8th grade students at Våler Junior High School in Østfold were recently confronted with sexualized descriptions, crude jokes and nude images during the project "Queer Soul", carried out by an artist from Pride Art under the auspices of Den kulturelle skolesekken (DKS).
During the performance, the artist talked about a friend who «liked to jerk off with a vacuum cleaner,» and that he himself had a cat who «was gay and liked to cuddle with other male cats.» He also showed a picture of a friend lying naked on the grass with a special light above him. In addition, pictures were spread out on the floor – everything from whales to nudes – that the students were supposed to associate with being queer. The performance also contained claims that homosexuals «often wear black pants and colorful clothes.».
Several parents are reacting strongly to the fact that 13-14 year old students were exposed to sexualized stories, naked bodies and stereotypical representations during school hours in this way. Students have subsequently said that they were left with wonder, uncertainty and discomfort.
Parents who have complained to the principal, the municipality and the State Administrator are experiencing that they are not being heard. The Christian Resource Center has supported parents with professional input and concrete feedback, and the case has now been forwarded to the Civil Ombudsman.
– We experience that neither the children's voices, the students' right to a safe school environment, nor the parents' right to access have been taken seriously, the parents write in the complaint.
The case is discussed in Document, The day and Moss newspaper.
Lack of information
The parents also react that they were not given any advance information about the content of the teaching. The students were not informed either. One of the teachers explained during a meeting:
«"We also don't usually announce the other cultural school bags and what they are about. But what we have told the students is that we have not announced them on a par with other things, because we have experienced that students have been kept home from classes.".
This statement shows that the school has deliberately failed to inform parents – precisely to prevent them from being able to decide whether their children should participate.
Sexualization of children – A pattern in DKS
Kristent Ressurssenter has previously highlighted how DKS is used to introduce ideological and sexualized projects into schools. This is not the first time, but there is a concrete pattern of sexualization from Den kulturelle skolesekken:
Several people experience that schools put ideological activism ahead of children's safety and parents' right to be involved. The county council is responsible as the organizer for all the performances that are presented with state funds that are paid to the performers, and principals are responsible for allowing them to take place.
Offenses in the case
- Education Act Section 12-2: All students have the right to a safe and good school environment that promotes health, well-being and learning. When teaching creates insecurity and psychological stress, this right is violated.
- Education Act Section 1-3: The school should cooperate with the home. When parents are deliberately excluded, this is a serious breach of trust.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child, Articles 12 and 19: Norway is obliged to listen to children and protect them from abuse. The Convention is incorporated into Norwegian law through the Human Rights Act, and thus has precedence in the event of conflict.
- Additionally, sexually explicit content violates Penal Code Section 305, which prohibits showing children sexually offensive content or other indecent behavior. This is punishable by up to 2 years in prison.
When 8th graders are exposed to sexualized stories, nude images, and crude jokes during a mandatory school performance, there is good reason to test whether the limits of the law have been violated.
Children's rights must come first
This is unfortunately not an isolated incident. We are seeing a trend where sexualized and ideological content is presented to children under the guise of art or education. When the school itself says that they are failing to inform parents to prevent reactions, it is a serious breach of trust.
We believe that:
- DKS content must be quality assured according to the students' age and maturity.
- Parents must always receive written advance information, especially when it comes to sensitive topics, and the content must be shown in advance for assessment.
- Children's right to safety and well-being must take precedence over ideological activism disguised as culture
We will continue to follow the case and support parents who dare to speak out. We urge the Directorate of Education and political authorities to review The Cultural School Backpack and set requirements for quality assurance, transparency and parental involvement.
Children should encounter art and culture in school that builds, inspires and strengthens the community – not that creates unrest, insecurity and offense. When schools expose minors to sexualized descriptions and nude images, the legal consequences must also be considered. The protection of children must outweigh the freedom of artists, and Section 305 of the Penal Code reminds us that there are clear limits to what children can be exposed to.