Sexual education Ireland. 3 words that sit uncomfortably beside each other in a sentence. Recently I presented a college radio program on Griff.fm, discussing sexual health in Ireland with Oisín McKenna from SpunOut.ie. Before the show our team sat around, discussing our experiences of sexual education in Ireland in the late 90s early 00s. Our producer Kim laughed recalling how, in her convent school, a nun had passed around a pack of plasters and told each of the girls to put one on the back of their hands. The girls were told to put the plaster on, then take it off and repeat this process 3 times. She imitated the nun saying “See how the plaster sticks less the more you take it off and put it back on again? Well sex is the same. The more men you have sex with, the less likely they are to stay with you”. There are no words to sum up my feelings on this.
What did Social Media have to say?
There is barely a whisper of a conversation present on Twitter or Facebook about the Sexual Education in Ireland. Isn’t it time someone got the ball rolling?
#SexEdIreland? Mine: Being taught in 6th class not to touch anyone where their swimsuit would be. Tweet Me your experience of #SexEdIreland
— Rebekah Connolly (@ConnollyRebekah) April 3, 2016
The response on Twitter:
@ConnollyRebekah there should be a lesson on putting on condoms in school, it’s important that they are used properly
— Katie Drea (@KAtiepoppyx) April 6, 2016
@ConnollyRebekah I actually had a good sex-ed in primary school and then I had two pretty ok ones in secondary. Knew what I was doing #safe
— Charlie (@cathalshrn) April 5, 2016
@ConnollyRebekah #SexEdIreland being told that there are NO pleasure receptors in a females anus… #awks
— Dan Coxon (@dancoxontweets) April 3, 2016
And on Facebook?
(Because God forbid you teach teens to have safe sex!)
“If you have sex, you will get chlamydia and die!”- Coach Carr, Mean Girls
I really hope this one’s a joke
But the best Tweet on Sexual Education in Ireland has to be the following from Lovin Dublin:
Here’s The Second Part To THAT Irish Sex Ed Video From The ’80s https://t.co/L2UatFRKH7 pic.twitter.com/EyiSyuDyqo
— Lovin Dublin (@LovinDublin) January 2, 2016
Everything and anything is up for debate on social media and yet the topic of Sexual Health and Education in Ireland is still a complete taboo. Is there no interest in the topic or do we all believe we’re grand? Keep the conversation going using the #SexEdIreland or tweet me @ConnollyRebekah.