrong or uncomfortable.
• If a stranger tries to get a child to go with him/her, the child should run and tell a parent, teacher, neighbor, or other adult.
• Most people would never abuse children.
Am I just projecting, or could these guidelines do as much to confuse children ages 5-8 as help them?
I copied all of the points in Topic 7, but not all of the points in Topics 1-6, just the ones that could lead to confusion on who is a trusted adult, and should the opinion of a trusted adult have more influence than others.