Schoolgirls aged 13 and 14 have been encouraged to ask each other for a kiss as part of a diversity lesson in a US state that has legalised gay marriage.
The girls were encouraged to mimic lesbian behaviour at a workshop session at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, in New York State.
Parents, who were not given prior notice of the event, were furious but school officials say the subjects were required by the state’s Dignity for All Students Act.
Teenage
As part of the workshop, teenage boys were told to carry condoms at all times and shown how to identify a “slut”.
Pupils were also introduced to terms such as “pansexual” and “genderqueer”.
Mandy Coon, whose daughter was in the workshop, said she is “furious” because the school did not give her opportunity to remove her child from the session.
Parent
She said: “I am her parent. Where does anyone get the right to tell her that it’s okay for her to have sex?”
The Dignity for All Students Act requires all students to be instructed on respecting others, including an awareness and sensitivity towards sexual orientations and gender identities.
School superintendent Paul Finch has consulted with parents about topics for future sessions that are scheduled.
Notified
And following a meeting of parents with school principal Dr Katie Zahedi, officials agreed that parents should be notified before sexual topics were discussed in class.
She maintained that hypothetical scenarios revolved around a kiss, rather than having sex.
New York became the sixth US state to bring in gay marriage in 2011.