Card 1
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Susie Jolly holding a black board. Background of the card is red.
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IS THERE ONE DEFINITION OF THE 'RIGHT KIND' OF SEX-ED? OR 'GOOD' SEX-ED? AND WHO DECIDES THAT?
Susie Jolly thinks….It's Complicated
And it's rooted in something she calls...
SEX-ED NATIONALISM
Sex-ed made in the Netherlands >> Sex-ed made in China
Card 2
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Susie Jolly’s headshot on the bottom centre of the card with thought bubbles around. Background of the card is green.
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Susie Jolly is a British sex educator. In her 20 years of working with gender and sexuality, she noticed that a particular kind of sex-ed was being talked about as
'SCIENTIFIC,' 'NEUTRAL,' 'CORRECT' - AKA 'GOOD' SEX-ED.
This gave Susie thoughts.
Who gets to decide which sex-ed is 'good' and 'bad'?
When you label one kind of sex-ed as 'good,' and the other as 'bad,'
What else are you saying about the cultures this sex-ed is part of?
IT'S GIVING GEOPOLITICS.
Card 3
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A hand holding the Netherlands’ flag pointing towards a thought bubble. Susie Jolly’s headshot with a thought bubble at the bottom right of the card. Background of the card is orange.
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One day, at a sex-ed training programme, Susie was listening to an expert from the Netherlands.
We have some of the best public health indicators in the world. Low teen pregnancies, low abortion rates..."
Our parents are neither too authoritative, nor too permissive. Our teens enjoy porn, but know it's not real.
Chinese parents are too strict. And immigrant teens think porn is something to learn from!"
Wait! She is talking about sex-ed, but she is going beyond claims of her sex-ed system... And saying, her country is superior to others!
Card 4
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The Netherlands’ flag on the top of the card and a blackboard of the card. Background of the card is yellow.
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SUDDENLY SUSIE SAW STARS AND STRIPES - sorry, patterns and connections!
The Dutch educator was saying:
“Netherlands is doing sex-ed right.”
Meanwhile, far right politicians of the country were saying:
“Islamic culture is sexist and homophobic.
Close our borders to Muslim refugees.
Protect our women from sexual attacks!”
NETHERLANDS KE LOG = CULTURED, REFINED CITIZENS
OTHER PEOPLE = SEXUALLY DEGENERATE?
Card 5
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A blackboard in the centre. Background of the card is red.
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SEX-ED NATIONALISM, ACCORDING TO SUSIE JOLLY:
1. When a country's values are linked to its sex-ed or lack of it
2. When a country uses its sex-ed to show it's culturally superior
BOLE TOH - YOU'VE GOT:
Sex Ed (European type maybe) = Culturally Superior
No sex-ed? = Oops, Culturally inferior
WAIT A MINUTE!
Didn't colonization involve white people who said they're superior because we (and cultures like ours) were having 'too much' and 'too many types' of sex?
And now that we aren't talking about it, thanks to their puritan values (at least in the way they want) - toh we're uncivilized (again?)
Card 6
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Two hands with Sex-ed written on one and morality written on the other shaking in the centre with Susie Jolly’s head on top of it. Background of the card is green.
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EXAMPLES OF SEX-ED NATIONALISM ARE EVERYWHERE.
The UK talks about queer rights as British values.
Zimbabwe teaches patriotism and sex-ed in the same curriculum.
Sexuality and sex-education start to symbolise national values.
Card 7
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Miniature mughal era painting of two people embracing each other and saying “Aur Paas?
Aur Paas!” at the bottom centre of the card. A blue book with “SEX-ED BY THE WHITES… UNESCO APPROVED” written on it at the top right corner of the card. Background of the card is pink.
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The idea of 'good' sex-ed is endorsed by many entities. UNESCO, for example, has created uniform, 'international guidelines' for sex-ed.
And then there are countries like The Netherlands, that consider themselves sex-ed pioneers.
WHAT ABOUT FOLKS THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT SEX AND SEX-ED, JUST NOT IN THESE TERMS?
Do international frameworks have room for these other approaches? And space for us to learn from each other?
Card 8
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Caricature of four people in uniform and sex-ed written on their ties. There heads are red, blue, yellow, and pink. Background of the card is green.
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SAFE SEX PRACTICES AND 'SCIENTIFIC' INFO ARE JUST ONE PART OF SEX-ED.
Many things influence how we understand sex, sexuality and our bodies. Eg: Our social and emotional histories, law and medicine and our many identities.
SO IF CULTURES ARE DIVERSE, AND SEX-ED IS ROOTED IN CULTURE, CAN ALL SEX-ED BE THE SAME?
OR MIGHT SEX-ED NEED TO EMERGE FROM THE VERNACULARS AND PARTICULARS OF EACH CONTEXT?
Card 9
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Miniature mughal era painting of two people embracing each other at centre right and two red roses blooming with hearts around them at centre left of the card. Background of the card is yellow.
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Sex-ed nationalism can overlook and erase indigenous knowledge systems of sex, sexuality and pleasure.
SUSIE JOLLY SAYS THAT ALL OF US HAVE SEX-ED. WE TALK ABOUT SEXUALITY, JUST IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
IF WE BUILT ON THIS TOGETHER, WE COULD CREATE A DIVERSE WORLD OF SEX-ED THAT'S BEAUTIFUL AND DEEPLY MEANINGFUL TO US.
After all, we learn about sex not just in classrooms,
But through pop culture (music, art and films)
Local traditions (folk songs and dance)
And thinking and learning about sex through our own experiences
Did you bring the rubbers??
Card 10
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Picture of the globe in the centre. The left hand side of the globe has buildings while right hand side has forests. Background of the card is pink.
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Sex-ed nationalism and its concept of "one good sex-ed" becomes a way of fitting the heterogenous world of sex into binaries of GOOD VS BAD
aka Progressive VS Conservative
Card 11
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Susie Jolly’s headshot on the top left corner of the card. Paromita Vohra’s headshot on the centre right of the card. Background of the card is red.
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We sexuality educators rarely engage explicitly with these neo-colonial and nationalist discourses. But... Agents of Ishq is an exception.
At AOI, we mine erotic traditions of India and repurpose them for contemporary life. How do we have a contextual discussion which does not fall into the hands of nationalists? Through art that deals with the nuances.
That's why at AOI we believe, sex-ed should be richly contextual and colloquial (not colonial!) And co-created every day, not handed down as gospel!
