Content, quality, gaps and needs in sexuality education in Canada: a national survey of sexuality and gender minority youth

Comprehensive sexuality education is associated with a wide range of improved health and social outcomes. However, the quality and scope of sexual health education in Canada varies, with particular gaps for sexuality and gender minority (SGM) young people. Using quantitative data drawn from a national survey of 463 SGM youth (aged 15–29) in Canada, we explored the quality and scope of the sexuality education received and identified gaps. Only 25.7% of participants reported having received sexuality education that supported their health and well-being. Overall, 31.8% indicated that their educator was a safe person to ask questions about gender or sexuality. The majority of participants reported learning ‘a lot’ about STI prevention (63.5%), pregnancy prevention (62.8%) and puberty (60.4%). In contrast, most participants said they did not learn anything about sexual pleasure for trans and queer people (85.8%), gender identity and expression (70.1%), non-heterosexual sex and/or relationships (59.9%), and romantic attraction (58.1%), and nearly half did not learn anything about abortion (49.8%). Findings highlight gaps in sexuality education for SGM youth, particularly with regard to topics that explicitly and positively address their experiences. To better support the health, rights and well-being of SGM youth, future educational policy and practice must foreground their experiences and needs.