Amaya Ternera

Recently, the issue of sex education for children and adolescents has been problematised, undermining the clarifications of Colombian jurisprudence. This is a step backwards, as there is uncertainty about what is correct or pertinent to teach. The population has also been confused by political propaganda about the supposed dangers of sex education and has tried to portray this human right as an attack on the traditional family and moral values. There are those who maintain that it is a subject exclusive to the home and should only be taught in the privacy of the home. In Colombia, there was even a controversy over a so-called GENDER IDEOLOGY, according to which a child who received sex education ran the risk of becoming homosexual if he or she was not told that he or she was born a man or a woman. Families became sufficiently outraged that nationwide rejection marches took place, some with homophobic overtones. Right-wing factions led demonstrations defending traditional family values and condemning the M.E.N.’s sex education primers as an apotheosis of the LGBTI movement.