Our education system gets a lot wrong when it comes to teaching young people about sex. One sexual education class I received at the age of about 15 discussed the mystery of menstruation: "When blood passes through the female body every month." If you were to believe the sexual education I received, gay people existed; they just didn’t have sex. We’re practically told women should pretend they’re a Victorian doing their patriotic duty: Lie back and think of Ireland. Upon reflection, maybe we could do with fewer bird houses and some real sex education.

Source: Irish Examiner February 27, 2026 01:06 UTC