A controversy arose around a sex education course.
The academic management and the departmental council of Indre-et-Loire announced on Tuesday that they had filed a complaint for defamation after leaflets and publications from the Parents enanger 37 collective targeting an emotional and sexual education session organized at the beginning of February in a college in Tours .
The Angry Parents collective, which has relayed conspiracy theories in the past, was moved in a publication on Facebook and its website about a sex education session during which, according to it, the speakers “schematized sexual positions which could be more pleasant or not in a sexual relationship.
On Friday, the collective also distributed leaflets in front of the Jules-Ferry college, located in Tours, “in order to distribute a call for testimonies to parents and students”.
The academic director of Indre-et-Loire regretted the texts and actions of this collective.
“It was an ordinary session, on gender equality in particular.
An education session on emotional and sexual life hosted in partnership with the departmental council, which circulates an exhibition entitled
X and Y
,” explained Christian Mendivé to AFP.
“They distort reality”
“From what we understand, a mother spoke about it to the collective.
The collective then published leaflets with defamatory and misleading remarks about the content of the session.
We contacted the prosecutor and filed a complaint for defamation, he said.
On Friday, adults towed with young college students.
They weren't college parents.
(…) It’s regrettable, our young people need answers more than ever to the questions they ask about sexuality.
»
A feeling shared by the departmental council and its elected representative in charge of colleges, Judicaël Osmond (DVD).
“The exhibition has been running for twelve years.
It is appreciated by teachers, parents and adolescents,” reacted the elected official.
“It’s a small group, rather far-right, which lies, which says that children have been taught to masturbate.
It's astonishing.
They distort reality.
The goal is to harm.
It’s about our employees.
National Education does not need that.
Enough is enough,” he insisted.
He specified that the president of the departmental council, Nadège Arnault, had signed on Tuesday “the document authorizing” the department to file a complaint “for defamation and public insults”.
The Angry Parents collective did not respond to requests from AFP on Tuesday evening.