(A)sex(ual) education: the need for an ace-inclusive curriculum

Rachel Badham explores an area of sexuality that’s mainly overlooked in education

Despite everything that has happened in 2020, one of the most positive outcomes from this year is that it is the first in which LGBTQ+ inclusive education has become compulsory for UK schools. After Stonewall campaigned for a more inclusive curriculum for over a decade, topics such as consent, pornography and LGBTQ+ rights will be taught in classrooms, with Mo Wiltshire, Stonewall Director of Education and Youth, saying the alterations will be “life changing” and will hopefully create a more accepting environment for young queer people (1). Schools will also be expected to improve support networks for LGBTQ+ students and those that fail to do so risk being marked down by Ofsted inspectors.

Another amendment to school curricula means sex education will include discussions of LGBTQ+ relationships and identities. As a pansexual woman, I was thrilled to hear this news; when I was at school, we were taught very little about anything outside the realm of heteronormativity, and consequently it was much harder for my teenage self to accept my sexuality. But while the changes are certainly a vast improvement that should be celebrated, there is still a gap in our education system that needs to be addressed.

I’ve recently been watching popular Netflix show Sex Education, and I found one particularly profound scene to be the interaction between sex therapist Jean and student Florence, who thinks she “might be broken” as she says: “I don’t want to have sex at all, ever, with anyone.” Florence had never heard of asexuality before, which Jean in turn explains to her and emphasises the validity of. This made it apparent to me how sex is viewed as an absolute necessity and continues to be portrayed as such in our school curricula, thus erasing ace identities and placing those young people in a similar situation to my teenage self – unable to accept or even comprehend their identity. Our education system continues to have an overemphasis on biological essentialism, which belittles many LGBTQ+ identities, but particularly the ace community.

Another reminder of the need for greater acknowledgement of the ace community was October’s Ace Week; an international celebration of the community dedicated to busting myths and spreading messages of solidarity and acceptance. According to an Ace Week official:

“An asexual person experiences little to no sexual attraction and/ or sexual desire. Our community uses the word ace to encompass anyone who fits within the spectrum of asexuality.”

But, much like Florence, young people are rarely taught the definition of asexuality or aromanticism, let alone learning about the broad spectrum of ace identities.

The good news is that Ace Week says acceptance of the community is continuing to grow:

“The ace community has made significant headway over the years. Asexual representation in mainstream media continues to improve, major LGBTQ+ organisations now acknowledge and include us, and ace community groups have sprouted up and flourished in cities around the world.”

To coincide with Ace Week, Federica La Marca wrote a BBC article (2) about ace representation in the media, saying asexual representation has greatly improved in recent years and can be seen in shows such as BoJack Horseman and Sex Education. However, they highlighted: “Asexuality representation is still trailing behind other LGBTQ+ groups.” Similarly, Ace Week says: “Though we’ve much to celebrate, the fight for visibility and acceptance is still ongoing. Ace identities are often overlooked or misunderstood, and many aces still grow up not realising that asexuality is an option.”

Young ace people are not growing up in a society that frequently represents people like them in the media, and are not receiving fully inclusive education despite changes to the national curriculum; an issue which school boards need to address. Brian Langevin is the executive director of Asexual Outreach, a non-profit organisation which organises Ace Week every year. They shared their thoughts with us:

“Despite advancements in LGBTQ+ inclusion in the UK school curriculum, asexuality remains largely ignored and forgotten in school education. Unless teachers are given clear and comprehensive education around asexuality, they often feel under-equipped to address the topic, they may fail to grasp the importance of teaching their students about asexuality, and many won’t even know that asexuality exists.

“Most contemporary sex education frames sexual activity and marriage as inevitable life events, and these assumptions that are baked into the relationship and sex education curriculum often leave ace students feeling broken, isolated and ashamed of who they are. Being told by teachers that ‘one day, you’ll want to have sex’ can feel at odds with the experiences of ace students, and because asexuality is rarely named, ace youth often grow up unaware that their experiences are normal. Although community and resources for ace youth are available, many face years of confusion and isolation before discovering their identity and community.”

Langevin suggests creating more inclusive school environments would be a lifeline for young ace people and would improve acceptance of the community:

Some schools have already made significant improvements by consulting and partnering with local ace communities to create an inclusive school environment. Including asexuality in LGBTQ+ education, involving ace students in LGBTQ+ clubs, and celebrating events like Ace Week are all steps that schools can take to improve the wellbeing of their ace students.

The new curriculum will hopefully bring about great benefits for young LGBTQ+ people, but it cannot be completely effective until it is made ace inclusive. Young ace people need to know that their identity is valid and that begins with education. To quote Sex Education’s Jean, “sex doesn’t make us whole”, so the belief that it is should be re-evaluated.

1: “We finally have an LGBT-inclusive curriculum – now teachers must be supported to implement it” - Mo Wiltshire, i News, 1 September 2020

2: “We’ve come a long way from ‘asexuality cures’ but mainstream media must do more” - Federica La Marca, BBC - The Social, 21 October 2020

For more info and resources, visit: www.aceweek.org