Conference Program

In societal contexts increasingly shaped by polarization, anti‑gender discourses, and moralization, sexuality and gender education has become a central arena for democratic negotiation. International and national framework concepts—such as the WHO recommendations or the European Standards for Sexuality Education—emphasize sexuality education as a contribution to equality, self‑determination, and a society guided by compassion and justice. The concept of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (UNESCO, 2018) likewise understands sexuality education as a holistic educational process that addresses cognitive, emotional, social, and physical dimensions and enables learners to make informed, self‑determined decisions. Thus, sexuality education moves far beyond conveying biological facts, preventive measures, or normative knowledge: it becomes a democratic practice that shapes interactions, imaginations, and forms of living together.

In Germany, some non‑school organizations draw on the aforementioned approaches and offer sex‑positive, emancipatory programs. Simultaneously, sexuality education practitioners operate within a highly politicized and contested discursive field, which poses significant challenges to everyday pedagogical work. Against this backdrop, my research examines how sexuality educators interpret these framework concepts and translate them into concrete pedagogical practices. The focus is not on the actors’ attitudes or intentions, but on the structural conditions that become visible in communication. More specifically, the analysis centers on the intrinsic logics of sexuality education—those particular expectations, challenges, and communicative patterns that shape this pedagogical field and influence who is addressed, and how.

Although the scientific discourse on sexuality education has expanded in recent years, it remains relatively limited, especially with regard to empirical studies. There is a particular lack of analyses grounded in social theory and educational science that investigate the concrete enactment of sexuality education in practice—precisely where this practice explicitly seeks to meet the normative aspirations outlined above.

My qualitative research analyzes policy papers, interaction dynamics in sexuality education workshops, and interviews with educators from various non‑school organizations. Based on the theoretical premise that pedagogical concepts always rely on implicit assumptions about their addressees, the analysis focuses on the social differentiations that become visible in communicative practice.

The study`s findings show that the intended inclusive orientation of sexuality education faces structural limitations. Implicit assumptions about normality—regarding sexuality, relationships, gender, or cultural backgrounds—produce exclusion effects that tend to stabilize existing inequalities rather than reduce them. This gives rise to tensions between normative ideals and practical implementation: while sexuality education aims to promote equality and recognition, its modes of addressing learners sometimes reproduce and strengthens precisely the differences it seeks to overcome.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) promoted by UNESCO (2018) has emerged as one of the main international frameworks guiding the design of sexuality education (SE) interventions. Within this approach, SE is conceived as a formative process aimed at promoting knowledge, skills, and respectful relationships that support both individual and collective well-being. However, despite the growing diffusion of this paradigm, the meaning attributed to the term comprehensive remains the subject of significant interpretative debate (Miedema et al., 2020). This ambiguity is particularly evident in the Italian context where, unlike in most European countries, there are no national guidelines for the systematic implementation of SE in schools (WHO & BZgA, 2010). In the absence of a unified institutional framework, many interventions are promoted by third sector organizations or developed through local projects, contributing to the appearance of an educational landscape characterized by considerable heterogeneity in terms of approaches, contents, and objectives (Chinelli et al., 2022).
Starting from these premises, this paper presents an exploratory analysis, currently in progress, aimed at developing a taxonomy of SE approaches in the Italian context. The research takes as an initial reference the theoretical framework proposed by Jones (2015), according to which sexuality education practices can be interpreted through different paradigms (conservative, liberal, critical, and postmodern) used here as a preliminary analytical framework. The study pursues two main objectives: to examine how the concept of CSE is interpreted and translated into educational practices, and to explore how sexual knowledge is defined, selected, and transmitted within school-based educational interventions.
The study adopts a qualitative approach and is based on semi-structured interviews (Lumino & Vatrella, 2012) conducted with coordinators of educational projects implemented by third sector organizations involved in SE programs in Italian schools. Organizations were selected through purposive sampling (Amaturo et al., 2012), identifying institutions that explicitly declare their adherence to CSE principles in the design of their educational activities.
Preliminary findings reveal significant heterogeneity not only in the ways SE is conceptualized, but also in the interpretation of the concept of comprehensive and in the strategies used to translate international guidelines into educational practice. Although all interviewed organizations claim to be inspired by the CSE framework, the analysis of interviews shows that this reference does not produce a uniform set of interventions. Instead, different approaches to selecting and transmitting sexual knowledge emerge. In particular, the interviews suggest the presence of several recurring configurations: A) interventions mainly focused on biomedical knowledge of the body and on a romantic and heteronormative representation of relationships; B) approaches centered on the emotional dimension and individual empowerment; C) programs characterized by a strong communicative and media-oriented dimension, often associated with the involvement of private actors; D) initiatives that combine individual well-being with a critical perspective on gender inequalities and the power relations that shape sexuality.
These preliminary findings suggest that SE in Italy constitutes a heterogeneous field of practices and interpretations, in which the reference to CSE appears to function more as a general framework of legitimation than as a unified educational model.

The report “Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) country profiles” by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Programme argues that, in order to promote a culture of emotional and sexual well-being, it is necessary to adopt a holistic and cross-cutting approach that takes into account every aspect of life and is addressed from childhood onwards as a process of support for growth, adapted to each age in a manner consistent with the development of each individual’s capabilities.

Discussing affectivity and sexuality in schools also means creating a shared vocabulary, not only amongst the student body but also within the formal and non-formal educational community, which enables a broad and unified approach to topics such as consent, boundaries and desire, thereby reducing subjective interpretations linked to a stereotypical patriarchal culture.

Educating on differences, of which the authors of this contribution are a part, involves the drafting of a reasoned glossary, identifying the words and vocabulary to be shared among teachers at all school levels, educators, and families. This paper aims to provide an update on the progress of the glossary currently under development.

Sexual and emotional education enables us to work on group dynamics, the ability to name emotions, listen to one another, and ask questions in order to make informed choices; it helps us develop strategies for responding to aggression and discrimination, and for escaping controlling and violent relationships – fundamental skills for building active citizenship and a democratic society that places care and rights at its heart.

This approach serves as a primary tool for combating gender-based violence, bullying and discrimination linked to gender, cultural background, sexual orientation, disability and age.

Following the attacks on sex and relationship education programmes in schools by the Meloni government through Minister Valditara’s draft bill (DDL) of 23 May 2025, which deals with ‘Provisions regarding informed consent in schools’ and in the absence of a law guaranteeing children’s right to sex and emotional education programmes, it is becoming increasingly necessary to integrate a gender perspective and the Comprehensive Sexuality Education approach into the school curricula of the first cycle of education (nursery, primary and lower secondary).

In the Italian educational context, sexuality education remains largely marginal or fragmented (Chinelli et al., 2023), despite its crucial relevance for personal development, relational well-being, and democratic coexistence. At the same time, persistent gender stereotypes continue to shape social imaginaries, expectations, and relationships across generations, contributing to the reproduction of unequal gender norms and, in some cases, fostering violent relational dynamics (UNGEI, 2023; Biemmi & Mapelli, 2023). These conditions highlight the need for educational approaches capable of addressing sexuality not merely as a domain of knowledge, but as a complex human experience involving affectivity, embodiment, imagination, and relational capacity (UNESCO, 2018; 2023).

This study presents a pedagogical proposal grounded in the poetic paradigm of education and the theoretical framework of the Pedagogy of Expression (Scaramuzzo, 2013; 2019), which investigates human expressivity and its educability through aesthetic, embodied, and relational processes. Within this perspective, sexuality and affective education are conceived not as the transmission of biomedical information or behavioural norms, but as an educational path that supports the expression, understanding, and relational elaboration of subjective affective and erotic experience.

The proposal is grounded in poetic sexuality education, a pedagogical approach developed by MimesisLab and Roma Tre Mimesis theatre company at the Department of Education, Roma Tre University, within the artistic-educational project Stanze di Eros (Scaramuzzo, 2023). Poetic sexuality education emphasises the formative potential of aesthetic languages, free expression, and narrative sharing. Through artistic stimuli, dialogic reflection, and expressive practices, this approach aims to cultivate poetic participation in relational life: the capacity to recognise one’s own affective experience and understand that of others through empathy, listening, and care (Massullo, 2025a).

The presentation focuses on the workshop “Non spingere, non tirare!” (“Don’t push, don’t pull”), an affective education programme promoted by the anti-violence centre Crisalide and implemented in eleven upper-secondary classes in Spoleto. The project aims to prevent gender-based violence and foster respectful relationships (Massullo, 2025b). The workshop adopts expressive, experiential, and participatory methodologies, combining artistic stimuli, bodily and relational exercises, dialogic practices, and creative narrative production. Through these activities, students explore dominant gender representations, recognise the normative force of stereotypes, and reflect on alternative relational possibilities grounded in expressive freedom, respect, and reciprocity.

The presentation offers a practice-based pedagogical reflection on these educational experiences, drawing on interviews with members of the theatre company, documentation of university and school workshops, and students’ expressive productions. Particular attention is given to aesthetic participation and collective narrative expression in enabling participants to articulate lived experiences and engage with plural perspectives.

The analysis suggests that poetic sexuality education can generate educational spaces characterised by listening, trust, and non-judgement, where the expression and sharing of lived experiences become resources for collective reflection. In this sense, the workshop can be interpreted as a democratic environment where dialogue, recognition of plurality, and the co-construction of meaning become key pedagogical practices. By foregrounding art, expression, and relational encounter, poetic sexuality education emerges as a promising educational pathway for challenging gender stereotypes and fostering more respectful and equitable forms of coexistence.

Sexuality and gender education has increasingly been recognised as a relevant dimension of early childhood education. Educational services for children aged 0–6 represent contexts in which children begin to encounter and negotiate social norms related to bodies, relationships and gender roles. Pedagogical practices within early childhood settings contribute to shaping children’s early understandings of difference, belonging and relational life. Early childhood education and care services influence children’s cognitive, emotional and relational development as well as early identity formation (Catarsi & Fortunati, 2004).

Within this debate, increasing attention has been devoted to gender-expansive childhoods. Research suggests that diverse expressions of gender may emerge in the first years of life and become visible between the ages of two and three (Li et al., 2017). Gender-affirmative approaches emphasise the importance of educational environments capable of recognising children’s gender expressions and supporting their wellbeing without pathologising gender diversity (Ehrensaft, 2016). These perspectives challenge binary understandings of gender and invite educators to consider gender as a socially and culturally situated dimension of childhood. Research has also shown how early childhood settings may reproduce cisnormativity and gender stereotypes unless educators intentionally develop pedagogical practices supporting trans and gender-expansive children (Burgio & Santambrogio, 2024; Di Grigoli, 2024).

Recent debates in gender and education research highlight the need to critically interrogate the epistemological frameworks through which gender diversity is interpreted in educational contexts. Much of the scholarship on queer and gender-diverse childhoods has been developed within Euro-American contexts and risks being universalised as a normative framework for understanding children’s experiences across culturally diverse settings. Decolonial and feminist approaches therefore call for unsettling dominant hierarchies of knowledge production and recognising the plurality of situated epistemologies shaping educational research and practice (Manion & Shah, 2019). Similarly, early childhood scholarship emphasises the importance of questioning colonial assumptions embedded in educational practices and reflecting on how relations to place, culture and knowledge are framed in early childhood contexts (Nxumalo, 2019).

From this perspective, the notion of epistemic justice becomes central, as it calls for recognising whose knowledge, experiences and cultural meanings are legitimised in educational discourses about gender, childhood and family practices. Recent work in queer studies in education shows how Eurocentric understandings of queer identities risk being normalised as universal models, marginalising cultural imaginaries and epistemologies emerging from the global majority (Coloma, 2024). These reflections invite educators to approach gender education through perspectives attentive to epistemic plurality and cultural diversity. This paper develops a theoretical-pedagogical reflection on the education and training of early childhood educators, focusing on how teacher education programmes can support inclusive pedagogical practices in culturally diverse early childhood services. In particular, it argues for approaches that promote gender-expansive pedagogies while maintaining critical awareness of epistemic plurality, in which the category of queerness is critically interrogated through perspectives attentive to epistemic justice and cultural plurality in early childhood education. Such competencies are particularly important in the integrated 0–6 educational system, where teachers play a crucial role in shaping inclusive environments and challenging cisnormative assumptions.

Since 2011, the Scosse association has been working on gender education in schools of all levels, from nursery to upper secondary school.

Since that same year, we have been running the Leggere Senza Stereotipi project: a research initiative that conducts ongoing monitoring of gender representations in illustrated children’s literature published in Italy; a free, regularly updated online catalogue offering a selection of around a thousand titles that serve as tools for deconstructing and critically analysing gender and role stereotypes, whilst also providing the option to carry out advanced searches within the database; an educational approach that, through picture books, encourages the reading of normative models conveyed from early childhood through these media, as well as those that the adults who create, select and mediate these books are consciously or unconsciously carriers of (Fierli et al. 2015, 2020a, 2022)

Picture books are deeply complex cultural artefacts based on the dialogue between text and images (Handler & Spitz, 2001; Van der Linden, 2006, 2013). Through their stories, they offer a potentially infinite variety of experiences and perspectives (Chabrol & Gagne, 2011; Fierli et al., 2015), a kaleidoscope of available expressive choices (Van Der Linden, 2003). They represent cultural artefacts that a given society produces to narrate its own story and educate, imbued with norms that influence how readers construct their own imagination and value systems (Hamelin, 2012; Mitchell, 2002).

In the three-year period 2024–2026, the project Leggere Senza Stereotipi per contrastare la violenza di genere – Libri, immagini e letteratura per prevenire e contrastare la violenza di genere e tra i generi, funded under the ‘Poster – practices beyond stereotypes’ call for proposals and coordinated by AIDOS Associazione Italiana Donne per lo Sviluppo, has enabled a substantial update of the database and the development of a bibliography dedicated to combating gender-based violence for the 0–18 age group. Around 40 titles, including picture books and graphic novels, which address the issue of combating gender-based violence through a holistic approach that incorporates the recommendations of the Istanbul Declaration (Council of Europe 2011) and follows the guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education issued by UNESCO (2018).

From this perspective, the ideas put forward in the books under consideration include education in consent, the exercise of self-determination and the affirmation of pleasure from the very earliest years of childhood, critical engagement with gender and role stereotypes that remain so pervasive in the structure of the societies in which we live, and the building of relationships free from dynamics of control and possession, ranging from parental relationships to those within couples – a need underscored by recent statistical surveys (Save the Children Italia 2024; Ipsos 2026; Ipsos Doxa 2026). As the age groups progress, the selection encourages the ability to identify and name all forms of patriarchal and cisheterosexist violence. Bibliographical suggestions that outline a paradigm of gender-based violence and gender as structural, and an educational approach aimed at combating it.

Gender education, most often framed today as comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), is predominantly discussed and implemented in the preadolescent and adolescent age-gap, reflecting the assumption that it becomes relevant only at those ages (UNESCO et al., 2021). However, students have repeatedly described this timing as “too little, too late,” consistently calling for earlier engagement (Pound et al., 2016). In fact, when gender education is introduced later in schooling, beliefs, attitudes, and overall social norms are already long embedded in young people’s identities and social worlds, making it more complex to enact transformation.

Despite global consensus on adopting a life-course approache to CSE (articulated as spiral curriculum models beginning in early childhood and unfolding across grades and subjects), implementation continues to fall short of its transformative aims. Common barriers include insufficient teacher training, weak alignment with learners’ needs, limited use of participatory pedagogies, and institutional constraints. These difficulties are intensified by the controversial nature of gender education, which frequently generates “classroom wars” (Mehlman Petrzela, 2015), being a common target of the anti-gender movement.

With the 2030 SDG benchmark approaching, persistent gaps in the SDGs crossed by gender education foreground the urgency not only to start in early childhood, but to rethink this educational object as a whole. Gender and sexuality education demands a transversal approach embedded in institutions’ learning cultures instead of being occasional add-ons. Recent research in the field highlights the potential of whole-setting approaches in early childhood gender education, while also emphasizing the complexity of adopting and sustaining such models (Sità & Trivelli Díaz, in press). However, evidence on which ECEC initiatives operationalize whole-school approaches, and how, remains unexplored.

This study explores and analyzes early childhood gender education initiatives through a whole-school lens, defined as whole-setting change across curriculum, staff, leadership, and family engagement, with the aim of identifying design features, implementation patterns, and lessons for practice.

A literature review and document analysis of secondary sources was conducted to identify ECEC gender education initiatives. Inclusion criteria were: (1) focus on children aged 0–6; and (2) documentation of implementation components extending beyond classroom-based lessons.

Initiatives most closely aligned with whole-school approaches like “Body Emotion Education” in Finland and “Welcoming Schools” in the U.S. combine elements such as sustained professional development for educators, leadership commitment, and deliberate family engagement strategies. These initiatives tend to report stronger outcomes, including educator confidence, reduced resistance from families, and more consistent engagement with intersectionality. At the same time, key challenges persist, particularly regarding sustainability over time, coherence across institutional actors and practices, and navigating external contestation (Cacciatore, 2020; Derman-Sparks & Olsen-Edwards, 2012).

Findings support whole-school approaches as a promising model for adressing the effectiveness, sustainability, and contextual resilience of gender education in ECEC. While learning in this domain cannot be reduced to narrowly measurable outcomes, longitudinal research could deepen out understanding of ECEC institutions as activity systems (Hedegaard, 2012) and of children’s evolving meaning-making and attitudes related to gender over time.