Navigating the Digital Birds and Bees: Student Research Pushes for Porn Literacy in Classrooms

Riley Wolfe presents their research on porn literacy as part of X-Pride's Pride Month and the GSDA Lecture Series // Photo: Happiness John

Porn literacy: not the type of literacy typically associated with school, but important nonetheless. It is a conversation that never seems to bubble past the surface, despite the prevalence of porn in our society and its importance to our conceptions of healthy sexual practices. Partnering with the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association (AWRC/SASA), Riley Wolfe, supervised by Dr. Rachel Hurst, spent the summer learning about just that.  

Wolfe, a fourth year Honours student and president of X-Pride, wanted to understand the growing consumption of porn by youth, and how, like many other types of media, it blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Porn can be accessed by any number of Canadian youth, most of whom use the internet daily. So, what sort of education is available for those exploring porn in the formative years of their sexual development? According to Wolfe and several Sexual and Relationship Educators, not nearly enough.

In a world of revenge porn and sharing nudes, and where there is little information available to 2SLGBTQ+ youth regarding sex, how can we expect adolescents to navigate the online world both safely and respectfully? It is by no means an easy feat to find resources to teach youth the media literacy and critical thinking skills necessary to differentiate what happens in porn from reality. In many classrooms, conversations surrounding porn are quickly shut down, and youth are shamed for watching it, but it’s a conversation that’s happening nonetheless. As Wolfe discovered in their interviews, some teachers are slowly but surely fighting to have those conversations in the classroom so that young people can be taught about porn and sex in a more structured environment.

As part of their research, Wolfe worked to create an FAQ list, designed workshops and handouts, and has opened the conversation about giving educators these resources for classrooms in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Exposing porn as a sexual performance that is a product of an industry allows youth to consider what is missing from porn, and to recognize that what happens in porn isn’t an accurate reflection of real life. Educating youth is also a way of systematically fighting back against the sexualized violence that is often present, but disregarded, in porn.

Riley Wolfe presents their research on porn literacy as part of X-Pride's Pride Month and the GSDA Lecture Series // Photo: Happiness John

There has also been an observed effect of porn on health and safety. Nurses routinely see these consequences, as porn often fails to promote the habits of healthy sexual relationships (such as the use of condoms to prevent STIs and pregnancies, as well as consent). “If we’re not talking about porn … we’re also not really talking about consent,” one of Wolfe’s interviewees observed. The conversation about consent is fundamental, and as a society, we often fail to ensure that all voices are heard within that conversation. Porn deals with racism, body image, misogyny, and violence, and we would be doing a disservice to the many survivors of sexualized violence by remaining silent about porn in the classroom.

Being a woman has often been equated with being an object of male desire and domination. Some go as far as saying that porn is a tool meant to further the oppression and sexualization of women, and that the often violent and derogatory nature of porn only serves as an accepted example of domestic violence. To put it lightly, not everyone is a fan. According to the Anti-Porn Feminists, porn is a way that women are being controlled by the patriarchy. Not all women believe this, however, thus birthing the Feminist Sex Wars of the 1970s and 1980s. In retaliation to the “porn panic” caused by this idea of ownership and violence, Sex Positivity Feminists took a fundamentally different stance. They considered porn the liberation of women and cited it as proof that this was the dawn of an age of sexual autonomy and open discussions concerning sexual pleasure for women. The advocation that women were complex, sexual beings occurred at a crucial time where birth control was being legalized in Canada. The debate continues, but the conversation has broadened to include other marginalized groups because 2SLGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities and those of racial minorities are being fetishized online.

Claydon Goering, StFX Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisor, asks a question following the lecture. // Photo: Happiness John

So, where do we go from here? Wolfe argues that porn already exists, so there's no way of closing Pandora's box. The industry is already out there, so moving forward, we can only strive to equip youth with the necessary skills to engage with porn both as a tool of exploration and education.

Wolfe’s lecture is just one event of many making up X-Pride’s Pride Month at StFX. Other events include Amateur Drag Night, a sex-ed workshop by Venus Envy, a queer music night at the Inn, Sex Toy Bingo, and Rainbow Party. Details for these events can be found on Instagram @xpridesociety or on facebook in the X-Pride 2019-20 group.