AWARE recommends that the Ministry of Education change its sexuality education to align with the UN ITGSE.

The harms of the UN ITGSE are here:

AWARE recommends to “Openly discuss menstruation among students of all genders.”

How many “genders” does AWARE think there are? And which genders menstruate?

Children should also discuss “female sexual pleasure”.

Isn’t teaching sexual pleasure to children or teenagers age-inappropriate? Does AWARE believe that sexual pleasure should be enjoyed exclusively within marriage?

Children should have “respect” for identities based on sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

AWARE wants children to go beyond respect for the individuals to respect their self-described identity.

This means that children must accept each other’s gender identities and sexual orientations as legitimate identities. Classrooms will then become permissive of exploring these psychological identities.

Children should also be taught about the “LGBTQ community”.

What is included in such “education”? Must children be taught that LGBTQ individuals are born this way and therefore they cannot change?

Must children be taught that LGBTQ individuals should be allowed same-sex unions, same-sex “parenting” and other policy changes that fit the LGBTQ lifestyles?

Children should be taught to respect different choices due to “asexuality”.

Asexuality does not need to be emphasised as a separate “sexual identity” in order for people to appreciate the value of staying free from sexual activity.

Children should think through issues around sex and relationships.

What kind of issues around sex and relationships should children or teenagers talk about? AWARE is not sufficiently clear.

Teachers should shift focus beyond abstinence to address specific concerns.

What does “beyond abstinence” mean? Does it mean teaching children about sex outside of marriage?

Why is it the teacher’s job to address “specific concerns” or “sensitive topics”? Do children’s concerns have a universally accepted answer? Or do they have different answers depending on the children’s worldview, values, religions and cultures? From which worldview will teachers facilitate such a discussion? Can any teacher be free from bias or presuppositions?

How can MOE be realistically expected to ensure that educators can appropriately facilitate such discussions in a way that does not cause a divide between the children and their parents?