A Washington state school board director made headlines after announcing she will teach sex education classes for children as young as 9 on topics such as “sexual anatomy for pleasure” and “safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities.”
“The class for 9- to 12-year-olds is an introduction to topics related to relationships, puberty, bodies, and sexuality. We focus on what makes healthy vs. unhealthy friendships and romantic relationships, the science of how puberty works, consent and personal boundaries, defining ‘sex’, and discussing why people may or may not choose to engage in sexual activities,” Jenn Mason, owner of sex shop WinkWink in Bellingham and school board director for the Bellingham School District, told KTTH radio host Jason Rantz.
What they should call the class is sexual grooming 101.
Jason Rantz reported:
Titled “Uncringe Academy,” the goal is “helping young people to feel comfortable around these topics so that they can advocate for their own bodies, health, and well-being.”
Mason lists the topics on the event page of the Wink Wink website. They include:
- Sexual anatomy for pleasure and reproduction
- What IS sex? Kinds of solo and partnered sexual activities
- Safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities
- Gender and sexual identities
Mason and her shop adopt a sex-positive culture. The website description says she intends to provide the material with an eye towards “empowerment and information, rather than shame, fear, and judgment.”
While she says that “topics will vary for developmental appropriateness,” it’s unclear how it’s ever appropriate to discuss “sexual anatomy for pleasure” or “safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities” for 9-year-olds.
Mason does not have specific education training on adolescent sexuality but says she worked for a decade at a rape crisis center where she developed, oversaw, and delivered “consent and healthy relationships workshops” to thousands of students in middle and high schools. She said she is a certified sex educator through the American College of Sexologists, is a certified sex coach through the Sexology Institute, and a certified sexual assault victim advocate.
In an email, Mason defended the topic of “safer sex practices” for 9- to 12-year-olds by noting it’s “not generally covered as a main topic in this course except as it relates to consent, communication, and safety.”
In his report, Rantz noted Mason is hosting these classes as a small business owner, not as a school director.
The classes are not associated with the Bellingham School District.
Nevertheless, holding these types of classes for pre-pubescent children and teenagers is sexual grooming and beyond disturbing.
Rantz added:
It’s undoubtedly beneficial to teach teens the basics of sexual education, free from political influence. It’s also important that teens feel more comfortable talking to parents, guardians, or trusted adults about issues that are usually awkward to discuss. But it’s equally important to avoid sexualizing kids (which obviously happens if you’re specifically discussing sex acts) or introducing topics at too early an age.
Fox News noted:
Mason announced there will be four, three-hour sex education classes held at WinkWink next month as part of an event billed the “Uncringe Academy.” The classes, which Mason will teach, are broken down by age, with 9- to 12-year-olds in one class and 13- to 17-year-olds in another class.
Class topics include, “What IS sex? Kinds of solo and partnered sexual activities,” “Sexual anatomy for pleasure and reproduction,” “Gender and sexual identities,” “Safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities,” among others. The description of the classes stipulates that the “workshops are divided by age and presentation of topics will vary for developmental appropriateness (sic).”
WinkWink is described as a “woman-owned, identity-inclusive sex shop” that is “sex-positive, body-positive, and gender-affirming.” While the “Uncringe Academy” is advertised as offering “honest, supportive, and inclusive sex education classes to help young people of all genders and sexual identities understand this important part of their life.”
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