Introduction
Sexuality education is defined as “a life long process of acquiring information and forming attitudes, beliefs and values about identity, relationships and intimacy”. It also addresses the “biological, socio-cultural, psychological and spiritual dimensions of sexuality” (Braeken & Cardinal, 2008, p. 50). Past studies have demonstrated that current sexuality education has almost invariably focused on the heterosexual perspective, using moral and/or health models, which mostly exclude or marginalize LGBQ sexualities. Historically, sexuality education has been perceived as strategies to prevent the early onset of sexual intercourse and sexually transmitted disease among students (Braeken & Cardinal, 2008; Gowen & Winges-Yanez, 2014). However, LGBQ students are less likely to receive sexuality education relevant to their developmental needs than their heterosexual counterparts (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). For example, some sexuality education strategies derived mostly from a moral perspective, such as abstinence-only programs, exclude LGBQ students and potentially harm them with the their narrow definitions of sexual health and healthy sexuality (Elia & Eliason, 2010; Fine & McClelland, 2006). As stated by the United Nations, sexuality education is a basic human right for everyone (Muñoz, 2010). A rights-based approach to sexuality education for students refers to the rights of young people to receive scientific and evidence-based sexuality information, as well as to enjoy and express their sexuality according to their developmental needs (Boonstra, 2016). This chapter considers the unique position that rights-based sexuality education requires that such education be LGBQ inclusive.
An overview of sexuality education perspectives from the international literature will be provided before a description of the regional cultural context and a summary of findings from two local studies. Recommendations are made for the development of rights-based sexuality education which is culturally relevant and LGBQ inclusive.
Kwok, D. K. & Lee, B.M.W. (2018). Contesting school heterosexism: Rights-based sexuality education for LGBQ students. In K. J. Kennedy & Z. J. Li (Eds.),Routledge Handbook on schools and schooling in Asia (pp. 872-879). Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge.
