‘Highly sexual’ book to be removed from students’ sex education resource

Health authorities are to remove references to a book from a sex education resource for schools which campaigners say is inappropriate and contains highly sexual content aimed at children.

Relationships and Sexuality Education 1, developed by the HSE and supported by the Department of Education, is aimed at supporting the roll-out of sex education for Junior Cycle students, who are typically aged 12-15. The inclusion of This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson in a “recommended reading” list has prompted criticism from campaigners.

The book, a non-fiction exploration of growing up as LGBTQ, addresses a variety of issues including sex, politics and stereotypes. However, it has been challenged due to sections that provide detailed advice on anal sex, oral sex, sexual positions, sexting and using “sex apps” for casual sex. Age limits for these apps is typically 17 or 18 years of age.

In a statement, a HSE spokeswoman said its SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) learning resource was being revised to reflect the updated Junior Cycle curriculum and would be republished shortly.

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“The new versions of the resources will not include recommended reading lists for teachers or parents, and therefore the resource will not be mentioned in the revised version of Relationships and Sexuality Education,” she added.

A new SPHE curriculum for Junior Cycle, due to be published by the Minister for Education shortly, is scheduled to be rolled out in schools from September next.

In a statement, the HSE said it was decided to remove recommended reading lists based on feedback that sections of the programme “were too long” and that “teachers could miss some important information included in them”.

Campaigners have also targeted the inclusion of This Book is Gay in a HSE guide for parents on Making the Big Talk Many Small Talks booklet. Dawson’s book is included in a reading list for 13-18 year olds in the booklet.

Juno Dawson's book, a non-fiction exploration of growing up as LGBTQ, addresses a variety of issues including sex, politics and stereotypes

A HSE spokeswoman said it planned to add a note to the booklet advising that some of the resources were “more appropriate for 17-18 year olds”. She added that all HSE resources were “evidence-based, following extensive research and engagement with stakeholders”.

Juno Dawson’s book was one of the most consistently challenged books by campaigners in the US last year, according to a recent report by the American Library Association.

Dawson recently said it was subject to “very organised attacks” and expressed thanks to “librarians and educators who are defending freedom of speech”.

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However, one of the complainants to the HSE, Sarah Holmes, a mother of three from Co Wicklow, said the inclusion of the book was a “depressing lapse of judgment”.

“There is all this defence of the book on the grounds of inclusivity, but a very low standard is being set for gay children, in particular,” she said. “I think we need proper sex education for children of all orientations: what’s dangerous, what should you be careful of. It certainly shouldn’t be saying, ‘go on a sex app’ or ‘check them out in a bar beforehand’. Yet, this pornified culture is being pushed on children.”

Children’s Books Ireland has also said it will remove the book from its Pride Reading Guide for young readers. On foot of complaints, its team reviewed this title and sought the views of an external reader from a LGBTQ+ charity. It said that while much of the book’s content remained valuable for LGBTQ+ teenagers, some aspects “did not reflect the more inclusive current language used by the LGBTQ+ community”.

Although it was initially recommended for readers aged 15 and older, Children’s Books Ireland said it found “the language and tone is, in parts, better suited to older teenagers and young people outside of Children’s Books Ireland’s 0-18 age remit”.