Sex Education: It's About Way More than Sex

Here’s How the Conversation Usually Goes…

Someone: “What do you do?”

Rachel: “I teach sexual health”

Someone: “That’s cool.” After a somewhat long pause, ”What is that?”

Rachel: “Oh! I teach adults and youth about adolescent brain development, the social, emotional and physical changes of puberty, friendships, boundaries and consent, gender and sexual identity, and how babies and families are created.”

Someone: “So, you’re a sex ed teacher?”

Rachel: “Yes…but, I don’t really spends more than two minutes talking about sex, so calling myself a sex ed teacher doesn’t really describe all the other things I DO talk about. That’s why I describe myself as a sexual health teacher or a sexuality health teacher, not a sex ed teacher.”

Someone: “Yeah, but the words sexual or sexuality are weird and they sound kinda pornish.”

Rachel: “I get that alot. I just wish I had a better word to use other than sex, since sex is really only one of the many, many topics I cover in my workshops. Any ideas?”

Someone: “Let me get back to you on that one…”

No matter how many times I’ve had this conversation or a variation of it, nobody ever gets back to me with an “ah ha!” So how do we introduce a conversation about the beautiful complexity of sexuality, without narrowing the focus to a single aspect (sex) or without scaring the bejesus out of anyone? If you have any ideas, let me know!