Graphic sexual education flipbook angers B.C. mom
A Nanaimo mom is outraged by what she calls pornographic material being delivered to students in sexual education classes.
Cathy Sanders says her 13-year-old son, who is a Grade 8 student at Wellington Secondary School, came home with a flipbook called "Put on Something Sexy” that shows in graphic detail a woman putting a condom on an erect man and having sex with him.
"It upset him to the point where he didn't feel comfortable. He felt that it was wrong,” she said.
"I guess the idea is to teach them to have safe sex, but do we need to teach them how to have sex at 13?"
Sanders says the material and the course instruction comes from AIDS Vancouver Island.
School district spokesperson Donna Reimer says it's up to each school to review the material and decide who will teach it.
"This was a situation where not everything was approved ahead of time as it needed to be and normally would be,” she said. “We will make sure that doesn't happen again."
Reimer says the material, including a similar flipbook on oral sex were removed, but it will be up to the principal to decide whether AIDS Vancouver Island will deliver sex education instruction at Wellington Secondary School in the future.
But AIDS Vancouver Island executive director Katrina Jensen defends the use of the materials, saying it’s important to provide straightforward and non-judgmental information to youth.
“We know that by distributing material that shows healthy sexuality, by having honest and frank conversations about sex and drugs, that we can actually delay young people’s sexual activity and drug use activity,” she said. “And if we can’t delay it, we can at least make sure it’s safe.”
Jensen says AIDS Vancouver Island will discuss the issue with the school board.
