Teaching Sexuality, Teaching Religion: Sexuality Education and Religion in Canada

  • Heather Shipley
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Abstract

Debates about sexuality education are witnessed in numerous national contexts, in parallel with flashpoints regarding religious identity, public religion, and ‘national values.’ These two sets of controversies are not isolated from one another, witnessed when new sex education curricula are introduced (protested by particular religious groups) and when religious freedom claims are sought (and gender and sexual minorities groups voice concerns about religious freedom). This portrayal of sexuality and religion as inherently oppositional misses the nuance of both categories, ignoring intersectional identities and the challenges of living across religious and sexual diversities. This chapter explores the construction of both religious and sexually diverse identities as represented in debates about sexuality education. As sexuality education and curricula develop, it is important to consider the future of education about sexuality as also education about religion, secularity, and ideology.

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© The Author(s) 2017

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Authors and Affiliations

  • Heather Shipley
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Classics and Religious StudiesUniversity of OttawaOttawaCanada

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