Educating students about gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation is a necessary and important component of comprehensive sexuality education.

Comprehensive sexuality education acknowledges diverse identities related to sexuality and gender, while providing students with tools to critically analyze the ways that gender and sex are socially constructed.

Gender and sex are both concepts that have been socially constructed as binary and static over time. Tools for critically examining gender norms and stereotypes, as well as binary understandings of gender and sex, are important because they can help affirm a student’s lived experiences and identities, as well as provide opportunities for empowerment across all gender identities and expressions.

The Gender and Sexuality Galaxies are a great tool for exploring some of these concepts!

They are available in English and French, and also come in an accessible version.

You Should Know

Terminology changes over time as does what is appropriate and respectful. Your students are likely to have some of the most current information, although it may not always be accurate. If you do not know or have not heard a term that a student is using, give your student the benefit of doubt and then do your research. Come back to the student and/or the class with your research. (To help keep your information current, see the chapter 3 resources and the Online Hub).