Session Information
33 SES 14 A, Diversifying Debates: Doing Sexuality and Relationships Education Differently
Symposium
Contribution
Comprehensive Sexuality and Relationships (CSR) education provides information foundational to children’s and young people’s sexual health literacy, wellbeing, and sexual citizenship. However, CSR is fundamentally a political field that is highly regulated by socio-cultural discourses of childhood and sexuality that underpin perceptions of ‘age-appropriate’ knowledge for children and young people. CSR aimed at children and young people is often framed within cisgender-heteronormative discourses and, therefore, does not meet the complex needs of trans and gender diverse (TGD) young people. Lack of access to relevant, inclusive, and high-quality CSR particularly impacts TGD children and young people who may be making significant decisions about their fertility and reproductive futures. This presentation draws on Australian pilot research conducted with TGD children and young people (aged 7-12) and their parents/carers, which is on-going, as well as research with healthcare professionals working with TGD young people and their families. In this presentation, we explore parents’ concerns about inclusive sexuality education in the school setting; pedagogical practices in this area; young people’s perceptions of their reproductive lives; and the importance of TGD young people’s access to quality comprehensive sexuality education, inclusive of fertility education, to their decision-making. Finally, the implications for educators and schools are addressed.
References
Davies, C. Elder, CV., Riggs, D.W., Robinson, K.H. (2021). The importance of informed fertility counselling for trans young people. The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, correspondence, Sep; 5(9):e36-e37. Davies, C., Robinson, K.H., Metcalf, A., Ivory, K., Mooney-Somers, J., Race, K., Skinner, S.R. (2021). Australians of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, in T. Dune, K. McLeod, R. Williams (Eds.), Culture, Diversity and Health in Australia: Towards Culturally Safe Health Care, Routledge/Taylor and Francis, London, UK, 213-231. European Expert Group on Sexuality Education (2016) Sexuality Education – what is it? Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, 16 (4) Lai, T.C., McDougall, R., Feldman, D., Elder, C., Pang, K. (2020) Fertility Counseling for Transgender Adolescents: A Review, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66: 658-665. Robinson, K.H., Davies, C., Ussher, J.M. & Sinner R. (2023) Holistic sexuality education and fertility counselling for trans children and young people. In Riggs, D., Ussher, J.M., Robinson, K.H. & Rosenberg, S. (Eds). 2023) Trans Reproductive and Sexual Health: Justice, Embodiment and Agency. London: Routledge. Shannon, B. (2022). Sex(uality) Education for Tran and Gender Diverse Youth in Australia. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
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