Advertisement

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

  • Heather Shipley
Chapter
First Online:

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Arnal, W., & McCutcheon, R. T. (2012). The sacred is the profane: The political nature of “religion”. London: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Bakht, N. (Ed.). (2009). Belonging and banishment: Being Muslim in Canada. Toronto: TSAR Publications.Google Scholar
  3. Beaman, L. G. (2012). Battles over symbols: The ‘religion’ of the minority versus the ‘culture’ of the majority. Journal of Law & Religion, 28(1), 67–104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Beckford, J. A. (2003). Social theory and religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Beckford, J. A. (2012). Public religions and the postsecular: Critical reflections. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 51(1), 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Berger, B. (2008). The cultural limits of legal tolerance. Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, 21(2), 245–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Berger, B. (2014). Religious diversity, education, and the ‘crisis’ in state neutrality. Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 29(1), 378–395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. Beyer, P., & Ramji, R. (Eds.). (2013). Growing up Canadian: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.Google Scholar
  9. Bramadat, P., & Seljak, D. (Eds.). (2008). Christianity and ethnicity in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
  10. Burn, S. M. (1995). The social psychology of gender. McGraw-Hill series in social psychology.Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/
  11. Butler, J. (1993). Bodies that matter: On the discursive limits of sex. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
  12. CBC News. (2010a). Lesbian teacher told to work from home, group says. Retrieved on April 28, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/28/bc-little-flower-academy-lesbian-teacher.html
  13. CBC News. (2010b). Sex ed opponents claim victory in Ontario. Retrieved on April 23, from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/04/23/ontario-education.html#ixzz15MdtPaEC
  14. CBC News. (2010c). Sex-ed change needs ‘rethink’: Ont. Premier. Retrieved on 22 April, from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/04/22/sex-ed.html
  15. CBC News. (2010d). McGuinty supports new sex ed curriculum. Retrieved on April 21, from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/04/20/ontario-sexed.html
  16. CBC News. (2011). Gay Ottawa teen who killed himself was bullied: Jamie Hubley was a figure skater and the only openly gay boy in his school. Retrieved on October 18, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/10/18/ottawa-teen-suicide-father.html
  17. CBC News. (2014). Cyberbullying has ‘hugely disproportionate impact on women and girls. Retrieved on August 8, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/cyberbullying-has-hugely-disproportionate-impact-on-women-and-girls-1.2731195
  18. CBC News. (2015). ‘Anal, oral sex’ not school topics, Ottawa mom says. Retrieved on May 5, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/anal-oral-sex-not-school-topics-ottawa-mom-says-1.3060978
  19. Cherry, C., Deberg, B. A., & Porterfield, A. (2001). Religion on campus. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
  20. Cho, S., Crenshaw, K., & McCall, L. (2013). Toward a field of intersectionality studies: Theory, applications, and praxis. Signs, 38(4), 785–810.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Collet, B. A. (2007). Islam, national identity and public secondary education: Perspectives from the Somali diaspora in Toronto, Canada. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 19(2), 131–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Collins-Mayo, S., & Dandelion, P. (Eds.). (2010). Religion and youth. Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  23. Connell, E. (2005). Desire as interruption: Young women and sexuality education in Ontario, Canada. Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, 5(3), 253–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Cossman, B. (2007). Sexual citizens: The legal and cultural regulation of sex and belonging. Stanford: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
  25. Cossman, B. (2009). Sexual citizens: Freedom, vibrators, and belonging. In L. C. McClain & J. L. Grossman (Eds.), Gender equality: Dimensions of women’s equal citizenship (pp. 289–306). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Craig, E. (2013). The case for the Federation of Law Societies rejecting Trinity Western University’s proposed law degree program. Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, 25(1), 148–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Crompton, R. (1989). Class theory and gender. The British Journal of Sociology, 40(4), 565–587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Davie, G. (1994). Religion in Britain since 1945: Believing without belonging (Making contemporary Britain). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
  30. Fetner, T., Elafros, A., Bortolin, S., & Dreschsler, C. (2012). Safe spaces: Gay-straight alliances in high schools. Canadian Review of Sociology, 49(2), 188–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality: An introduction. Volume 1. (trans: Robert, H.). New York: Random House, Inc.Google Scholar
  32. Freitas, D. (2008). Sex and the soul: Juggling sexuality, spirituality, romance, and religion on America’s college campuses. London: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
  33. Gleason, M. (1999). Normalizing the ideal: Psychology, schooling, and the family in postwar Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.Google Scholar
  34. Government of Ontario, Ministry of Education and Training. (1998). Health and physical education (The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1–8).Google Scholar
  35. Halafoff, A. (Forthcoming). Whatever: Religion, youth, and identity in 21st century Australia. In P. Beyer, P. Gareau, & S. Bullivant (Eds.), Religion, youth and identity. Leiden: Brill Academic Press.Google Scholar
  36. Halberstam, J. (1998). Female masculinity. Durham: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
  37. Hoover, S. (2006). Religion in the media age (media, religion and culture). New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
  38. Hunt, S. J., & Yip, A. K. T. (Eds.). (2012). The Ashgate research companion to contemporary religion and sexuality. Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  39. Irigaray, L. (1984). An ethics of sexual difference. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
  40. Jagose, A. (1996). Queer theory. Australian Humanities Review. Retrieved from http://www.australianhumanitiesreview.org/archive/Issue-Dec-1996/jagose.html
  41. Johnson, R. (2002). Taxing Choices: The Intersection of Class, Parenthood, Gender and the Law. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.Kinsman, G. W. (1996). The regulation of desire: Homo and hetero sexualities. Montréal: Black Rose Books.Google Scholar
  42. Knott, K., Teemu, T., & Poole, E. (2013). Media portrayals of religion and the secular sacred: Representation and change. London: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  43. LifeSite News. (2015). Ontario bishops’ general secretary has been actively supporting Wynne’s child abusive sex-ed. Retrieved on March 6, from https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ontario-bishops-general-secretary-calls-tory-politician-pathetic-for-opposi
  44. Maclean’s. (2010). Religious groups fight changes to Ontario sex ed curriculum. Retrieved on April 22, from http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/04/22/religious-groups-fight-changes-to-ontario-sex-ed-curriculum/
  45. Mathen, C., & Plaxton, M. (2014). Legal education, religious and secular: TWU and beyond. Ottawa Faculty of Law working paper no. 2014–06. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2428207
  46. Maticka-Tyndale, E. (2008). Sexuality and sexual health of Canadian adolescents: Yesterday, today and tomorrow. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 17(3), 85–95.Google Scholar
  47. McGuire, M. (2008). Lived religion: Faith and practice in everyday life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  48. Mckay, A. (1997). Accommodating ideological pluralism in sexuality education. Journal of Moral Education, 26(3), 285–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Mckay, A., & Bissell, M. (2010). Sexual health education in the schools: Questions and answers (3rd edn). SIECCAN. Retrieved from http://www.sieccan.org/pdf/she_q&a_3rd.pdf
  50. Montreal Gazette. (2015). Will Quebec learn lessons from Ontario’s new sex-ed program? Retrieved on February 26, from http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/will-quebec-learn-lessons-from-ontarios-new-sex-ed-program
  51. National Household Survey. (2013). The Daily. May 8. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/130508/dq130508b-eng.htm
  52. Naugler, D. (2010). Wearing pink as a stand against bullying: Why we need to say more. Journal of Homosexuality, 57(3), 347–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Ontario Ministry of Education. The Ontario Curriculum: Secondary. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/secondary/health.html
  54. Page, S. J. (2014). Sexuality and Christianity: Understanding the attitudes and negotiations of young adults in the UK. In G. Vincett & E. Obinna (Eds.), Christianity in the modern world: Changes and controversies (pp. 95–118). Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  55. Page, S. J., Yip, A. K. T., & Keenan, M. (2012). Risk and the imagined future: Young adults negotiating religious and sexual identities. In S. Hunt & A. Yip (Eds.), The Ashgate research companion to contemporary religion and sexuality (pp. 255–270). Farnham: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  56. Parker, G., et al. (2007). Double discrimination? Gender and disability in access to the labour market. European Social Fund, Social Policy Research University. Retrieved from http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/pubs/pdf/double.pdf
  57. Planned Parenthood Ottawa. Training. Retrieved from http://www.ppottawa.ca/programs.aspx?id=30
  58. Power & Politics. (2015). Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2664214688/
  59. Rasmussen, M. L. (2004). That’s so gay! A study of the deployment of signifiers of sexual and gender identity in secondary school settings in Australia and the United States. Social Semiotics, 14(3), 289–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  60. Rayside, D. (2010, June 1–3). Sex ed in Ontario: Religious mobilization and socio-cultural anxiety. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the Canadian political science association, Montreal, QC. Retrieved from http://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/papers-2010/Rayside.pdf
  61. Regnerus, M. (2007). Forbidden fruit: Sex and religion in the lives of American teenagers. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  62. Renold, E., & Ringrose, J. (2011). Schizoid subjectivities? Re-theorizing teen girls’ sexual cultures in an era of ‘sexualization’. Journal of Sociology, 47(4), 389–409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  63. Ringrose, J., et al. (2013). Teen girls, sexual double standards and ‘sexting’. Gendered value in digital image exchange. Feminist Theory, 14(3), 305–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  64. Shipley, H. (2014). “Religious and Sexual Orientation Intersections in Education and Media: A Canadian Perspective,” Sexualities, Special Journal Issue “Sexuality and Religion,” Ria Snowdon and Yvette Taylor, eds, 17(5/6): 512–528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  65. Shipley, H. (2015a). Challenging identity constructs: The debate over the sex education curriculum in Ontario. In P. Dickey Young, H. Shipley, & T. Trothen (Eds.), Religion and sexuality: Diversity and the limits of tolerance (pp. 97–118). Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
  66. Shipley, H. (2015b). The space in between: Religion, sexual identity, media and education in Ontario. In L. G. Beaman & L. Van Arragon (Eds.), Issues in religion and education: Whose religion? (pp. 211–230). Leiden: Brill Academic Press.Google Scholar
  67. Shipley, H. (2016a). Religious freedom and sexual orientation: Equality jurisprudence and intersecting identities. Canadian Journal of Women and Law 27(2): 92–127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  68. Shipley, H. (2016b). Apathy or misunderstanding? Youth’s reflections on their religious identity in Canada. In P. Beyer, P. Gareau, & S. Bullivant (Eds.), Religion, youth and identity. Leiden: Brill Academic Press, under review.Google Scholar
  69. Shipley, H., & Dickey Young, P. (2014). Values and practices: How are youth in Canada integrating religion and sexuality in their daily lives? In H. Shipley (Ed.), Globalized religion and sexual identity: Contexts, contestations, voices (pp. 276–294). Leiden: Brill Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  70. Shipley, H., & Dickey Young, P. (2015). “Christianity, Gender and Identity among Canadian Youth,” The Brill Handbook of Global Christianity, S. Hunt, ed, Brill Academic Press: 327–345.Google Scholar
  71. Smith, C., & Smith, P. (2009). Souls in transition: The religious and spiritual lives of emerging adults. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  72. Søndergaard, D. M. (2012). Bullying and social exclusion anxiety in schools. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 33(3), 355–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  73. Taylor, C., & Peter, T. (2011a). Every class in every school: Final report on the first national climate survey on homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in Canadian schools. EGALE Canada. Retrieved from http://archive.egale.ca/EgaleFinalReport-web.pdf
  74. Taylor, C., & Peter, T. (2011b). We are not aliens, we're people, and we have rights’ Canadian human rights discourse and high school climate for LGBTQ students. Canadian Review of Sociology, 48(3), 275–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  75. Taylor, Y., & Snowdon, R. (Eds.). (2014a). Queering religion, religious queers. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
  76. Taylor, Y., & Snowdon, R. (2014b). Mapping queer, mapping me: Visualising queer religious identity. In H. Shipley (Ed.), Globalized religion and sexual identity: Contexts, contestations, voices (pp. 295–312). Leiden: Brill Academic Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  77. The Atlantic. (2014). Is it possible to teach children to be less prejudiced? Retrieved on March 31, from http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/is-it-possible-to-teach-children-to-be-less-prejudiced/284536/
  78. The Chronicle Herald. (2013). Who failed Rehtaeh Parsons? Retrieved on April 9, from http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1122345-who-failed-rehtaeh-parsons
  79. The Globe and Mail. (2010). Muslims, Christians challenge Ontario’s more explicit sex ed. Retrieved on April 22, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/muslims-christians-challenge-ontarios-more-explicit-sex-ed/article1542657/
  80. The Globe and Mail. (2015). Ontario’s sex ed curriculum teaches society’s values, and that’s good. Retrieved on May 8, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/ontarios-sex-ed-curriculum-teaches-societys-values-and-thats-good/article24329359/
  81. The Sault Star. (2011). Religious group attacks anti-bullying law—Says McGuinty not a good Catholic. Retrieved on December 7, from http://www.saultstar.com/PrintArticle.aspx?e=3396249
  82. The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada. Retrieved from www.sieccan.org
  83. The Star. (2010). Analysis: Dalton McGuinty’s sex-ed surrender motivated by politics. Retrieved on April 23, from http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/800039
  84. The Star. (2011). Anti-bullying bill a front for ‘sex ed’ agenda, groups say. Retrieved on December 6, from http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1097682--anti-bullying-bill-a-front-for-sex-ed-agenda-groups-say
  85. The Star. (2015a). Busting the myths around Ontario’s new sex-ed curriculum. Retrieved on May 5, from http://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/education/2015/05/05/busting-the-myths-around-ontarios-new-sex-ed-curriculum.html
  86. The Star. (2015b). Fact-checking 10 claims made by parents against the Ontario sex-ed curriculum. Retrieved on May 4, from http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/05/04/fact-checking-10-claims-made-by-parents-against-the-ontario-sex-ed-curriculum.html
  87. Ursic, E. (2014). Bi the way: Rethinking categories of religious identity. The International Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Society, 3(4), 29–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  88. Wallis, S. (2014). Ticking ‘no religion’: A case study amongst ‘young nones’. DISKUS: The Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions, 16(2), 70–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  89. Weeks, J. (2011). The languages of sexuality. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
  90. Wilcox, M. (2009). Queer women and religious individualism. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.Google Scholar
  91. Woodhead, L. (2013). Liberal religion and illiberal secularism. In G. D’Costa et al. (Eds.), Religion in a Liberal State (pp. 93–116). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
  92. Yip, A. K. T. (2015). When religion meets sexuality. In P. D. Young, H. Shipley, & T. Trothen (Eds.), Religion and sexuality: Diversity and the limits of tolerance (pp. 119–140). Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
  93. Yip, A. K. T., & Page, S. J. (2013). Religious and sexual identities: A multi-faith exploration of young adults. London: Ashgate.Google Scholar
  94. Yip, A. K. T., et al. (2011). Religion, youth and sexuality: Selected key findings from a multi-faith exploration. Nottingham: University of Nottingham.Google Scholar
  95. Young, P. D. (2015a). Who speaks for religion? In L. G. Beaman & L. Van Arragon (Eds.), Issues in religion and education: Whose religion? (pp. 307–320). Leiden: Brill Academic Press.Google Scholar
  96. Young, P. D. (2015b). Severely normal: Sexuality and religion in Alberta’s Bill 44. In P. D. Young, H. Shipley, & T. Trothen (Eds.), Religion and sexuality: Diversity and the limits of tolerance (pp. 45–66). Vancouver: UBC Press.Google Scholar
  97. Young, P. D., & Shipley, H. (2015). Belief, not religion: Youth negotiations of religious identity in Canada. In J. Wyn & H. Cahill (Eds.), Handbook of child and youth studies (pp. 861–873). New York: Springer.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2017

Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Authors and Affiliations

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

Personalised recommendations

Cite chapter