Sue Johanson is a Toronto-based registered nurse and sex educator. Now retired, the 84-year-old is best known for her long-running television show, “Talk Sex with Sue Johanson,” where she frankly discussed all aspects of sexuality. NorthernLife.ca thought it would be interesting to get her take on Ontario's new sex ed curriculum.
Editor's note: the following Q and A has been edited for length.
What was sex ed like when you were young?
A: Sex ed consisted primarily of what (American sex educator) Dr. Sol Gordon calls the relentless search for fallopian tubes. It was mostly anatomy and physiology. It was nothing to do with feelings, nothing to do with decision-making and nothing to do with birth control, of course.
Q: What do you think of Ontario's expanded sex ed curriculum?
A: I think it's going to be great. I am upset by parents who feel that it should be done at home. As a parent, talking to your own kids about sex is very, very difficult. How do you explain to your kids what a blow job is? You really don't have a clue how to explain that one.
Q: What do you think of introducing topics such as masturbation and anal sex at a young age?
A: I think that it's not a bad idea to talk about it, in terms of it is another sexual expression.
Q: What about introducing the issue of consent to kids?
A: The issue of consent was something that previously was taught at home, never in school. You just didn't give consent. It just happened. You got carried away by the heat of passion, over which you had no control.
Either that, or you were drunk, one or the other. Consent was not something that nice girls did. It just happened.
You just have to be able to decide ahead of time, how do I feel about being involved in sex?
Am I ready for this? Is this the person I want to be involved with? Do I have a good method of birth control? Will he use condoms regularly? Not periodically, but regularly, because we've got the sexually transmitted infection possibility.
For little kids, yes, I think they need to know there's some touching that is inappropriate. They have every right to say, "I don't like that. Don't do that. Don't touch me."
Q: Why do you think young kids need this kind of information?
A: Because they are sexual human beings. They were born sexual. One of the first things a little boy will do is grab at his penis, and it's a great toy.
Q: Why is this new curriculum so divisive?
A: Parents have the idea that it's going to promote indiscriminate screwing, literally. They just have the idea that once you tell kids about it, they're going to go right out and do it.
But you tell your kids about table manners. Do they ever go and do it voluntarily? No, not regularly. So you know, information is a great thing, because then you can make decisions.
