Umeå University's logo

Sexuality education (SE) takes place in fields of tension where biology, legislation, norms, and values intersect. Drawing on Ahmed’s phenomenological account of whiteness, this article examines how Swedish whiteness is constructed and reproduced within SE. In Sweden, SE is formalised as an overarching, subject-integrated knowledge area where the biology subject plays a crucial role in its delivery. To include a wide spectrum of SE, where both planned and unplanned aspects of teaching are considered, as well as tensions in the content, we have analysed eight semi-structured teacher interviews and five biology textbooks. Our analysis shows how Swedish whiteness is reproduced as a form of institutionalised orientation constructed by norms, social values, people, subject knowledge, policies, and legislation, all intertwined in a complex web. This web places SE, teachers, and pupils in a racial landscape that constructs and reproduces specific forms of Swedish whiteness by assigning each a position in relation to familiarity. This familiarity provides a taken-for-granted starting point in SE, where ‘here’ is constructed as a place of progression, openness, and possibilities for happy future sexual lives, while other places come to stand out as hyper-visible examples of the less familiar, less happy, and ‘far away’. From this outpost, teachers and biology textbooks construct and reproduce Swedish whiteness through 'happy stories' of Swedish exceptionalism. Although these positive messages in SE may stem from good intentions, our findings show that a colourblind view of racial hierarchies in the rendering of ‘happy stories, about, for example, gay rights, free abortion, and equality also contributes to reproducing whiteness and reinforcing ideas about race and Swedish exceptionalism in SE.

Sexuality education (SE) involves topics that can be perceived as sensitive and private, which creates challenges for teachers. Teachers in Sweden feel uncomfortable with the subject of SE, as they lack knowledge about LGBTQ issues and experience uncertainty in handling charged discussions. Therefore, teachers need tools for teaching this subject, regarding both the content itself and the teaching methods. Aiming to facilitate inclusive SE, this thesis thus contributes to the knowledge of contemporary SE in Sweden. Two studies were conducted: the first addressing Swedish Biology textbooks in grades 7-9, and the second involving classroom observations in three different teachers’ SE teaching in grade 8. These studies were developed into four papers.

Paper 1 presents a content analysis of five Swedish Biology textbooks using feminist, crip and queer perspectives. The results show that trans persons, homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality are standard content. Representations of disabilities are sparse, while intersex and asexuality are not included. In paper 2, Swedish whiteness is analysed in the textbooks and teacher interviews through the lens of critical race theory. The findings reveal that references to legislation, science, progression, ethnicity, tradition, and culture construct Swedish whiteness as a ‘happy’ place ‘here’, in contrast to less happy places elsewhere, far away ‘there’. Paper 3 concerns different tensions that arise during classroom teaching and how teachers balance these situations. Both the anti-oppressive strategies and the teaching methods focused on processes, facts, and relations are analysed. The results show that teachers can use tensions in SE to challenge prejudice and heteronormative assumptions. Also, teachers’ inclusion of students’ thoughts and worlds, even around controversial topics, creates recognition, subjectification, and meaning making for the students. Paper 4 explores how teachers handle unexpected situations in SE classrooms. The short interruptions are analysed through the theoretical concepts becomings, intensity, and glow.

According to the results, when teachers capture unexpected comments, student engagement is aroused, allowing new concepts to enrich the SE content. In sum, this thesis concludes that SE needs to embrace more diverse content. This could be achieved through fluid conceptions of bodies and sexualities, thus facilitating students' recognition and subjectification, especially through the inclusion of nuances of asexuality, alternative family constellations, intersex, and crip. Finally, teachers need to welcome tensions and the unexpected as rich possibilities to capture new SE content and to create student engagement.

The Nordic countries' progressive sexuality education (SE) has become synonymous with gender equality, sex-positive attitudes, and norm-critical awareness (Allen & Rasmussen, 2016; Bengtsson & Bolander, 2020; Zimmerman, 2015). In global comparison, Nordic SE is perceived to be a queer utopia regarding LGBTQ rights (Kjaran, 2017). Despite the prominence, feminist scholars argue it to cultivate forms of sexuality through notions of secularism and progressive pedagogy (Scott, 2018). According to Scott (2018) has Western sexual freedom represented the “fulfilling of natural inclinations of all women” (p. 157) in which sexual desire becomes a defining attribute of the human and a form of “natural law outside of history” (ibid). Svendsen (2017) argues the secular logic within Norwegian SE to be an ‘operating technology’, constructing a secular native and a religious Other. Similar constructions have been found by Honkasalo (2018) in Finnish textbooks, where culture is assigned to non-Finnish Others in contrast to liberal and progressive "Finnish" sexuality. 

When seemingly neutral and depoliticized notions of sexuality, the human body, health, and morality are addressed in SE, it becomes crucial to think about how these notions affect educational practices. In this paper we continue the path of critique and explore Swedish SE to understand how ‘Nordic nativeness’ is constructed through educational practices. Our data consists of observations, interviews, and textbooks in which we highlight how ‘the native’ and ‘the Other’ are represented. In our paper, we use a thematic analysis to flesh out how positions of ‘nativeness’ and ‘otherness’ are represented in SE. Our preliminary findings support previous research but also present a paradox in which attempts of widening perspectives simultaneously re-construct and re-position nativeness and otherness. Although the empirical example is from a Swedish context, the paper’s results are of interest to a wider audience because it contributes to an understanding of how sexuality education is actively positions different ethical, social, political, and cultural values. 

Shortcomings in sex and relationship education (SRE) related to norms and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexuality (LGBTQIA) perspectives have been reported internationally and in Sweden. This paper reports on findings from a critical study of SRE content in Swedish biology textbooks for 13- to 16-year-old pupils, with the aim of revealing which sexual orientations and bodies are made visible or invisible in the texts. About 200 quotations were selected and analysed, quantitatively and qualitatively, with a focus on limitations and possibilities. The results show that LGBT content is visible in all SRE chapters. However, sexual orientation is often constructed as fixed. Furthermore, stereotypical gender binaries are reinforced via heteronormative assumptions regarding hormones, genitals and reproduction, focusing on differences instead of similarities, and thus limiting the‌ potential to widen non-binary perceptions of bodies and sexualities. Our quantitative analyses reveal that there are few, if any, queer, intersex, asexual or crip/disability representations. If gaps in young people’s knowledge regarding norms, intersex, asexuality, queer and crip sexualities are to be filled in order to promote equality and diversity, it is important to rethink the SRE content of Swedish biology textbooks.

Shortcomings in sex- and relationship education, SRE, concerning content related to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) and queer perspectives, are expressed in a report from The Swedish School Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen, 2018). Drawing on the report this study critically examines the content in five Swedish biology textbooks for 13- to 16-year-old pupils. The first part of the study analyses quantitatively the representations of LGBT, homosexuality, queer, intersex, asexuality, and crip, or disability, by calculating an estimated percentage of content coverage. The results show that LGBT content is represented in all five books. There are none or only a few representations though, of queer, intersex, asexuality, and crip. The second part of the study is a qualitative examination of sexualities through gender, queer and crip theory. Among the results are examples regarding hormones and puberty that reinforce stereotypical gender binaries, focusing on differences instead of similarities, thereby missing the potential to render visibility to intersex and trans-persons. There are also descriptions of reproduction and genitals, where the man is depicted as norm. If gaps in knowledge and diversity regarding gender, queer and crip are to be filled, further development of textbooks is important.

To prevent discrimination and to promote equality and human rights of diverse bodies and sexual orientations, I critically examine sexuality education within biology. The purpose of this study is to develop understanding about limitations and possibilities in sexuality education content, in terms of norms and diversity regarding different bodies and sexualities. In addition to feminist and queer perspectives, crip theories (McRuer 2011) are used to explore categories of disability, or ableness. I have participated during sex and relationship education in grade 8 in three biology teachers’ classrooms. The data consists of audio recordings of the teacher’s voices, and my handwritten notes. The analysis is work in progress, and among the findings are negotiations made when unplanned content appears in the classroom. This has alerted the question of what space there is in the classroom for the unexpected, and how teachers handle such encounters.

McRuer, R. (2011). Disabling sex: Notes for a crip theory of sexuality. GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, 17(1), 107-117. 

Shortcomings in sex- and relationship education (SRE) are expressed in a report from the Swedish School Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen 2018), concerning content related to LGBT and queer perspectives. Drawing on the report this study critically examines the content in biology textbooks. Five Swedish textbooks for 13- to 16-year-old pupils have been analysed to explore inclusions and exclusions in the chapters containing SRE. The first part of the study is a quantitative analysis where the total number of lines in each SRE chapter, and the lines including the concepts crip, LGBT, queer, homosexual, intersex and asexuality, have been counted. Then an estimated percentage of content coverage has been calculated. The results show that LGBT content is represented in all five books, however there are none or only a few representations of crip, queer, intersex or asexuality in these chapters. The second part of the study is a qualitative examination of sexuality in the perspectives of crip, queer and gender theory. Among the preliminary results there are examples that focus on sameness rather than difference, for instance regarding hormones and puberty. Differences between women and men are featured in stereotypic views of clothing, makeup and hugging. Some of the books depict the man as the norm. Hence further development of textbooks is important if gaps in knowledge about crip, queer and gender are to be filled.

Sex education is a complex school subject under constant change. Teachers find it difficult to keep up with societal trends that affect the subject content and to handle emotionally charged discussions. In all education, there is also risk in the form of the unexpected. In this study, posthuman theory is used to analyse how biology teachers handle unexpected situations during classroom observations of sexuality education in grade 8 in Sweden. The results show that welcoming the unexpected can broaden representations of sexuality and contribute to new content based on current societal phenomena. Furthermore, the results show how pupils’ contributions of new terms and concepts from society and media can be assembled with the content of sex education and thus give both students and teachers opportunities to stay up to date. Therefore, the unexpected needs to be given space, in teacher education as well, to enable creative teaching processes in a democratic school that prepares students for an unpredictable future.