Educating children about homosexuality is different from promoting it

Educating children about homosexuality is different from promoting it

WHEN I was at the extraordinary general meeting of the Association of Women for Action and Research on Saturday, I was astounded by the sheer passion of the women and men there. However, the arguments against the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programme revealed a critical misconception.

Educating people about sexuality, including homosexuality, is not the same as promoting homosexuality. The first educates people about homosexuality and safe sex, providing beneficial protective knowledge. The second tries to encourage homosexuality as a lifestyle, regardless of one's innate sexual preference: a harmful enterprise. The two are categorically different and must not be confused.

CSE is like teaching a child how to use a knife safely. Regardless of what he is taught, the child will encounter knives at some time. A wrongly educated child is more likely to hurt himself with the knife than one properly instructed. In terms of sex life, that one cut can mean death or a lifetime on medication.

The threat of the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV, cannot be underestimated, and CSE is one of the most effective tools to protect children, regardless of their sexuality. It equips them with the knowledge to make informed decisions about sex, to better understand why others may have different sexual preferences and why the sexual preferences of others cannot be forced on them. Parental supervision can reinforce this education.

Without CSE, children will be vulnerable to misinformation from sources like uninformed peers, future sexual partners or Internet sources. For the protection of future generations, CSE must continue with the full support of parents.

Nickole Li (Ms)

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