RFSU- Do you want to? -A multimodal analysis of the RFSU’s (the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education) school material to encourage mutual sexuality

The purpose of this study is to identify the semiotic resources, by using a multimodal analysis, that the RFSU uses to communicate the creation of relationships between participants to express their aim. Furthermore, to examine the basic thoughts that the RFSU has about standards due to gender should be eliminated, and how these become evident in the films. The starting point for the essay is questions about how the RFSU creates a relationship with the audience through the semiotic resources, as well as the manner in which it is possible to derive the RFSU’s basic thoughts about breaking the standards and working towards stereotypical gender roles.

The material I examine consists of two short films belonging to a collection of school supplies under the name titled ”Vill du?” (Eng. ”Do you want to?”) that the RFSU has created for the education of secondary school students. The method is based on a sociosemiotic perspective where the material is analyzed by a composition analysis, an ideational analysis and an interpersonal analysis. The dialogues are analyzed based on the systemic functional grammar and the discussion of the results and how they are linked to the theory that there is a heteronormativity in today's society, which the RFSU wants to break through. The conclusion is that RFSU uses semiotic resources such as young participants, communication tools, such as: Skype, computers and phones, and other typical youth-related things. The most prominent result of the analysis that is actively breaking the standards against the heterosexual norm is that one film, ”Gorillan”, which works against the stereotypical gender roles, where it is the male who is subjected to sexual harassment; and the second film works against the norm of heterosexuality as it is about two gay guys.