A sampling of sexual education resources available in schools.
[Photo © Haley Ritchie]
By Haley Ritchie
The reformed version of Ontario’s 17-year-old sex education curriculum needs an update to more than just sexting or online porn, according to the province and sex educators. Instead, they say it needs a complete overhaul of how students are taught to say no (or yes).
Across Ontario, sexual assault is always in the news at universities and colleges. The premier is introducing a new sexual assault policy focused on campuses and “Consent is sexy” has been a popular campaign for a few years. Yet many sex educators think that if the first time students are hearing about consent is in university or college, it might be too little, too late.
Thanks to a push from two Grade 8 girls from Toronto and a lot of media attention, the new curriculum for kids as young as Grade 7 will include information about “consent culture.” At a younger level, students will learn in different ways about the importance of listening to “no.”
The We Give Consent campaign, launched by two 13-year olds earlier in the year, successfully lobbied the government to include both a “no means no” model and a “yes means yes” model.
The two students hope to change sexual assault rates by educating on the different ways people express consent. Their online petition received almost 50,000 signatures before getting the attention of the premier, who has confirmed that consent will be a central part of the new curriculum.
“The ‘no means no’ strategy has not, in terms of public awareness campaigns, translated into a shift in norms,” said Alex McKay, executive director of the Toronto-based Sex Information and Education Council of Canada. “The new approach is different because we’re bringing in the other half, ‘yes means yes’,”
Instead of waiting to hear a verbal no, the new strategy teaches people to check in with partners and read body language. It also clarifies that people cannot consent when they’re had a lot to drink or are passed out, even though they might not use the word “no.”
The subject of consent has been buzzing in the media since the Jian Ghomeshi scandal, according to both McKay and Erin Kelly from the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women.
“There’s a greater awareness that exists in Canadian society,” Kelly said. “People are really seeing and understanding how prevalent sexual violence is in our society. It’s not happening here and there; it’s actually widespread.”
Kelly notes that teaching younger children consent doesn’t require a summary of the Ghomeshi case or even sex talk at all. Instead, it’s all about respecting boundaries and “no” whatever the situation. This applies to dangerous situations, but also respecting “no” or “stop” during light-hearted activities like tickling.
“If a neighbour comes by and is very friendly with your child but your child is uncomfortable, don’t force them to hug every neighbour. It’s a minor thing, but it establishes a comfort with boundaries and teaches them to respect other peoples boundaries,” Kelly said.
Jack Fonseca disagrees, calling the issue of consent “a red herring” that distracts from other elements of the new curriculum, such as moving away from an abstinence-only model and including gays and lesbains and transgender identities.
“It’s a way for Kathleen Wynne to change the channel. I don’t think she gives a darn about consent,” said Fonseca, whose anti-abortion organization, the Ottawa-based Campaign for Life Coalition, is one of the few organizations that have fiercely opposed the new legislation.
“In itself it’s a concerning element for two reasons: it’s one thing to teach kids to say ‘Don’t touch me you pervert.’ We support that. It’s quite another to teach them ‘You have a right to consent to sexual activity,’” he said.
Forseca said that he believes parents, including himself, already have the tools to teach kids to say no. He insists the other half of the equation, the “yes means yes” is being hidden from parents and puts kids at risk.
The curriculum introduces consent in a sexual context in Grade 7, but the premier has said the “building blocks” of consent, including reading facial expressions and mutual consent, will be introduced earlier.
The last time the curriculum was updated was in 1998. Former premier Dalton McGuinty tried to introduce a revised version in 2010, but faced too much opposition from parents and conservative religious groups.
Premier Wynne is hoping to implement the finalized material in the fall.
Earlier this month Forum Research conducted a telephone survey that found 49 per cent of Ontarians support the new curriculum. Thirty-four per cent opposed the changes, while 17 per cent had no opinion.
Those who support it are hoping that talking about consent at a young age will bring down sexual assault rates, but Kelly admit there’s a long way to go.
“We believe in working on consent and healthy relationships from a young age,” she said. “We hope that it will have an impact, but it takes more than one organization to create change.”
