The department store will continue to sell it online. The other side is celebrating Welcome to Sex for providing comprehensive and inclusive sex education. Many are saying they wish they had access to this kind of book growing up. I am a researcher on texts for young people that deal with issues around sex, sexuality and gender. With my colleague, Dr Paul Venzo, we have been examining the rise of and demand for books that provide an inclusive, safe and engaging way to discuss the essential topic of sex for young people.
Sex education books can be used by parents and caregivers to guide tricky conversations about puberty, sex, gender and sexuality. At what age should young people learn about sex? Context and nuance is important. It depends on the identity and life experience of the young person, their education and maturity levels, their religious, geographical or cultural background, and the wishes of their parents or caregivers. So we should be careful about making generalisations. However, the basics of sex education, such as bodily autonomy and consent, can be taught to primary-school aged children — and younger.
Many critics are using this to say the book is targeted at readers as young as eight. But while a parent might make an informed decision about whether to make the book available to their younger child, Welcome to Sex is clearly targeted to a teen audience.
This is evident in the length, design, complexity, marketing, language and age of the teen contributors inside the book the youngest is Read: Why queer comic books are the next target of the culture wars. Some critics are arguing the book teaches young people how to perform sex acts. But we know young people are not ignorant about sex. Comprehensive and inclusive sex education that begins at a young age can prevent child sex abuse, decrease rates of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, and reduce homophobic bullying.
Sex education texts play a vital role. They can be given to young people to navigate with a parent or caregiver, or as an individual resource. Chapters cover definitions of both sex and body parts , communication, relationships, sexual and gender diversity, myths about sex, and reasons to not have sex.
