[BCMA] Fwd: CMA Clip Serv: Sex exhibit has Minister hot and bothered

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

*Museum's sex exhibit has Heritage Minister hot and bothered*
Carys Mills, The Globe and Mail, Thursday, May 17, 2012

Canada's Heritage Minister says an Ottawa museum is acting outside its 
mandate by showcasing an exhibit designed to educate teenagers about sex.

"Sex: A Tell-all Exhibition" will open Thursday at the Crown corporation 
Canada Science and Technology Museum. Even before opening day, the 
museum faced backlash over the exhibition -- which had been shown in 
Montreal and Regina without similar incident -- from about 50 people, 
including parents and Heritage Minister
James Moore.

James Maunder, spokesman for the minister, said in an e-mail that Mr. 
Moore "didn't complain, he expressed concerns" earlier this week. While 
the museum is independent and makes its own decisions, Mr. Maunder said 
its president was contacted because its mandate "is to foster scientific 
and technological literacy throughout Canada."

"It is clear this exhibit does not fit within that mandate," Mr. Maunder 
said. "Its content cannot be defended, and is insulting to taxpayers."

The exhibition was created by the Montréal Science Centre for teenagers 
and pre-teens 12 years of age and older. Following e-mails and calls 
from distressed parents in Ottawa, the Canada Science and Technology 
Museum raised the age limit for unaccompanied teens to 16, said museum 
spokesman Olivier Bouffard. He said the museum will also leave out an 
animated video about masturbation.

Mr. Bouffard said he had not seen the minister's remarks about the 
museum's mandate so he could not comment on them or whether they had 
caused the museum to rethink hosting the show.

The exhibition uses video, computer animation, photography and 
interactive platforms, attempting to answer questions about sexuality, 
puberty, contraception and other topics.

Mr. Bouffard said the museum has planned to host the exhibit for six 
months, costing about $60,000 in total.

Government funding goes towards in-house productions, he said, but the 
museum generates revenue itself through rentals, sponsorships and 
fundraising.

Before the sex exhibit was chosen, the museum researched reaction in 
Montreal and Regina, as well as attendee satisfaction, Mr. Bouffard said.

"Of course we did our due diligence," he said. "Their experience was 
nothing like ours. ... in a way it was a bit of a surprise, the kind of 
response that we're getting here in Ottawa."

Mr. Maunder said the minister encourages other concerned Canadians to 
contact the museum's president as he did.

Before the uproar, president Denise Amyot said in a statement that she 
was impressed by the reaction the show had elsewhere and the support it 
has from education and public health experts.

"We are proud to offer to our region's youth this daring exhibition," 
she said, "which can help them make enlightened decisions on questions 
that they feel deeply concerned about."

---   30   ---
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.vvv.com/pipermail/bcma/attachments/20120518/71636575/attachment.htm