So there is this really awesome article over at Sexuality & Society , about the Spanish region of Extremadura, which is funding a sex ed campaign that involves promoting self pleasure amongst 14-17 year olds.
Teaching kiddies about masturbation is good for a number of reasons- these being, inter alia:
- Non-reproductive, possibly non-het sex being recognised as a valid(and important) form of sexual health
- kids realising that having a partner for sex is not compulsory
- the bodily pleasure/s of kids/teenagers is not merely secondary ( or an appendage to) to their intellectual/physical/social/emotional health.
…And it makes me think…….why can’t we do this in AU? What is inhibiting the move? Conservative politics? The influence of religious groups on proposed sex ed programs? Conservative parents? How do we get around this?
If we were to do this in AU, I would of course be for the expansion of the 14-17 year age bracket, to include younger kids (who may benefit just as much from the info as 14-17 yos). I’d run a fine tooth comb through the ads/program to determine the level of heteronormative politics involved, and do something to widen this narrow focus. Additionally, the inclusion of comprehensive info on dys-abled sexualities would be critical.
In Spain they’ve also decriminalized abortion and allow gay marriage. Why can’t we do this too? :/
