New school year, new challenges and questions. For parents and students alike.
In Ontario, the Fraud government is trying to axe the "new" sex ed curriculum and is running into more trouble than it expected.
In Calgary, the school board has severed ties with a fake clinic that taught sex ed in PUBLIC schools.
A couple of other school boards in Alberta have done the same. @ABProchoice tweeted a thread of other anti-choice organizations that offer sex ed. I used Threadreader (very easy, even for TechnoDork) to compile the info more permanently.
The information comes from Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada's study of Fake Clinics' (aka Crisis Pregnancy Centres) websites updated. (The study was in 2016.)
I plan to get to work on compiling similar info for the rest of Canada, but if any reader knows of anti-choice groups teaching sex ed in a public school board or school, please let us know.
Showing posts with label sex ed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex ed. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 September 2018
Monday, 2 March 2015
Of Sex Ed and Dickheads... (updated)
On Monday the Ontario government released its comprehensive Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades 1 through 12, which includes a component on human sexuality.
Some people got sidetracked. This woman opined that her own children are too clever or savvy for the topics addressed. Though Soupcoff is a parent and a non-practicing lawyer, she lacks pedagogical training as well as an understanding of cognitive development-appropriate teaching methods. She also forgets there ARE adults who flail, fail and suffer from a dearth of basic life skills and knowledge.
Nadine Thornhill read it ALL. And she shared her observations, too.
Our friend Rick at Queer Thoughts also blogged about the new curriculum.
Premier Wynne was subjected to implicit homophobic baiting in the legislature; this is how she responded:
Bravo Kathleen, you go grrrl! we say.
On Tuesday a protest against the curriculum was held at Queen's Park, attended by upset parents, religious extremists and an assortment of right-wing nut-job misogynists, homophobes and bigots. 1800 people were expected. Less than 200 showed up, though the exact number was disputed. My co-blogger wondered if hundreds of school kids would get bused in, as the Catholics do for the annual March for Lies. They were not.
Speakers demanded that media not portray them as fringe religious zealots, and blamed the media for putting pressure on the government to update the curriculum (last version was 1998, way before mobile devices were available to children).
Sadly, this is how some protesters expressed their concerns:
and:
Oh, remember (ex)Trustee Sam? His pathetic, delusional rantings have become testerical.
He appears oblivious to documented facts about pedophilia; namely that 68% of cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by family members. The curriculum will provide kids with information about being respected and heard - a big part of consent - and what to do if adults transgress their personal boundaries. Now why would that make Sam anxious?
Here is Nadine Thornhill again, this time providing parents with ways for broaching the issue of consent with their children. Her website is an amazing resource for parents who want to address the topics covered by the Ontario curriculum with their children, in advance of its September 2015 implementation.
And not unconnected to our provincial brouhaha, this happened in the Excited States:
Whoa! Does someone lacks basic knowledge of human physiology? Did Republican politician Vito Barbieri attend creationist abstinence anti-sex ed summer camp? Which led someone to wonder:
As it turns out, Barbieri was only using tactical trickery, adding to the treasure trove of dumb metaphors and analogies (whoops! I said anal) that anti-abortion crusaders deploy: parrots in cages, kidneys, balloons and many many others, as catalogued here by fern hill.
THIS by the way, is a very, very good analogy. These two sketch the epidemiological effect of anti-sex Ed parents and their children on other families. This one is another take on the harmful consequences of anti-sex Ed, like anti-vaccination believers.
The last word on Sex Ed (Ed suggestive of Edwardian) belongs to Sir Francis:
UPDATE: Harper Cons are pushing all the hot-button issues for their fundraising and 2015 elections campaigning efforts. A CPC MP has added her bigoted 2¢ from the same anti-sex-education choir songs that *trustee* Sam and provincial RWNJ Cons are shrieeeking. Cheryl Gallant parroted its bizarre obfuscations in the House of Commons.
This is how the Reformatories show their contempt for Parliament: by using it as their sewage dump for the lies and delusional speaking points cranked out by the Politburo/PMO.
Gallant is no newcomer to anti-choice controversy; 11 years ago at the annual March for Lies she said this. Dean Del Mastro has also jumped on the anti-sex-ed bandwagon but news coverage for his grandiose gesture - signing Levant's petition - is curiously devoid of content, unlike the volumes posted about his criminal trial.
The last word of this update belongs to Ariel Troster and her inspired take on *concerned parents* privilege:
"[..]whether I like it or not, being a parent lends me some sort of credibility and authority to speak on issues that are relevant to children. And it gives me an opportunity to disrupt the bigots who use ridiculous “think of the children” logic to deny people’s human rights and promote discrimination.
The notion that children need to be protected from queer and trans people is an old trope. In the 1970s, Anita Bryant based an entire “Save Our Children” campaign on the idea that gay people could be hiding in schools and corrupting innocent kids. She played on the false association between homosexuality and pedophilia and built a national campaign against gay rights in the U.S. based on it. While this seems like a total anachronism to many of us today, this same vein of manipulation is still alive and well."
Some people got sidetracked. This woman opined that her own children are too clever or savvy for the topics addressed. Though Soupcoff is a parent and a non-practicing lawyer, she lacks pedagogical training as well as an understanding of cognitive development-appropriate teaching methods. She also forgets there ARE adults who flail, fail and suffer from a dearth of basic life skills and knowledge.
Nadine Thornhill read it ALL. And she shared her observations, too.
Our friend Rick at Queer Thoughts also blogged about the new curriculum.
Premier Wynne was subjected to implicit homophobic baiting in the legislature; this is how she responded:
Speakers demanded that media not portray them as fringe religious zealots, and blamed the media for putting pressure on the government to update the curriculum (last version was 1998, way before mobile devices were available to children).
Sadly, this is how some protesters expressed their concerns:
Oh, remember (ex)Trustee Sam? His pathetic, delusional rantings have become testerical.
He appears oblivious to documented facts about pedophilia; namely that 68% of cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by family members. The curriculum will provide kids with information about being respected and heard - a big part of consent - and what to do if adults transgress their personal boundaries. Now why would that make Sam anxious?
Here is Nadine Thornhill again, this time providing parents with ways for broaching the issue of consent with their children. Her website is an amazing resource for parents who want to address the topics covered by the Ontario curriculum with their children, in advance of its September 2015 implementation.
And not unconnected to our provincial brouhaha, this happened in the Excited States:
Whoa! Does someone lacks basic knowledge of human physiology? Did Republican politician Vito Barbieri attend creationist abstinence anti-sex ed summer camp? Which led someone to wonder:
As it turns out, Barbieri was only using tactical trickery, adding to the treasure trove of dumb metaphors and analogies (whoops! I said anal) that anti-abortion crusaders deploy: parrots in cages, kidneys, balloons and many many others, as catalogued here by fern hill.
"I was being rhetorical, because I was trying to make the point that equalizing a colonoscopy to this particular procedure was apples and oranges," he said. "So I was asking a rhetorical question that was designed to make her say that they weren't the same thing, and she did so. It was the response I wanted."oookay.
THIS by the way, is a very, very good analogy. These two sketch the epidemiological effect of anti-sex Ed parents and their children on other families. This one is another take on the harmful consequences of anti-sex Ed, like anti-vaccination believers.
The last word on Sex Ed (Ed suggestive of Edwardian) belongs to Sir Francis:
UPDATE: Harper Cons are pushing all the hot-button issues for their fundraising and 2015 elections campaigning efforts. A CPC MP has added her bigoted 2¢ from the same anti-sex-education choir songs that *trustee* Sam and provincial RWNJ Cons are shrieeeking. Cheryl Gallant parroted its bizarre obfuscations in the House of Commons.
This is how the Reformatories show their contempt for Parliament: by using it as their sewage dump for the lies and delusional speaking points cranked out by the Politburo/PMO.
Gallant is no newcomer to anti-choice controversy; 11 years ago at the annual March for Lies she said this. Dean Del Mastro has also jumped on the anti-sex-ed bandwagon but news coverage for his grandiose gesture - signing Levant's petition - is curiously devoid of content, unlike the volumes posted about his criminal trial.
The last word of this update belongs to Ariel Troster and her inspired take on *concerned parents* privilege:
"[..]whether I like it or not, being a parent lends me some sort of credibility and authority to speak on issues that are relevant to children. And it gives me an opportunity to disrupt the bigots who use ridiculous “think of the children” logic to deny people’s human rights and promote discrimination.
The notion that children need to be protected from queer and trans people is an old trope. In the 1970s, Anita Bryant based an entire “Save Our Children” campaign on the idea that gay people could be hiding in schools and corrupting innocent kids. She played on the false association between homosexuality and pedophilia and built a national campaign against gay rights in the U.S. based on it. While this seems like a total anachronism to many of us today, this same vein of manipulation is still alive and well."
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Turnabout: WE Have Conscience Issues Too
This is good.
And it should start a trend.
A similar objection to sex-ed taught by religious nutbars, who, by the way, run fake abortion clinics in the schools' neighbourhoods, was based on the lies and distortions typically offered in such courses.
Why bother with facts and science and tolerance? Let's just cut to the chase and use their tactics against them.
In other words, you have fucking conscience issues, nutbars? So do we.
Take your Christian Sharia crap and stuff it.
UPDATE: CBC interview at 7:00 mark here.
UPPITY-DATE: Victory! Edmonton School Board will look for other providers. Squeaky wheel wins!
UPPITY-DATE 3: Power and Politics panel (50:43 mark) destroys any semblance of justification for religion in publicly funded schools.
An Edmonton teenager and her mother have successfully filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission, alleging the Edmonton Public School District’s use of a Christian fundamentalist abstinence education program infringed upon their rights as non-Christians.
And it should start a trend.
@fernhilldammit @Auragasmic @01CindyLee @blueskies366 "...infringed upon their rights as non-Christians." WHY HAVEN'T MORE PEOPLE SAID THIS?
— MsBlack (@InternetPerson6) July 10, 2014A similar objection to sex-ed taught by religious nutbars, who, by the way, run fake abortion clinics in the schools' neighbourhoods, was based on the lies and distortions typically offered in such courses.
Why bother with facts and science and tolerance? Let's just cut to the chase and use their tactics against them.
In other words, you have fucking conscience issues, nutbars? So do we.
Take your Christian Sharia crap and stuff it.
UPDATE: CBC interview at 7:00 mark here.
UPPITY-DATE: Victory! Edmonton School Board will look for other providers. Squeaky wheel wins!
UPPITY-DATE 3: Power and Politics panel (50:43 mark) destroys any semblance of justification for religion in publicly funded schools.
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Ignorance is not bliss
The ChristoFascists are creaming themselves. Losing almost everywhere in the culture wars, they won a (temporary, it is to be hoped) victory over Ontario's proposed new sex ed curriculum.
And look who's taking credit.
Let's find out about this 'too much information at too young an age', shall we?
Seems pretty reasonable and age-appropriate to me and to most of the commenters at that CTV link, but here are a couple of dissenters:
So what is the right age?
Age ten is okey-dokey with the Catlick Church for giving birth, but not for learning about how that happened?
And who should teach the birds and bees if not the evul sochialist school system?
Your church?
Or maybe your rapist stepfather?
Somebody better figure this out and quickly. Precocious puberty is on the rise.
And it has serious consequences, in terms of both physical and emotional health.
The causes for precocious puberty in general and its current increase are far from clear but here's a strong contender:
Early puberty can be difficult for boys as well, but male children do not get pregnant. Of the documented earliest births in that list, nearly all of them -- unsurprisingly -- are due to rape, often by a family member. Many of them were complete surprises to the parents who had no idea their daughters were ovulating.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to inform all children about what will happen to their bodies before it start to happen? So that maybe the kid herself can let her clueless parents know?
Just askin'.
UPDATED: via Blob Blogging Wingnut (to whom we do not link because of her puerile habit of redirecting links to fetal pr0n sites), this from LieShite: twenty years later, a 12-year-old (at the time) rape victim -- from Mexico, are ya getting this? -- says it's all groovy to bear the fruit of the crime.
Children forced to give birth -- groovy. Children being fucked by Catlick priest -- equally groovy.
And look who's taking credit.
McVety successfully framed the issue as whether this was too much information at too young an age, as opposed to other narratives like promoting healthy sexuality, counteracting schoolyard misinformation, preventing teen pregnancy and STDs, etc.
Let's find out about this 'too much information at too young an age', shall we?
* Grade 1 students will be taught the correct names of genitalia, such as penis and vagina, as they learn the names of other body parts. Kids will also learn personal hygiene, such as washing their hands with soap and water long enough to say the alphabet.
* Grade 2 students will be taught the basic stages of human development, and how the body changes over time.
* Grade 3 students learn about healthy relationships ("e.g., accepting differences, being inclusive ... showing mutual respect and caring"), as well as the difference between visible and invisible differences (e.g. gender identity and sexual orientation)
* Grade 4 students learn about how the human body changes at puberty
* Grade 5 students will be taught to identify parts of the reproductive system and learn more how the human body changes during puberty (e.g. menstruation) and the emotional stresses of that time
* Grade 6 student learn about the development of self-concept and the changes that come during adolescence, along with what constitutes healthy relationships
* Grades 7 and 8 students will be taught about oral sex, how to delay sexual activity, and to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Seems pretty reasonable and age-appropriate to me and to most of the commenters at that CTV link, but here are a couple of dissenters:
Kelty in Ottawa
While I believe there needs to be a certain level of education in school, I don't want my 11 and 12 year learning about oral and anal sex at school.
Marina
I have read the new curriculum and I do not think it is appropriate to expose children of 11 to the concept of oral and anal sex. Scrap this curriculum, it is garbage.
So what is the right age?
Age ten is okey-dokey with the Catlick Church for giving birth, but not for learning about how that happened?
And who should teach the birds and bees if not the evul sochialist school system?
Your church?
Or maybe your rapist stepfather?
Somebody better figure this out and quickly. Precocious puberty is on the rise.
A common definition for medical purposes is onset before 8 years in girls or 9 years in boys. As most children with precocious puberty have no disease, all of these definitions are somewhat arbitrary and based on social values.
And it has serious consequences, in terms of both physical and emotional health.
Earlier puberty is believed to put girls at higher risk of sexual abuse, teasing or bullying, mental health disorders and short stature as adults. Helping children control their weight is suggested to help delay puberty. Early puberty additionally puts girls at a "far greater" risk for breast cancer later in life. Girls as young as 8 are increasingly starting to menstruate, develop breasts and grow pubic and underarm hair; these "biological milestones" only typically occurred at 13 or older decades ago. African American girls are especially prone to early puberty. There are theories debating the trend of early puberty, but the exact causes are not known. "This is a review of what we know; it's absolutely superb," said Dr. Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch, an oncologist and director of the California Breast Cancer Research Program in Oakland, which directs tobacco tax proceeds to research projects. "The data indicates that if you get your first period before age 12, your risk of breast cancer is 50 percent higher than if you get it at age 16," said the report's author, biologist Sandra Steingraber, herself a cancer survivor. "For every year we could delay a girl's first menstrual period, we could prevent thousands of breast cancers."
The causes for precocious puberty in general and its current increase are far from clear but here's a strong contender:
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in hard plastics, and is frequently used to make baby bottles, water bottles, sports equipment, and medical devices. It is also in an epoxy used as a coating in almost all food and beverage cans in most countries. Scientists are concerned about BPA's behavioral effects on fetuses, infants, and children at current exposure levels because it can affect the prostate gland or mammary gland, and lead to early puberty in girls, and possibly cancer later in life. BPA mimics and interferes with the action of estrogen, which is an important reproduction and development regulator. It leaches out of plastic into liquids and foods.
Early puberty can be difficult for boys as well, but male children do not get pregnant. Of the documented earliest births in that list, nearly all of them -- unsurprisingly -- are due to rape, often by a family member. Many of them were complete surprises to the parents who had no idea their daughters were ovulating.
Wouldn't it be a good idea to inform all children about what will happen to their bodies before it start to happen? So that maybe the kid herself can let her clueless parents know?
Just askin'.
UPDATED: via Blob Blogging Wingnut (to whom we do not link because of her puerile habit of redirecting links to fetal pr0n sites), this from LieShite: twenty years later, a 12-year-old (at the time) rape victim -- from Mexico, are ya getting this? -- says it's all groovy to bear the fruit of the crime.
Children forced to give birth -- groovy. Children being fucked by Catlick priest -- equally groovy.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Abstinence Axed!
Yay! More evidence of a return to sanity in the Excited States. President Obama will eliminate funding for that 'boondoggle of historic proportions', aka abstinence-only sex ed.
His budget for 2010 will provide at least $164 million for science- and evidence-based sex ed and will ax the $160 million wasted per year on faith-based -- as in 'cross-your-fingers and pray' -- sex ed. He had already cut abstinence-only funding by $56 million and now ALL federal funding will be kaput.
LifeShite quotes Leslee Unruh, president of Abstinence Clearinghouse, a gang of fraudsters who promote this claptrap.
Huh? Heat? Light? Army? Enemy?
What's going on here?
Oh. Right. Munnee.
There's a blog attached to the Abstinence Clearinghouse site. It SHRIEEEKS: You're Gonna Lose Your Job!!!!
If I were an American parent, I'd be doing handsprings and cartwheels knowing these lying, ignorant fundy jerks were no longer allowed to tell my children anything, let alone how to conduct their private lives.
His budget for 2010 will provide at least $164 million for science- and evidence-based sex ed and will ax the $160 million wasted per year on faith-based -- as in 'cross-your-fingers and pray' -- sex ed. He had already cut abstinence-only funding by $56 million and now ALL federal funding will be kaput.
LifeShite quotes Leslee Unruh, president of Abstinence Clearinghouse, a gang of fraudsters who promote this claptrap.
"I believe there will be a political backlash for those who oppose these life saving abstinence programs. The enemies of sexual integrity programs will feel the heat from the army of youth who have seen the light through these programs as they approach voting age," she added.
Huh? Heat? Light? Army? Enemy?
What's going on here?
Oh. Right. Munnee.
There's a blog attached to the Abstinence Clearinghouse site. It SHRIEEEKS: You're Gonna Lose Your Job!!!!
And how is this stimulating the economy by putting thousands of people who work for Title V and CBAE programs out of work? Life is easy when it’s other people’s money you’re spending - and it’s fun until it’s gone. What do they call that again?
Oh yeah…socialism.
If I were an American parent, I'd be doing handsprings and cartwheels knowing these lying, ignorant fundy jerks were no longer allowed to tell my children anything, let alone how to conduct their private lives.
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