When’s the last time you had proper sex education? For most of us, it came in grade nine gym class.
That was a long time ago for university students.
If one thing’s for sure, it’s that sex isn’t static. Why should our sex education stop at the beginning of high school?
There’s an assumption that grade nine is when people start to be sexually active and there’s even more expectation of sex in university.
That couldn’t be further from the truth and it’s so incredibly harmful to perpetuate these stereotypes.
Students who enter first-year university are coming from a variety of educational backgrounds, like Catholic schools, public schools and private schools. It’s a harsh reality that some were fed misleading and untrue information about sex.
Though the curriculum for sex education in grade school is changing, it does nothing to help our generation with our experiences.
Laurier’s done a great job of encouraging consent and safe sex in the last few years, but there’s only so much that they can do without students being forced to listen.
There’s also a disconnect between the types of accessible protection and the types of protection that we may need.
Male condoms aren’t the answer to everything.
Although it’s great to have them easily accessible, there are whole demographics of couples that have absolutely no use for male condoms and need other types of protection that aren’t thrown at you during O-Week.
Especially in the LGBTQ+ community, the education comes from the internet and through friends — both of which can be unreliable.
There’s embarrassment about safe sex and getting tested, though there really shouldn’t be.
Don’t feel embarrassed doing something for your own health. Talk to the knowledgeable people, and make sure you get tested — it’s confidential and free, after all!