Report finds Canadian youth feel unprepared, scared to have sex

Young Canadians aren't happy with the quality of sexual education and leave the classroom feeling awkward, unprepared and scared to have sex, a new report from a Toronto-based think tank suggests.

LetsStopAIDS, a youth-driven Canadian charity that raises HIV awareness among young Canadians, released the findings of its second Sex Lives Report this week, based on data collected in May through a survey sampling 1,090 Canadians aged 18 to 24.

Gabrial Brown, a research analyst at LetsStopAIDS, told CBC's Edmonton AM the survey looked to understand young Canadians' relationship with their sexuality, their knowledge of HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention, and their experiences with sex ed.

"Our findings were loud and clear," Brown said.

"The conventional methods of addressing sexuality are obsolete, more so in today's age that values equality, diversity and respect."

The report found sex ed gave students an "abundance" of scientific information but was "severely lacking in practical knowledge or skills," leaving respondents with unanswered questions, Brown said.

LetsStopAIDS's findings suggest young Canadians feel unprepared for sex because their classroom experience was negatively impacted by a stigmatized and "abstinence-focused" class likely stemming from teachers' discomfort around sex.

Young people also felt there were topics teachers didn't cover, notably gender identity and sexual orientation, saying the education they received was "primarily heteronormative."

Finn St Dennis, research and evaluation manager for the Queer and Trans Health Collective in Edmonton, said the report's findings weren't surprising.

Many of the highlighted topics, they said, are present in Edmonton, based on the sex ed "disparity" that the collective hears about from community members, who face similar challenges as their straight and cisgender peers.

"They're also facing additional barriers when you have teachers that aren't teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity, and aren't necessarily comfortable or prepared to have those conversations," they said.

The report also found condom use is down, fewer young people are being tested for STIs despite a rise in infections, and that they don't recall learning about medications like PrEP — a daily pill taken to prevent the transmission of HIV.

'That really speaks to the need to talk about testing in tech said the benefits of testing and destigmatizing testing," St Dennis said.

In the survey, respondents said education about diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and the challenges faced by the LGBTQ community would "foster greater inclusivity, understanding and acceptance."