We have a new "b" to add to the topic of the birds and the bees: badminton. The strangeness comes out of Hong Kong, where the Education Bureau just put a lengthy sex-ed guide for teens and teachers, reports the New York Times. One particular piece of advice has drawn lots of attention—and ridicule. The guide talks about a hypothetical situation in which a teenage boy is studying alone with his girlfriend and starts feeling less than chaste. Solution? "Go out to play badminton together in a sports hall," reads the guide, per the South China Morning Post.
The phrase has caught on among young people on social media, morphing into lines like "friends with badminton," instead of "benefits." Others suggest an invitation to play is the new "Netflix and chill," referencing another modern sexual euphemism. The SCMP even headlined its story: "Is badminton the Hong Kong answer to sexual impulses in schoolchildren?" The Education Bureau is sticking by its guidance amid the mockery, saying the overall message is what matters. "Our approach is not conservative—we wish to protect the young people and equip them with the right values to face adulthood and the complexity of society," says Christine Choi Yuk-lin, Hong Kong's education secretary, per the Independent.
Critics, though, say the overall tone is outdated, out of touch, and even sexist, given its advice for teens not to wear "sexy clothing" that might elicit "visual stimulation," as well as its advice for teen couples to sign what amounts to a chastity pledge. The badminton line, however, has become the shorthand for criticism. One lawmaker, Doreen Kon, even questioned the logistics: "How can [people] book a court on such short notice to play badminton?" (More sex education stories.)
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