What role does national education play in sexuality education? Wednesday, November 27, before the senators, the Minister for Educational Success, Alexandre Portier, declared that “the theory of gender [n’avait] not his place at school.” He was responding to a question from Senator Max Brisson (Les Républicains, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) on the education program for emotional and relational life and sexuality (from middle school), which the minister does not judge “ in the state not acceptable “. The text is being finalized before a vote scheduled for mid-December at the Higher Education Council. The formula triggered the ire of teaching unions and various institutions and associations defending the rights of children and minorities.
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Indeed, there is no theory of gender, a term used as a foil by a reactionary current, but studies on gender. Many observers have perceived in this formula the mark of a right which refuses to allow sexuality education to be addressed within schools. This is already provided for by a law of 2001, at the rate of three sessions per year, rarely carried out in practice. The new program has also been the subject, for several days, of a conservative offensive in media belonging to Vincent Bolloré, such as The Sunday Journal.
The words of Alexandre Portier, which alone provoked reactions, also sowed a real governmental imbroglio. The entourage of the Minister of National Education, Anne Genetet, took the initiative of informing journalists, on Wednesday evening, that the two ministers were on the same line: “Gender theory has no place in school”it was indicated, before ensuring that the expression “gender identity” would not appear in the final version of the program. On Monday, however, Ms. Genetet's team still affirmed Monde that « gender identity [faisait] part of the grounds of discrimination enshrined in the penal code.
“Moment of floating”
During a trip which brought together the two ministers on the morning of Thursday, November 28, Anne Genetet took control, affirming « pilot » the program. She repeated several times that “the theory of gender [n’existait] not “, and that there was, on this subject, « only one line, that of the ministry”.
What happened? In the corridors of national education, we talk about a “moment of floating”. According to our information, there was actually never any question of removing the notion of gender identity from the sexuality education program. In Anne Genetet's entourage, we recognize a ” error ” on this point, the minister having wished “ a reduction, not an elimination “. From seventeen occurrences in the last version, we would have gone to “less than ten”we maintain, always with the idea of fighting against discrimination.
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