General

Religious groups fight changes to Ontario sex ed curriculum

UPDATE: McGuinty backs down, turfs changes

Ontario’s new sex education curriculum is drawing fire from Christian and Muslim groups, who are planning to pull their kids out of school on May 10 to protest the changes. The school boycott is an attempt to pressure Premier Dalton McGuinty into heeding their concerns about the new curriculum, which would have Grade 3 kids learning about homosexuality, and Grade 6 students learning about anal sex and vaginal lubrication. According to Murielle Boudreau, of the Greater Toronto Catholic Parent Network, such information will “traumatize these children—they’re going to be doing everything out in the schoolyard.” At the same time, the Tories are positioning themselves to use the new curriculum, which is the first revision of sex education since 1998, as an opportunity to trumpet family values.

UPDATE: Amidst mounting pressure from religious groups, Ontario has backed down on its plan to introduce new sex education curriculum in the fall. According to Premier Dalton McGuinty, “It’s become pretty obvious to us we should give this a serious rethink.”

The Globe and Mail

Toronto Star

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