The power of heteropolarity and its effects on sexuality educators.

Abstract

Only a limited amount of research has begun to focus on the role of the sexuality educator and how he or she contributes to the curriculum's effectiveness. A review of the literature reveals a tendency within sexuality education to practice what is known as the heteropolar imperative. Heteropolarity is described by Wilton (1985) as the inseparability and co-dependency of gender and the erotic within society; it is the assumption that heterosexuality is natural, proper and right. Heteropolarity is also concerned with the relationship between the biological, the moral, and the ideological in the realm of human sexuality. The current study examines the social forces that effect sexuality educators and limit their curricula to heteropolar imperatives. The study adds to the knowledge base of what is known about the current social control of teachers in their planning and implementation of human sexuality curricula. The study follows a naturalistic research design and involves interviews with five sexuality educators from a variety of organizations in the Ottawa-Carleton region. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)