By Evelyn Hitt
Even if you were lucky enough to go to a school that offered comprehensive sex
education as opposed to an abstinence only platform, you probably never heard about anything other than heterosexual sex. Most likely you were taught that sex is between two consenting adults (one male and one female) who were married or at least in a monogamous relationship. But what about all the people who have sex who don’t fit into those neat definitions of sexuality? What about students who identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer/questioning? Even further, what if you are a student who doesn’t conform to the gender binary? In the current American curriculum, if you fall into one of the categories I mentioned, you are denied a legitimate sexual identity.
Let’s start with a quick definition of heteronormativity. According to Merriam-Wesbster,
heteronormative means something “of, relating to, or based on the attitude that heterosexuality is the only normal and natural expression of sexuality.” Schools today perpetuate heteronormativity through sexual education that solely concentrates on heterosexual sex without considering the sexual practices of anyone else along the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Here you might pause and protest that none of your instructors ever directly told you that heterosexuality was the only normal kind of sexual expression; perhaps that is the case. However, by omitting the discussion of the sexual practices and possible protective measures of sex outside of the traditional male-female relationship, schools enforce heteronormativity with deleterious results for LGBTQ+ youth.
Without sexual education students who identity as LGBTQ+ are taught that their sexual
practices are alien and illegitimate. The effects of heteronormative sex education include feelings of exclusion, increased stigma and prejudice at LGBTQ+ students, a denial of the existence of transgender individuals, and a lack of accurate information that can lead to adverse health outcomes for students who engage in sexual behavior outside of the planned curriculum. Though the emotional stress and social anxiety that this lack of sexual education causes is nothing to be scoffed at, more frightening still is the fact that many students don’t receive the sex education they need to prevent them from contracting Sexually Transmitted Infections and other venereal diseases. Studies have shown that youth use condoms more infrequently when they are
depressed or anxious. Thus, LGBTQ+ students who may be targeted by their peers and thus moreprone to depression in a non-inclusive environment are more likely to develop an STI. A study completed by the Williams Institute found that an estimated 3.5% of all adults
identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual with an additional 0.3% of adults identifying as transgender. As we continue to fail LGBTQ+ students by refusing to acknowledge and validate their sexuality, as a society we run the risk of perpetuating stigma and alienating our youth subjecting them to violence and exclusion by their peers. It’s clear that something must be done without delay to modify high school curricula to break free of heteronormative standards to protect our population and empower them in their sexuality.
Where can we turn? Maybe we should look to our neighbors to the north because the
Canadian curriculum introduces youth to homosexual couples in Grade 3 and gender identity in Grade 9. The opposition may be strong as conservative groups from all denominations could come together to prevent an education which they suggest is too sex positive. But I believe there is an equally large group of parents, students, and activists who will demand that youth are taught to respect and take care of their bodies and each other safely no matter what their sexual identity may be. Curriculum changes take time and are inherently political and emotional. In the meantime, you can work on stimulating conversation about the issue of heteronormative sexual education and promoting the use of language that isn’t alienating for LGBTQ+ individuals. For
example, don’t assume that everyone fits neatly on a gender binary so consider asking a person their preferred gender pronouns when you meet them. If you have kids, raise them in an environment that encourages them to be open-minded, critical thinkers with the understanding that not everyone is going to want to get down with people of the opposite gender—and that’s just fine by you.
Works Consulted:
Boskey, Elizabeth. “Heternormative” January 3, 2016. Accessed February 24, 2016. http://std.about.com/od/glossary/g/Heteronormative.htm
Gates, Gary J. “How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender?” The Williams Institute. April 2011. Accessed February 24, 2016. http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf
Hune-Brown, Nicholas. “The Sex Ed Revolution: A Portrait of the Powerful Political Bloc that’s Waging War on Queen’s Park.” Toronto Life, September 3, 2015. Accessed February 25, 2016. http://torontolife.com/city/ontario-sex-ed-revolution/
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. “heteronormative”. Accessed February 25, 2016. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heteronormative
Smith, Cara. “Texas sex education leaves LGBT students in the dark” The Cougar, October 8, 2014. Accessed February 25, 2016. http://thedailycougar.com/2014/10/08/texas-sex-education-leaves-lgbt-students-dark/
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