So what specifically about an educator discussing sexuality is icky?

It is icky, because for many students, teachers fill a parental role. They are almost family.

You probably wouldn’t want to discuss sexual fantasies with your Grandma, for example – even if, in theory, sexuality is normal and OK, it would just feel creepy. It is probably something humans have evolved in order to avoid inbreeding, but family (or pseudo family) and sex creeps a lot of people out.

Now, if there was a councilor that specialized in sexual issues, and only spoke to students in that context, that might be different. But you would have to be pretty emotionally retarded not to understand why many people would be creeped out talking about sex with their teacher.

After all, what self-respecting teenager listens to 30-year-old antiques regarding their own sexual development?

You said “icky in whatever context.” How can you have a comprehensive sex ed class without acknowledging that students are bound to have different sexual orientations and experiences?

Discussing an individual student’s sexual experiences in graphic detail = creepy (unless you’re a counselor or something).

Discussing the topic of sexuality = perfectly normal in the right context.

But: score!

I’ve not said, in any form, that sex is “icky” or “embarrassing.” Quite the opposite.

If the church and state metaphor didn’t get the point across, there’s really nothing left to say.

Carry on!

I am perfectly willing to be wrong – but from what you have said, you do seem to be the only one who finds a teacher discussing sexuality with a student to be icky. You have not said why but rather ruled it as icky in all contexts.

Again, if not parents and educators, where is a good place for kids to learn about sexuality? In the backseat? And no one’s talking about discussing sexual fantasies??? Maybe that’s where there’s some confusion on yours and Cog’s part. I think most people are pretty clear discussion would be from a social science/cultural aspect…you know, like a health class meets social studies class…Not some kind of 1-900-confessional. Odd.

And Anon29, “if in theory sexuality is normal and ok” ???
Um, sexuality is a fact. It exists, as in, we are sexual beings. How is the fact that we are sexual beings not ok sometimes? That’s like saying “in theory, if lungs were normal and ok, I guess we could talk about them.” “in theory, if breathing was normal and ok, I guess we could talk about it.” you may be projecting your own sense of shame for some reason. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.

I think one would have to be pretty “emotionally retarded” as you so eloquently put it, to think that a discussion of sexuality in school would entail divulging one’s private sexual fantasies to the teacher…Or to be so “creeped out” in shame, I guess, that you can’t bear the thought of discussing sex in an intelligent and scientific manner.

Sex ed graduates make better lovers. Word. And they don’t get knocked up or diseased as much as their uneducated and creeped out counter parts.

http://www.healthyplace.com/gender/gay-is-ok/stopping-gay-teen-suicide/menu-id-1420/

The line between appropriate and “icky” is pretty clear actually. An educator giving kids a means to express themselves creatively about homophobia is pretty much in the “win” column.

Something about long winters turns people into wittily intelligent folks. Or perhaps intelligently witty.

/not an example.

…and irony.

Where else is one supposed to learn about sexuality other than in a place of learning? Any why is learning about reproduction in school not “icky” but learning about sexuality is, if not for the fact that you think sexuality is “icky?”

4chan?

So, what exactly does, “discussion of sexuality” entail?

For example, a teenaged boy and girl couple, walking down the street hand-in-hand, is considered sweet and romantic and not at all sexual or inappropriate in pretty much the entire US (except maybe for a handful of extremely conservative regions). Make them both boys, and suddenly that couple is “forcing their sexuality onto others”.

A young-adult book about a young girl building up the nerve to ask the boy she has a crush on to the movies isn’t considered sexual. If they’re both boys, or both girls, it is considered sexual, which is how a bunch of non-sexual gay-oriented content got adult-filtered by Amazon a while back.

So what specifically about an educator discussing sexuality is icky? Be precise so we can understand. And yes, your church and state metaphor isn’t exactly clarifying. Who’s the church, who’s the state? Is sexuality the holy sacred, and the school system the state? Wha? Comparing unlike things does get confusing.

Where are kids supposed to learn about sexuality? TV? Movies? Now THAT’S icky.

To everyone else: for my part at least I think it’s mildly icky because it strikes me as a harbinger for abuse of the teacher-student relationship. Having said that, I also believe that idea is really just paranoia and quite disproportionate – I’m sure the vast majority of teachers (including the poster) have only the best interests of the student in mind.

But really, just give Cog a break.

Oh, and FTR I don’t really rate this vid highly… though to be fair it is better than anything we ever did at that age.

A sociology class could maybe explain how different people experience and express sexuality (or for that matter spirituality), but no teacher should be guiding kids in how to experience and express their own sexuality (or spirituality).

Where did you get the idea that anyone wants teachers to be teaching kids “how to experience and express their own sexuality?”

The original comment was that it would be “icky” to “discuss sexuality.” Everyone else chimed in to say that there should be nothing wrong with learning about sexuality.

In the first line of your quote above, you show that you actually agree with this. But, like cog (I’m guessing) some trigger gets hit when you hear the words “school” and “sexuality” and assume that there people are out there who want schools to make all the kids gay and tell them what they should be feeling and doing.

Any class that mentions the existence of gay people is, by definition, “discussing sexuality.” Do you think that no class in school should ever admit that gay people exist?

Access it information and normalizing whether you’re straight, gay, lesbian, bi, trans and two spirit is all around good health promotion (physical and emotional health).

I suspect those who have a negative viewpoint probably didn’t have the privilege of diversity education and being accepted based on merit. In my experience, those people often are raised with guilt, shame, condemnation, corporal punishment, and opinions bases on bias and bigotry rather than facts, evidence, and all around positive and healthy attitudes.

Anyone tries? You have the right to defend yourself.

And to the gay haters? You are the past, and dying along with the old republicans… I hope that makes you feel better.