‘The Trouble with Normal’: (re)imagining sexuality education with young people

Abstract

What do young people believe sexuality education ought to be about? It is within the absence of a sustained and critical consideration of the possibilities and politics of engaging in research with rather than for young people in the reimagining of sexuality education that this paper is positioned. Data were generated as part of an 18-month Youth Participatory Action Research study in one co-educational secondary school with 43 student co-researchers (15–17 years). The findings presented are not intended to provide conclusive statements about future directions for sexuality education, but rather provide a platform on which to discuss how young people’s ideas align with or diverge from current practice and debates surrounding what sexuality education should, could or ought to be about.

Keywords:

• Student voice
• sexuality education
• youth participatory action research
• queer theory
• curriculum negotiation
• Australia

Notes

1. Pseudonym to protect anonymity.

2. The Transition Year (TY) is an optional one-year school programme designed to act as a bridge between the three-year Junior Cycle and two year Leaving Certificate cycle of study in Irish secondary education.