During the last provincial election in Ontario the current government followed the dog whistle and came up with a promise of turfing the sex education program which was being used in the province's schools. The Conservatives figured, rightly it turned out, that this assurance would attract the strange coalition of people on the religious right who opposed a curriculum that many hadn't even read. This vocal voting segment included some Roman Catholics, some evangelical Christians, and some Muslims. I've been around long enough to know that while certain denominations figure the Catholics and Muslims are going to hell, they don't mind becoming partners when it suits them.
The Ford government was elected, changed the curriculum, encountered significant resistance, and decided to ask Ontarians what they thought. Lo and behold, there were thousands of responses, with an overwhelming desire to continue with the former curriculum which included age appropriate discussion about body parts, sexuality (including orientation) consent, and a lot more. The response was that "special interest groups" had skewed the process. Right.
During the next few months we'll be seeing how the government spins their decision regarding this curriculum. We already know that the Conservatives are responding to a legal challenge by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. They've suggested that teachers have latitude in what they teach, which contradicts the dire warnings Ford and company issued shortly after the election if there wasn't compliance and the creation of an absurd "snitch line" to report educators.
The brutal irony is that the repealed curriculum helped to protect children who at times were preyed upon by members of religious communities. Think of the enormous international scandal of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests. And it may have saved the lives of LGBTQ teens who have been coming to grips with their sexuality.
Let's all pay attention and pray for an outcome based on common sense rather than hysteria and a curriculum for the 21st century rather than the 19th.
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