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Opinion 'There is a massive avoidance of LGBT+ sex on the curriculum for sex ed'

Ireland needs to be more proactive around the area of sex education for LGBT+ teens, writes Cionnaith Ó Duibhir.

THE ABILITY TO talk openly about sex has admittedly never come easy to the Irish, highlighting the ever pressing need for effective sex education in our schools.

I am a Relationship and Sexuality Education teacher in a mixed secondary school, and I have attended three RSE courses run by the Professional Development Service for Teachers: Junior Cycle RSE, Senior Cycle RSE and LBGT+ training.

While the content of these courses has been generally informative, there are two elephants in the room: LGBT+ sex education and class contact hours for RSE.

Avoidance of tackling LGBT+ sex

There is a massive avoidance of LGBT+ sex on the prescribed curriculum for sex education. Sex is taught from a reproductive perspective. This terminology is then transferred clinically to LGBT+ issues if the need arises.

Yes, this is relevant, but does nothing to inform, for example, a gay teenager that anal sex requires a lubricant, patience, hygiene practices and the need for condom use due to the high rate of STI transference involved in engaging in that kind of sex.

Attending the LGBT+ course I assumed some of these issues would be covered in detail as questions around the area must arise for LGBT+ students and the teacher should be as informed as possible.

Instead there was a heavy focus on using the correct words for LGBT+ groups and inclusion in school. Once again important material, but still dancing nimbly around the real issue at hand.

Tolerance once sex isn’t happening

shutterstock_374495917 The current approach is desperately similar to the Catholic Church’s. LGBT+ is acknowledged and tolerated as long as sex doesn’t occur. Shutterstock / Olesia Bilkei Shutterstock / Olesia Bilkei / Olesia Bilkei

The current approach is desperately similar to the Catholic Church’s. LGBT+ is acknowledged and tolerated as long as sex doesn’t occur (it being innately sinful and all that).

This is not surprising when the religious ethos of most schools is taken into account.

The syllabus acknowledges (very well, in fairness) strategies with which inclusion can be promoted in the school, but the extreme limits to this are apparent.

While LGBT+ sex is seen as something different, something to be learned about when you are older, or something not relevant to classroom discussion compared to its heterosexual counterpart, then prejudice is occurring.

There is a distinct “Other” created and the feelings of being different from one’s peers must be very taxing on mental health and overall happiness.

Too little time allocated

Another important issue is that schools are only obliged to provide six periods of RSE to students a year. This was an agreement born of a time when schools hotly resisted teaching RSE at all.

That is six periods to provide education around the areas of relationship and self-esteem building, sexuality, sexual health, fertility and STI information.

To attempt to cover these important topics along with their inevitable offshoots in what amounts to a week’s worth of English or Maths is mind boggling. I must stress that this is the minimum, and many schools funnel great resources to this cause.

This is not a subject however that should be left to mere timetable gymnastics. A weekly period of RSE should be the bare minimum required to help equip our young people with the necessary tools to deal with relationships in an ever changing world. It is important to remember that there many things we learn in school that may be of use. What is taught in RSE will be of use.

We are making the right steps

All three courses were rich in content and populated by those with an innate desire to create a safe and informative learning environment for our students.

However, Ireland needs to be more proactive around the area of sex education if we are to truly promote equality and inclusion for all our students.

Cionnaith Ó Duibhir is an Irish, Religion and RSE secondary school teacher.

Column: ‘”A Right To A Home” should be put to referendum’

Opinion: ‘We don’t need female traffic lights. We do need decent maternity pay’>

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:52 PM

    Straight outta Carlow.

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    Mute G
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:04 PM

    Gwan the boyz yup yup

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:00 PM

    Embarrassing…

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    Mute Daragh Ó Murchú
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:19 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: cad go díreach a bhfuil náireach fúthu ?

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 12:57 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: I never put much effort into Irish at school…

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:00 PM

    @Daragh Ó Murchú: Them denying their own culture and trying to act if they belong to another culture and to another race, why making eejits of themselves.

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    Mute Mike Spillane
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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:49 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: you haven’t got a clue. I’d say Irish wasn’t the only part of your education you neglected.

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    Mute David Hickey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 5:12 PM

    @TamuMassif2019: Would you say the same of a rock band? Rock music is from the south of the US originally. Should we stop that, and only play trad so?

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    Mute Disco Pants
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:12 PM

    Lowest common denominator trash for the most brainless in society.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: ooooooh look at me I use big words to seem smarter than anyone else

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:18 PM

    @Disco Pants: moron

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:20 PM

    @Disco Pants: idiot

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Conor Daly: who bees you dog? Gnome sayin

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:22 PM

    @Disco Pants: i bet you would be great crack on a night out

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:25 PM

    @Disco Pants: put down what you don’t understand is smart thinking

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:26 PM

    @T Jay O’Mea: putting

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:40 PM

    @Disco Pants: bellend

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:03 PM

    @Disco Pants: Hey mate you havnt got a clue what’s up

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:07 PM

    @Disco Pants: brainless? Most of these lads are above average intelligence. They have to be to write songs and have the intelligence and confidence to come up with lyrics on the spot

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    Mute Barry Dempsey
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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:55 AM

    @Disco Pants: thanks for your insight. Lowest common denominator trolling

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:50 PM

    Anyone else remember Scary Éire?

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:09 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, last I heard he got whacked in Compton, drive by shooting. Rip Scary

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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:51 PM

    @Cheeky Bums: They played the sugar club on Paddy’s weekend, wasn’t there but it was a great gig so I’ve been told.

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    Jun 10th 2019, 10:35 AM

    @Cheeky Bums: Yeah, Saw them live back in the day.. great band.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:21 PM

    Mago x mathman have some really good stuff that deserves more air play

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:40 PM

    Load of me b. O. X s

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:14 PM

    I said a hip hop …… stall it down the shop ….

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    Jun 9th 2019, 7:39 AM

    “entrenched racism”? How about a fact check on that claim.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:54 PM

    It’s quite astonishing that an article about Irish rap has no mention of Scary Eire

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    Mute TheFreeSpeechParty
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:46 PM

    Just need to avoid the trap that happens with any Dublin scene where a group of artists get good, then disappear up their own posteriors

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    Mute Iarla Ó
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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:28 PM

    Kneecap’s album gets played a lot in our car. Check them out on YouTube/Spotify if you haven’t already.

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:39 PM

    The comments here are hilarious

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    Mute thephantomshit
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    Jun 8th 2019, 11:43 PM

    Is seems like most Irish hip hop that makes social media graduated out of gonzaga college

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    Mute Keith Dunne
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    Jun 8th 2019, 9:53 PM

    Straight outta Carlow

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    @Keith Dunne: or Straight outta Carlaa

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:22 PM

    I really don’t the Kneecap boys would call themselves northern Irish and what’s with the ‘his real name is an Irish name’ comment? What’s that supposed to mean? Belfast is cheap compared to Dublin but you would be hard pushed to get a room in a shared house for less than £250 a month. For a flat, you’ll be talking £500 a month unless it’s in the absolute worst areas

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    Jun 9th 2019, 4:30 AM

    @De20: We are taking Irish hip hop and somehow you manage to make it about property prices….shame on you.

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    Jun 9th 2019, 1:43 AM

    Fair play lads all the best no mention of Rob Kelly from Wexford who really blazed a trail for the hip hop community

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    Jun 9th 2019, 2:42 PM

    Rap/ hip hop just never sounds good done by Europeans it just comes across as lame and fake .

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    Jun 9th 2019, 8:27 PM

    diddi diddle dillidy dillidy dillidy dee

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:05 PM

    These boys are very talented not mainstream which is great….we are sick of PC bullshit we’re know
    what’s going down

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    Jun 8th 2019, 10:32 PM

    5th element on youtube. Class lads!

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    Jun 9th 2019, 9:49 AM

    Calling all da scraggy b I tches from accross the land. Jump up on me 1997 Civic and we’ll show those nerds.

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