MO Museum invites you to talk about sexuality education: will hold free meetings Culture

In order to make it easier to talk regarding them, on April 24 and 25, the MO Museum organizes free meetings for adults with sexuality education expert Akvile Giniota, and visitors to the exhibition “This is not with us” present a memo on how to talk to children regarding the issues discussed in it.

The exhibition encouraged the discussion of sexuality

The idea of ​​the museum as a connecting space that encourages constructive discussion has been developed by MO since its foundation, and the passions that arose in society regarding the inclusion of sexuality education in general education programs coincided with the preparation for the exhibition “We don’t have this”. It talks regarding the representation of gender roles, sexuality and physicality, using works of art from the Baltic countries.

The head of the MO museum, Milda Ivanauskienė, notes that the relevance of the exhibition’s themes in society is obvious. This is illustrated by the confrontation over issues such as gender equality, the legal regulation of same-sex couples or the Law on the Protection of Minors from the Negative Effects of Public Information.

Rytis Šeskaitis photo/MO exhibition “We don’t have this”

“We faced a paradox when the works of art in the MO exhibition are legally treated as information harmful to minors, although art is one of the best tools for forming a conscious and open relationship of a young person with himself and his environment.

Discussions in the team and consultations with sexuality education expert Akvile Giniota helped to clarify that talking regarding sexuality is the scariest and most uncomfortable for the adults themselves. This is how we came up with the idea of ​​inviting them to the safe space of the museum, where with the help of an expert we would look for a way to be more comfortable in this topic”, M. Ivanauskienė tells regarding the emergence of the project.

MO Museum photo/MO sexuality education campaign

The axis of the campaign is online comments

After the idea of ​​inviting adults to talk regarding sexuality in the context of the exhibition was born, the advertising agency “Sons&Daughters” joined its implementation and offered a creative solution for the social campaign. Its starting point was the phrase “How do I explain to the children?”, which has become an internet folklore, which often accompanies various gender-related phenomena on social networks.

“Creating this campaign together with the MO Museum made a lot of sense to us, because we still don’t agree and talk regarding sexuality in society. Often the reluctance to start talking regarding these topics with children is determined by stereotypes and fears, and even when we understand that it is important not to leave issues of sexuality aside, we often just don’t know how. We wanted to show people that talking regarding sexuality is easy if you have the right tools – they are simple and easily accessible, which are hidden behind this campaign,” says Dovilė Dovidavičiūtė, managing partner of Sons&Daughters.

Neringa Rekašiūtė, a photographer and developer of social projects, joined the implementation of the campaign, capturing a mother breastfeeding a baby and couples kissing. According to her, the campaign and its participants inspire and encourage not to lose determination.

MO Museum photo/MO sexuality education campaign

“This campaign is extremely meaningful and courageous. We still lack courage and political will, which is sad and shameful. However, I am happy and proud that the art institution and artists show the direction and are not afraid to step where others avoid. We should have provided basic human rights to the LGBT community a long time ago – we are very late, but the MO exhibition “This is not with us” and the social campaign, the symbolic wedding of Albin and Vitalis, all those brave people photographed by me encourage us not to lose our determination, not to give in to apathy. This in itself is already a victory”, says N. Rekašiūtė.

Will invite you to meetings that help you feel more comfortable

When you get an unexpected question regarding sexuality or find a way to start a conversation with a child, it’s easier when the adults themselves feel comfortable and confident. Akvilė Giniota, an expert in sexuality education, doctoral candidate in education at Vilnius University, founder and author of the “No Cabbage Children” project, will try to help talk regarding these topics without shyness and fear, together with the MO Museum.

The series of two meetings with A.Giniota, which will be held at the MO Museum on April 24-25, will be intended for parents, teachers and other adults. The meetings will provide the participants with basic tools that will make them feel more comfortable talking regarding sexuality, and will be an opportunity for everyone to spend time on this topic individually or together, try to tame it, and find answers to questions of interest.

In addition, MO museum visitors are invited to use a special memo created by A. Giniota, useful when visiting the big exhibition “This is not with us” with children or when dealing with the topics of carnality and sexuality elsewhere.

MO Museum photo/MO sexuality education campaign

“Having the opportunity to spend some time behind the scenes of the MO Museum in the context of this exhibition invited me anew to consider what meanings we give to the body – especially the naked body. How do we talk regarding the body? Which words are the most comfortable for us and why? Can we see the naked body through the filters of joy and love? Why is it so difficult for us to see other meanings, not related to sexual function, behind the naked body? And why is that sexual function of the body often associated with something inappropriate for us?

What does my sexuality mean to me? To what extent can I accept other people’s sexuality? What stresses me out? And what is intriguing?

What does my sexuality mean to me? To what extent can I accept other people’s sexuality? What stresses me out? And what is intriguing? What are my limits? And with what emotion do I accept this topic? I am sure that not only for me, but also for a considerable part of society, these questions are significant or at least interesting. “Until now, we haven’t had an opportunity of this size – bigger than the MO itself – to be in dialogue with ourselves, and maybe even with the wider community,” A. Giniota thinks.

at the MO Museum on April 24 and 25 at 6:30 p.m. upcoming meetings with sexuality education expert Akvile Giniota are open and free of charge, and the materials of the meetings will be available on the website of the MO Museum following they are over.

Read more regarding the project here.