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Patricia Weerakoon

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Dr Patricia Kamalini Weerakoon is an Australian Christian sexologist.

Dr Weerakoon was born in a Tamil Christian family in Sri Lanka, and grew up on a tea plantation.[1] She is married to Vasantha and they have a son, Kamal, who is a Presbyterian minister.[2] She studied medicine at the University of Colombo, and after her marriage, she moved with her family to Hawaii, where she undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Hawaii. She later obtained a further degree from the University of New South Wales.[3]

Weerakoon has worked as a lecturer at the University of Colombo and the University of Sydney.[3] She has written a number of popular books, including Teen Sex By the Book (2013), Growing Up By the Book (2014) and The Best Sex for Life (2016). Teen Sex By the Book created controversy in 2015 when it was mistakenly thought to be included in the Special Religious Education curriculum in New South Wales government schools.[4] The lobby group Fairness in Religion in Schools said the book contained "dangerous anti-gay and anti-divorce messages", and called on the NSW Department of Education to ban the book.[5] The Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, initially placed a ban on Teen Sex By the Book before acknowledging that it had never been a part of the SRE curriculum.[6]

In July 2017, Weerakoon released a series of six books for children, entitled Birds and Bees by the Book, with each book focusing on a different aspect of sexuality. The series is aimed for parents to open up the conversation with children in a safe environment.[7]

A reviewer of her latest book[8] notes that "Conversations about sex can be awkward" and that "Dr Weerakoon's helpful breakdown of different ages and stages of discussion make me feel ready to begin teaching my daughter now about the great way God designed her body and lay a good foundation for the future."

Weerakoon teaches that "sex and the wonder of human genitalia are gifts from God that should be celebrated".[9] Weerakoon looks at sexual ethics from a Christian worldview and speaks to Christian schools on the topic[10] as well as speaking at conferences on Christian education.[11]

Bibliography

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References

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  1. ^ Payne, Kaley (24 August 2012). "Sex a sweetener for the soul, says Christian sexologist". Bible Society Australia. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  2. ^ "About Patricia". Patricia Weerakoon. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Patricia Kamalini Weerakoon" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  4. ^ Moore, Natasha (5 June 2015). "Religion still has a worthwhile place in the classroom". ABC News. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  5. ^ Wood, Alicia (9 May 2015). "Anglican church angry over Department of Education banning of "one-partner" material". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  6. ^ Piccoli, Adrian. "Letter to His Grace the Most Reverend Dr G Davies" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  7. ^ Birds and Bees by the Book | Store, retrieved 13 August 2017
  8. ^ "After reading Patricia Weerakoon's new book, I'm ready to have the sex talk". Sydney Anglicans. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  9. ^ Elder, John (12 March 2016). "When do you tell children how babies are made?". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  10. ^ "The Inspiration Project - Guest Particia Weerakoon". Australian Christian College. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  11. ^ "Dr Patricia Weerakoon". Reimagining practice: International transforming practice Adelaide 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
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