“<i>This is killing me. Please let me leave</i>”: Trans and non-binary youth and sexual health education in Alberta

This article highlights sexual health education findings from a larger qualitative research study that examines the lived experiences of transgender and non-binary (TNB) youth (aged 14–25) in Alberta. This study contributes to a growing field focusing on the unique experiences of TNB students in Canada by exploring the gaps and successes in sexual health education. Given that there is no federally mandated sexual health curriculum, and that each Canadian province and territory updates curriculum and teaches sexual health differently, this study aims to provide insights into the experiences of TNB youth and the sexual health education they have received in their formal educational environments. The research findings highlight two major themes and two sub-themes: (1) All participants found sexual health education in schools to be inadequate in some way. (2) If you want something done right, do it yourself. Sub-themes included; (2a) the community or internet media are key sources of relevant sexual health information, and (2b) youth have limited access to the sexual orientation and gender identity–specific sexual health information they want.