Chanel Contos calls for ‘toxic masculinity’ lessons as part of new Victorian consent education

Young students are set to be taught about the dangers of “toxic masculinity” and s***-shaming as an Aussie state rolls out a new program.

Sex education campaigner Chanel Contos is working with the Victorian Government on lessons that she hopes will teach students about “toxic masculinity” and “sl*t shaming”.

The Sydneysider has been pushing for earlier and more “holistic” education in schools around sex, relationships and consent after a petition she made brought forward thousands of stories of sexual assault from students and former students across Australia.

Her push has already made waves in NSW, where students are expected to have a much bigger say on what their sex education lessons will look like and NSW Police unveiled an operation to make it easier for alleged sexual assault victims to come forward.

Now it has been revealed she is in conversations with the Victorian Government about modifying the ‘Respectful Relationships’ lessons that are already taught in Victorian public schools, to include a specific section on consent.

She told the Herald Sun she has been working with Education Minister James Merlino’s department to contribute to the curriculum and push for key themes to be taught in Victorian schools.

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Chanel Contos has been working with Victorian Education Minister James Merlino. Picture: Hollie Adams

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“I’ve been working with them on creating the content … I feel like people don’t know that oral sex is sexual assault and that your boyfriend, friend or someone you know personally can rape you – this needs to be taught,” she said.

“We need to talk about the difference between toxic masculinity and normal masculinity. We need to talk about sl*t shaming and the fact that girls’ sexual pleasure is so taboo.”

Deakin University Associate Professor Debbie Ollis, a lead researcher in education who helped develop ‘Respectful Relationships’, said the curriculum needed to be constantly updated to stay relevant and suggested issues like toxic masculinity could be taught by looking at the impact of social media and media.

Late last month, the Victorian Government announced it would make consent education mandatory in public schools.

Employment Minister Jaala Pulford said teaching school students about sexual consent was a “very important step”.

“This will build on the current program which is significant and does cover consent,” she said at a press conference.

“But what we’re hearing from students is that they believe that an expansion and a greater depth to this training is required.”

She said the specifics of what the consent education program would look like were being worked out.

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Victorian Employment Minister Jaala Pulford said the consent component was still being ironed out. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Luis Ascui

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“We’ll work with education experts and also young people to understand where the opportunities are for the best possible education for boys and girls, and people who are almost young men and young women, in the school system in a way that’s age appropriate but also provides a very deep understanding for everyone about what consent means and why it matters,” she said.

However, there has been a pushback against the methods being used in some schools in the state, with one college forcing male students to apologise to female students on behalf of their gender.

Brauer College, in Warrnambool, held an assembly where the boys were told to stand in solidarity for female students who had experienced sexual harassment.

Outraged parents hit out at the move, saying it had left their sons “confused and upset” for apologising for something they “had not done”.

Ms Contos said the school’s gesture was “problematic”.

“It doesn’t address the root of the problem,” she told NCA NewsWire. “We can’t make it seem like men are being the heroes here.

“If all men are to all stand in solidarity they kind of have a get-out-of-jail-free card – I’m obviously on the girl’s side, but will they (boys) still go to the locker room after school and talk about a girl they had sex with on the weekend really inappropriately, maybe, probably?

“We need to make sure as a society that movements towards reconciliation are movements towards making a better future … we can’t make a hostile environment for people to offer up solutions.”