New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said he had banned a sex education group from presenting at high schools in his province after concerned parents sent him photos of “clearly inappropriate material” being shown at the presentations.
Higgs posted a photo from the beginning of the presentation hosted by “Thirsty for the Talk” to X. In the post, he outlined his issues with the group, which he says presented to at least four N.B. high schools.
“This group will not be allowed to present again at New Brunswick schools, effective immediately,” Higgs said. “Children should be protected, and parents should be respected.”
The photo from the presentation, which according to Higgs was supposed to be a presentation on HPV, shows chat bubbles with questions such as “Is it good or bad to do anal?”, “Does it hurt when you do it the first time?” and “Do girls masturbate?”
“To say I am furious would be a gross understatement,” Higgs said. “This presentation was not part of the New Brunswick curriculum, and the content was not flagged for parents in advance.”
“Thirsty for the Talk” responded to True North’s initial request for comment but then did not respond to any of our questions before the deadline given.
One of the group’s presenters, Teresa Norris, spoke to Global News over the weekend. She said the entire presentation was submitted and approved by the school before it took place.
Norris also said the content that was highlighted was not meant to encourage the behaviour but to discuss the dangers of unsafe sex.
Though Higgs only shared one photo from the presentation, a look at the group’s website, which has no about page, sheds some light on what might have been in some of these presentations.
In the Q&A section of the group’s website called “No Filter Questions” the group helps answer questions teenagers might be asking, such as “What is furry porn” and “How does cum taste?”
The answers to all the questions direct students reach out to the group if they have any questions about “their situation.”
The website also shares videos explaining “the lovely effects of masturbation” and a section where teens can learn sexual terminology and about the positions that accompany them.
“The group shared materials that were well beyond the scope of an HPV presentation. The fact that this was shared shows either improper vetting was done, the group misrepresented the content they would share … or both.” Higgs said in the post. “Our government will have further discussions about whether additional rules about third-party presentations need to be updated.”
Chanel Pfahl, a former teacher, regularly exposes online what she believes is inappropriate content in schools across Canada.
“I’m pleased to see a premier who is unafraid to act when concerning material is brought to his attention,” she said in a text message to True North.
She said it’s refreshing to see a premier standing up against the sexualization of children, an issue she feels mostly “falls on our elected representatives’ deaf ears.”
Pfahl agrees with Higgs: the group should be banned.
“The unfortunate part, however, is that in the grand scheme of things, the banning of this one group will not accomplish a ton,” she said. “The gender, sexuality and race-related indoctrination in New Brunswick (and all other provinces) is a far bigger problem than I’ve seen any Premier acknowledge so far, but I hope that time is coming soon.”
She thinks that any premier who follows Higgs’ lead in taking decisive action to ensure the children of their province have an education “free from indoctrination” will earn the respect and support of parents at large.
