Johannesburg - High schools should teach pupils about homosexual sex. That’s the controversial view of Dr Gordon Isaacs, of a sex workers rights organisation.
“It is a critical area that should not be ignored,” says Isaacs, the psychosocial manager of the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce. “It’s linked to relationships, intimacy, desire and certainly linked to HIV.”
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, he believes.
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.
Isaacs offers his own suggestions on how the education syllabus should include gay sex education: “Of course you are going to talk about things such as penetration, anal sex, oral sex, frottage – that is (the) rubbing (together) of thighs, kissing – and one needs to do it in a way that is consistent without bias and without prejudice.”
If homosexual sex education is demystified and clearly articulated as one of the many ranges of sexual expression and identity in schools, gay and curious pupils will be able to learn about it in a safe environment, instead of having to find out for themselves.
However, the support of parents, teachers’ associations and school boards is essential, he says.
“You can never repress your gay identity for long. If it is done in secret and if it is done in fear, you could expose yourself to STIs, HIV, blackmail and danger.”
Isaac’s views have been backed by a number of religious organisations in South Africa. The South African Hindu Maha Sabha says it would welcome the introduction of teaching of homosexual sexuality in high schools around the country.
“The reality is that homosexuality is legal in South Africa now, and children need to be educated about the misconceptions that are attached to it. Many kids live in fear about being homosexual, so educating these kids will help in many ways,” Ashwin Trikamjee, the cultural and religious body’s president, tells the newspaper.
The Department of Basic Education did not respond to the Saturday Star yesterday.
In Under Pressure: The Regulation of Sexualities in South African Secondary Schools, Professor Deevia Bhana, of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s school of education, studied pupils, teachers and parents at Gauteng and KZN schools, and found a “culture of compulsory heterosexuality pervasive in the education system”.
Her study is a project of Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (Gala), whose research manager Dr Finn Reygan notes how the issue of homosexual sex education speaks to a bigger issue of diversity in schools.
“This is a much broader conversation around diversity, our constitution and human rights inclusion in our schools to make them safe places for all learners so young people are comfortable and literate when it comes to diversity. That diversity is relevant for sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Graeme Bloch, a visiting adjunct professor at the Wits School of Governance, suggests more tolerance needs to be taught at schools. “Explicit sex, whether heterosexual or gay, should be avoided.
“Pupils should be taught a sense of responsibility, taking the consequences of actions into account, whether male, female or intersex. Yet, we should educate for sexuality in classrooms and at school. Schools can do some things but not all. Schools can teach a range of values, for example tolerance and some diversity. Schools can also teach the young to take responsibility for their actions …
“Some argue explicit sex should be taught in schools. Yet surely this is a parent’s duty? There are certain things to be taught in the classroom: some pupils or teachers are male or female or even intersexed.
“In addition, an understanding of sexual diversity including homosexuality should be included in the syllabus. This is part of tolerance and should, like anti-bullying, be taught in an age-appropriate manner. Let the debate begin.
“What are schools for, and what should be part of the syllabus? What should be taught?”
But the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) disagrees and doesn’t think homosexual education has a place in schools.
“The ACDP does not align itself with those that are advocating for such to be taught to our kids,” argues Kagiso Monyadiwa, its youth foundation president. “Instead we want to have the education where subjects like maths and science are taught at an accelerated pace.
“Sex, let alone homosexuality education in schools, won’t contribute positively towards our kids’ development. We again must indicate that we uphold and defend Christian and family values and we cannot compromise on what we stand for.”
Social media consultant, Darron Diesel, agrees. “Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman is taught so that we know how to procreate, whereas gay sex is purely for pleasure, and pleasure differs for everyone … pleasure should be a journey of self-discovery.
“You can teach people things until you’re blue in the face but given the choice, they’re still going to do it how they like.”
Instead, Diesel recommends more time be spent teaching acceptance and understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Matakanye Matakanye, the secretary of the National Association of School Governing Bodies, adds: “We might have personal differences (over homosexuality) but that shouldn’t stop us from encouraging the rights contained in our constitution, which should be promoted in our schools. Gay rights are enshrined in the constitution and we can’t lag behind in education.
“The education authorities must ensure our children are taught according to these rights.”
Saturday Star