Sex Education and the Rainbow Community

Oscar and I – a friend who has taught me so much. Source: Rosie Leishman/Sophie Hartshaw. 

Sex ed is a critical part of the education system. Everyone deserves the chance to learn about how to develop healthy relationships, become confident in their own identity, and understand the importance of sexual health. 

Since the National Party, ACT, and NZ First entered a coalition agreement following the 2023 election, the sex education curriculum is being refocused on “academic achievement and not ideology, including the removal and replacement of the gender, sexuality, and relationship-based education guidelines”.  

RNZ reported that NZ First leader Winston Peters referred to sex education in schools as “woke ideology”. He tweeted in May 2023, “The government has no place in the nations [sic] bedrooms - so why are our school children, from age five, now being taught about ‘relationships, gender, and sexuality’?” 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said that sexuality issues should be dealt with in the home, by parents, and that sex education guidelines had been “variously interpreted by schools, which concerned parents”. 

Despite what Winny P suggests, sex education is most definitely not “woke ideology”, and removing parts of the curriculum risks alienating sectors of our community.  

Joe Rich is the Chief Executive of the Burnett Foundation Aotearoa, a healthcare organisation devoted to HIV prevention. Rich said, “Schools deliver the core skills to prepare young people for life […] Knowledge and empowerment about sexuality and relationships are an important determinant of […] sexual health but also more broadly mental health.” 

Relying on parents to inform their kids does not result in comprehensive education, Rich said. 

“Parents are not the experts, nor should they be.” 

Sex education is even more important for Rainbow communities as a marginalised group that need extra support to understand who they are, their rights, and what constitutes healthy queer relationships. 

Rich emphasised that caregivers may not have the time or education to be able to teach their children, and highlighted the unfortunate reality that some young people live in homophobic and transphobic spaces where it is not safe for Rainbow youth to talk about sex. 

A close friend of mine, wellbeing advocate Oscar Bloom, 20, said, “the potential law changes are disgraceful and show a complete lack of understanding.” He continued, “Rainbow people aren’t aliens, they are humans who deserve knowledge about their health and identity. Sexuality, gender, and identity are not an ideology.” 

Oscar believes Rainbow people are not a left-wing or right-wing concept, meaning they shouldn't be lumped into political arguments as topics of controversy. 

“Rainbow people exist and should be respected at all ends of the political spectrum because governments should represent all people.” 

By changing the curriculum, our leaders are only ignoring and silencing those who need support from their government. 

Policy changes have real-life consequences which can be extremely negative. Bloom emphasised that leaders must stand up and support the furthering of sex education to create informed people with acceptance and love for a marginalised community. 

“It is very important to look at who needs the government to recognise them and who is being targeted oppressively. The Rainbow community should be thought about and empowered to be safer in […] society.” 

Everyone had different experiences of sex education, but predominantly it is within heteronormative boundaries. Therefore, providing more educational content for Rainbow relationships is crucial for addressing the complexities and stigma of queer relationships. This includes consent and sexual health. 

Oscar pointed out that there are different attitudes toward consent in homosexual relationships because the act of sex is different. He said that understanding cues, responses, and what a partner wants are less openly discussed when compared to heterosexual relationships due to a lack of societal conversations outside the bedroom. 

The queer community also face serious sexual health risks with STIs that place them in vulnerable situations, which are fuelled by a lack of LGBTQ+ sex education. 

The Burnett Foundation reported in 2022 that 12% of gonorrhoea cases and 4.5% of syphilis cases were found in 15-to-19-year-olds with HIV, and that STIs disproportionately affected men who have sex with men. 

Joe Rich said, “If we removed comprehensive sex education from schools, young people would not have access to information on how to keep themselves and communities safe from HIV and STIs.” 

Burnett Foundation Aotearoa was known as the New Zealand AIDS Foundation from its inception in 1985 until 2022. Image: Burnett Foundation Aotearoa. 

Reducing this sort of education could lead to further stigmatisation of STIs and instead increase cases. Rich said this could consequently cause a rise in homophobia, transphobia, and queerphobia, which would have negative effects on the mental health of queer youth. 

Just because you don't teach students about Rainbow sexual health doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Bloom said, “People have to learn it at some stage, and avoiding it in schools means they will have to figure it out the hard way, at the bottom of the cliff, when something bad happens.” 

Therefore, the rhetoric being pursued by political leaders on changing the curriculum and education systems is unjustifiably harmful. 

“It is pushing the issue under the rug,” said Bloom. 

Christina Gera, 22, another member of the Rainbow community, shared a similar opinion to both Rich and Bloom. “It’s incredibly concerning and a step backwards. Sex education is […] absolutely fundamental.” 

Gera emphasised that due to the excessively inaccurate representations of what sex should look like in society, sex education is important so young people can understand themselves, make informed decisions about relationships, and recognise it’s all a part of growing up. 

“We need to encourage open discussions around sexuality instead of shutting down the conversation and forcing rangatahi to figure it out by themselves,” she said. 

Like Oscar, Gera also shared that “sex ed is [often] taught from a hetero-normative lens” and must be inclusive for everyone. 

In 2023, the Burnett Foundation said that they found that 85.4% of their community didn’t believe that their sex education taught them the information they needed about anal sex, while 58.7% said porn taught them most of what they know about how to have sex. 

As a white, straight, cisgender woman from an all-girls schooling environment, I learned very little about queer sex, health, or relationships, compared to heterosexual matters. This is because, without a standardisation on what needs to be taught in schools, queer topics like HIV, AIDS, and sexual practice are often left out. 

This all suggests a lack of comprehensive sex education in schools, which will only get worse if it is continually ignored. 

The Burnett Foundation is encouraging schools to socialise messages on risk, prevention tools and help to tackle stigma and discrimination. 

At university, where people are discovering their identities, it is crucial to reject discriminatory policies to ensure everyone feels able to express themselves in our community. 

To build a more accepting, healthy society and avoid an increasingly homophobic and transphobic future, it is fundamental to learn about the importance of sex ed and empower teachers, schools, and communities with the knowledge, confidence, and resources to deliver comprehensive and inclusive Relationship and Sexuality Education – and not dismiss its value. 

Everyone has a right to learn about sex as they grow and learn about who they are in this world so they are equipped with the skills to understand themselves and the well-being of others.