Hong Kong defends sex education advice that involves playing badminton

A 15-year-old girl and her boyfriend are studying alone on a warm summer day when she takes off her jacket and clings to his arm. What should he do?

In Hong Kong, authorities advise newborn men to continue their education or seek entertainment such as badminton to avoid premarital sex and other “intimate behaviour”.

Critics, including lawmakers and sex educators, say the fresh educational materials on the Chinese territory are regressive. But top officials are not backing down, and the standoff is becoming somewhat awkward.

“Is badminton Hong Kong’s answer to schoolchildren’s sexual urges?” – South China Morning Post asked in the headline on the weekend.

Hong Kong teens find the whole thing pretty humorous. Several took to social media to say the officials behind the policy have their “heads in the clouds.” Others have twisted it into sexual slang, referring to “friends with badminton” instead of “friends with benefits.”

Sex education materials were released last week by the Office of Education in a 70-page document which includes worksheets for teens and tips for their teachers. The document emphasizes that the lessons are not intended to encourage students to “start dating or engaging in sexual behavior early in life.” It also advises those in “love relationships” to fill out a form setting boundaries for their intimacy.

“It is normal for people to have sexual fantasies and desires, but we must realize that we are the masters of our desires and should think twice before we act and control our desires instead of letting them control us,” the document reads.

The curriculum that replaced the older one explained that although some teenagers masturbate, sexual impulses can usually be controlled by avoiding “publications or media” that stimulate them.

It also recommends exercise and other activities that “divert attention from undesirable activities” and warns students to dress appropriately and avoid wearing “sexy clothing” that can lead to “visual stimulation.”

Critics say the guidelines are irresponsible. Diana Kwok, a professor of gender studies at the Education University of Hong Kong, told the South China Morning Post that authorities should not emphasize the need to police sexual development, but instead teach newborn people how to confront it or understand it.

Doris Tsz-Wai Chong, executive director of the Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, a Hong Kong nonprofit that works in local schools, said the fresh sex education guidelines are inadequate for newborn audiences. That’s partly because they contain gender stereotypes, she said, including the idea that women see opposite-sex friendships as purely platonic, while men see them as potential romantic opportunities.

Ms Chong said her organisation was also concerned about the “sexy clothing” warning.

“Teaching that someone’s clothing choices can be ‘visually stimulating’ or provoke sexual assault perpetuates harmful rape myths,” she added.

Officials have not budged. Christine Choi, the education secretary, presented the guidelines Sunday as a kind of moral imperative and a way to protect newborn people, especially those aged 12 to 14.

“We should teach them how to properly take responsibility for themselves, how to take care of themselves and respect others,” she said. he said in a TV interview“When they grow up, they will have to face a more elaborate society and environment.”

Hong Kong leader John Lee described the materials as good for the territory’s long-term future on Sunday. “I believe that social culture should be created collectively,” he said.

The Education Bureau defended the curriculum in a statement, saying its primary goal was to aid 12- to 14-year-olds “deal with the various physiological and psychological consequences of premarital sex, including emotional distress, legal liability, contracting sexually transmitted diseases, and getting pregnant outside of marriage.” The curriculum was developed by researchers at local universities who specialize in high school sex education, then piloted in high schools and reviewed by teachers and school social workers, the bureau added.

“The curriculum module must be read as a whole and in context,” it reads.

Teenage people in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan often operate slang to talk about sex, just like their peers around the world. If your partner asks if you want to go back to his place to “watch my cat do backflips,” don’t say you weren’t warned.

Now, thanks to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, fresh slang is coming into play. “I want to play badminton with you” will never be the same.