New Brunswick’s premier says he is “furious” about a sexual education presentation made in several provincial high schools.
Blaine Higgs said the organization behind the presentation, Thirsty For The Talk, has been banned from presenting in New Brunswick schools going forward.
Higgs says several concerned parents shared with him photos and screenshots of “clearly inappropriate material” presented in at least four high schools.
The presentation, he said, “was not part of the New Brunswick curriculum and the content was not flagged for parents in advance.”
“My office has been told by Department of Education officials that this was supposed to be a presentation on HPV,” the premier said in a social media post.
“However, the group shared materials well beyond the scope of an HPV presentation.”
A photo shared by Higgs in his social media post appears to show a slide from the presentation.
It asks several questions, including: “Is it normal to watch porn like people watch TV series?” “Do girls masturbate?” “Is it good or bad to do anal?” and “Does it hurt when you do it for the 1st time?”
“The fact that this was shared shows either improper vetting was done, the group misrepresented the content they would share … or both,” said Higgs.
“To say I am furious would be a gross understatement.”
The post by Higgs, which was made Friday evening, has garnered hundreds of comments. Many agreed with the premier’s stance while others said they see no problem with the presentation.
Higgs said his government will have further discussions about whether additional rules about third-party presentations need to be updated.
