The entirety of the debate on this thread revolves around the difference between facts and opinion.
Some things are easily identifiable as facts: the names of body parts, the laws that apply to sexual activity involving minors, the laws that establish the entitlement of persons of all sexual orientations to equal treatment under the law, etc.
Some things are clearly opinions: whether same sex relationships are "normal" or "right" (whatever that means, because that depends on what your definition of "normal" or "right" is), whether sexual activity by minors is accelerated or forestalled (or neither) by early sex education, whether sex education has any impact on schoolyard teasing or bullying around sex or sexual orientation issues, etc.
The basic problem is that, as a general rule, parents don't want schools presenting opinions as if they are facts. Children see schools and teachers as representing authority figures in their lives. If the school presents an opinion that a parent disagrees with, that parent may have an uphill battle persuading his/her children of their view. Obviously, everyone involved understands this. That's why people with strongly held opinions in these areas are so eager to have those opinions presented to children in a school setting at a young age.
It is difficult to understand the timing of these reforms. There is no evidence to suggest that the traditional problems that sex education was aimed at, like teenage pregnancy, are on the rise. The evidence seems to be that it is on the decline. Sexual abuse of children exists, and always has existed, but what is the evidence that it would be reduced by this education, and if so, why aren't the reforms focussed just on this issue?
There's a lot more going on here than "just presenting facts to keep pace with the times". Whether parents can articulate their views on this subject well or not, the concerns do not seem to be constrained to "close minded religious zealots".
Finally, schools are not required to educate children in all things. To ask them to do so is an abdication of the responsibility of parenthood, which is perhaps the biggest problem that exists in society today. I would rather see laws that require parents to educate their children in a variety of areas (how to respectfully interact with police or other public authorities, how to respectfully interact with other students at their schools, etc.) and hold the parents, not the children, responsible for any failures to do so. Then maybe we could stop arguing about what other people need to teach our children about life and civilized behaviour.
