“Parents don’t have the vocabulary”

“At your age, there are some who know lots of things, there are some who think they know, and others who know less. »

That afternoon, for an hour, Caroline from the Sésame association spoke about sexuality to around twenty young deaf people aged 15 to 21 from the Plein Vent institute.

Students unaccustomed to talking about sexuality

Some were attending, for the first time, an emotional, relational and sexual education session. “We realized that they did not necessarily have access to health prevention like other young people of their age attending middle or high school, points out Julie Terrat Fauriat, specialist teacher at the Plein Vent institute. During anatomy lessons, they are always very interested and curious to learn. They dare to ask questions, but once they leave special education, they do not have suitable actors at their disposal.”

And added: “We wanted to help them and give them visibility on the prevention associations present in the region. »

The establishment then initiated a Health Week. A first edition was held last year, “but less extensive,” she explains.

This year, this event consisted of 28 workshops spread over five days, led by different associations and speakers. The opportunity to discuss themes such as harassment, lifestyle, domestic accidents or sexuality.

Homosexuality, “first time”…

For the first time, Caroline, a speaker at the Sésame association, provided emotional, relational and sexual education to an audience of deaf and hard of hearing people. She had to adapt, notably increasing the number of visuals and being accompanied by two sign language interpreters.

“We respect each other, we don’t judge each other. There are no stupid questions and no right or wrong answers. We don’t talk about his private life.”

From the first minutes, the framework is set, translated by the interpreter. “We are going to talk about friendship, love, sexuality in a fairly specific way,” she warns, before scrolling through a series of photos of couples on a screen. In the first, two young women hold each other by the neck.

“They might be friends or women who are homosexual,” suggests Caroline. What do you think ? Do we decide who we fall in love with? » she asks.

After the first hesitations, hands move, fingers move in the room, the interpreter reformulates the answers for the speaker who then explains what homosexuality is.

“It’s not a choice, it’s falling in love with someone of the same sex. » Other photos of couples are projected, each time leaving room for a few discussions, on marriage, “do you always have to be in love to get married”, friendship, love, desire before other themes are explored such as masturbation or “the first time”.

“Porn is not reality”

“The girl experiences pain if the boy does not wait to know if his partner is ready to receive the penis. The first time, Caroline advises, you really have to go slowly. Everything is done to ensure that everything goes well. »

Questions surrounding this first time which were among the concerns that the young people had asked, in writing, to be raised, as was the size of the male penis.

“There is no ideal size,” Caroline reassured. What you see in porn is not reality. »

Sensitive subjects that are not always discussed by parents who fear talking about sexuality with their child. “They don’t necessarily have the vocabulary for it,” says Julie Terrat Fauriat. Nor visibility on the associations to which they could send them.