Inclusion not erasure – the new RSE draft curriculum
Rainbow rangatahi have the right to inclusion, not erasure, in our school curriculum!
The new draft Health and PE learning area curriculum, including the Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum, has been released – you can read it here.
When the draft framework was released earlier this year with only brief references to sexual orientation and intersex experiences and nothing about gender diversity there was concern about erasure of our trans communities.
It is incredibly disappointing and frustrating that despite consultation, any references to rainbow identities are completely absent from the curriculum.
When the draft framework was released earlier this year with only brief references to sexual orientation and intersex experiences and nothing about gender diversity there was concern about erasure of our trans communities. But this draft curriculum is far worse than we’d hoped, removing every single reference to sexual orientation, gender identity outside of gender stereotypes, and intersex.
With the government’s own data showing 20% or 1 in 5 ākonga identifying as part of rainbow communities, a huge number of students will be made invisible when learning about relationships and sexuality if the current draft is implemented.
References in the curriculum stating the importance of inclusion and diversity, without any tangible example or inclusion of how this looks, are hypocritical. The curriculum itself is not inclusive or representative of the diversity of our young people.
Teaching inclusion and diversity in the RSE curriculum is absolutely essential for our rainbow rangatahi to know that they are normal, to be represented, and included, and to promote acceptance. Our young people deserve a curriculum that includes them, teaches them and supports their rights, safety, belonging and wellbeing. Inclusion in this context improves youth mental health and ultimately helps save lives.
We are tired of seeing trans lives being used as political playing pieces, and of the resulting normalisation of anti-trans and anti-rainbow rhetoric which is then used to further political agendas. This desensitises the public to harmful messages and makes it easier for people to justify harm towards us.
We’re calling on the Minister of Education to stand up for the inclusion of rainbow ākonga in Health education and provide clear guidance to schools. We’re calling on opposition parties to commit to policy that would prioritise introducing a rainbow inclusive RSE curriculum and reinstate RSE guidelines to give rainbow ākonga the representation in the curriculum that they deserve.
The curriculum is not finalised yet – stay tuned to learn how you can feed into the next round of consultation or email the Minister of Education and let her know what you think at: [email protected]
InsideOUT will continue to be here to support schools in any way we can to make them more inclusive places. Reach out to your local Schools Coordinator for support with creating a rainbow inclusive school.
Rainbow rangatahi are not going anywhere and neither are we!