Calls to Halt Sex Education Programs After Year 9 Girls Exposed to Bestiality, Incest

A South Australian (SA) minister has called for a halt to all sex education programs in schools delivered by a third party following reports about students being exposed to concepts of bestiality and incest in a classroom presentation.

Renmark High School in the regional area of Riverland, SA, found itself at the centre of controversy when parents filed complaints about a “confronting” respectful relationship session made to Year 9 girls on March 22.

What Happened?

School girls said they were asked to attend an hour-long session in a separate classroom, which was conducted without teachers’ supervision and parental consent.

The third-party presenter, who was sent by mental health clinic Headspace Berri, reportedly talked to the students about their sexual preferences in explicit languages and explained the meanings of the term LGBTQIA+, according to The Advertiser.

Terms such as bestiality and incest were also part of the discussion. The speaker reportedly explained bestiality in detail and implied that it was endorsed by those identified as LGBTQIA+.

“We’re all just sitting there like, ‘What the hell? What are we doing here? Why are we learning about animals having sex with humans?'” student Courtney White told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“It was really disgusting, it was really uncomfortable.”

“Isn’t it illegal?” she noted, adding that the speaker said the LGBTQI+ community “just accepts all of it.”

Some students reported feeling so uncomfortable that they needed to make excuses to go to the toilet in order to escape the session.

Parents were told by their children that the speaker swore repeatedly during the session and displayed images of people who had undergone gender transition surgery.

‘Not An Isolated Incident’

The incident has sparked calls to put a halt to “sexual and respectful relationship” content delivered by third-party providers.

Ben Hood, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional South Australia, said he had spoken to many parents about their growing concerns and determined that Renmark may not have been an isolated incident.

“What occurred at Renmark High School on Friday 22 March, should cause all parents in South Australia to be deeply concerned about what is occurring in our schools,” he said in a post on X (formally Twitter).

“I am calling on the State Education Minister Blair Boyer to immediately put a halt to all third party providers entering our schools to deliver ‘Sexual and Respectful Relationship’ content and curriculum until a full audit and investigation can be conducted.”

“We need to make sure that our children are protected and that mistakes like what has occurred at Renmark High School does not happen again.”

School Principal Apologised

In a letter to parents, Renmark High School principal Mat Evans said the school “apologise unreservedly” for the incident while acknowledging that “some of the students felt uncomfortable with this content, and there have been a number of complaints from parents.”

The principal also noted that the third-party presenter had been suspended from department schools while an investigation was ongoing.

Meanwhile, SA education department chief executive Martin Westwell said the respectful relationships program was a normal section in the Australian curriculum but the session at Renmark High School was “unacceptable.”

“There should have been a teacher in the room when that occurred, but there wasn’t and the principal has apologised for that,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide on April 4.

“There was a few things that went wrong and it ended up with this inappropriate language and a few things being discussed in that session that were just not appropriate.”