The Vienna FPÖ is in an uproar over a kindergarten education plan that they believe „sexualizes children at a young age.“ The Vienna FPÖ Youth Spokesperson and Club Chairman, Maximilian Krauss, expressed his outrage on TikTok and through a press release. He initiated a campaign to have an education plan that, according to Krauss, must be followed by all Viennese kindergartens, „finally scrapped,“ as stated in the press release.
In the 66-page education plan, under section „8.d Sexuality,“ it is mentioned that „girls and boys are sexual beings. Child sexuality is expressed, among other things, in pleasure, which arises and can unfold through body and skin contact, temperature stimuli, imagination, memory, …“. In another passage, it is stated: „What we understand as femininity or masculinity, that is, the social gender (gender), is socially constructed and not biologically determined, it is learned and therefore changeable.“
For Krauss, this goes too far: „This glorification of early sexualization must be stopped immediately. Apparently, the goal of the Ludwig-SPÖ is to take away the carefree childhood of children. Drag queen readings in kindergartens are politically actively encouraged. Associations that want to sexualize children at a young age receive huge amounts of taxpayer money. I address these left-wing gender ideologues: Leave our children alone!“
The responsible department, the MA11, states that the education plan is legally enshrined in the Vienna Kindergarten Act. Therefore, it must also be implemented by educational institutions. In response to the concerns of the FPÖ, it is argued that the normal development of children includes learning basic terms for body parts as well as understanding pleasant and unpleasant touches. A healthy body awareness is crucial for children to learn to recognize and communicate their boundaries, according to a spokesperson for the department.
„We all know that prevention is the best protection against sexual violence.“
In conclusion, while the Vienna FPÖ criticizes the kindergarten education plan for allegedly sexualizing children at a young age, the responsible department emphasizes the importance of a healthy body awareness in children to prevent sexual violence. The debate surrounding the education plan highlights differing perspectives on child development and education in Vienna.