You can’t say the Middlesex-London Health Unit is shying away from educating teens about sex.
They’ve created a website that features an online game with original superheroes that are supposed to represent different aspects of sexuality. You may be tempted to think I made this up but I did not. See for yourself at www.getitonlondon.com
There’s Captain Condom, recognizable because of the condom on his head. Willy The Kid is in the game to show that size doesn’t matter. Wonder Vag is a virgin and Power Pap is Wonder Vag’s opposite but she’s touting the wisdom of getting regular check-ups there. The poster says – or shows – it all.
The game can be kind of gross. The characters fight the evil Sperminator and if they answer a sexuality-related question incorrectly they get, um, blasted. It’s pretty graphic.
The city’s school board is giving the game a thumbs-up while the Catholic board says, no thanks. Of course, that board is still clinging to the outdated notion that it can convince teens to abstain instead of accepting that it is only one of their options.
I haven’t done the research on what will get through to kids. This is certainly a more direct approach than anyone I know ever experienced. In my high school years they seemed to think we’d pick it up on the streets which is the entire problem, isn’t it? The game seems ridiculous but I’m willing to suspend disbelief and assume that research has gone into it and those who have created it know what they’re doing. It is a game and it’s played online. Isn’t that what the kids are up to these days? And I can only be grateful that I don’t have kids who will be encouraged to go online and try to conquer the all powerful Sperminator.