High schools should teach pupils about homosexual sex.
That’s the view of the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce’s (Sweat) psycho-social manager, Dr Gordon Isaacs .
Isaacs told the Cape Argus that far too little is being done to educate schoolchildren about other forms of sex that are prevalent in society, aside from the traditional “when a boy loves a girl” narrative that is taught across the country.
“It is a critical area that should not be ignored. It is linked to relationships, intimacy, desire and certainly linked to HIV,” Isaacs said. South Africa was the first African country and the fifth in the world to legalise gay marriage in 2006.
But nearly 10 years later, the national sex education curriculum still shies away from teaching pupils about homosexual intimacy.
According to the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the current Life Orientation curriculum deals with sex and sexuality at appropriate levels for different ages. From Grades R to 3, the focus is mainly on personal safety, while Grades 4 to 6 are taught respect for one’s own body and those of others, also covering puberty and HIV/Aids.
From Grades 7 to 9, the content becomes more personal, discussing feelings, community norms, values and social pressures associated with sexuality.
In Grade 7, pupils are taught sexuality education, while in Grade 9 pupils learn about sex education – which only covers heterosexual sex.
Source: IOL