The Sex-Positive Blog’s Sex-Positive Resource List
Sex, positively
Because of the taboos surrounding sex, it is often quite difficult to find credible sex ed resources. During my years in high school (and some of college), I had little to no knowledge of sex at all. I wish I had known then what I know now.
However, I don’t want anyone to go through what I did: having so many questions and no one to answer them, making mistakes because I wasn’t taught to prevent them, and unknowingly perpetuating harmful myths to others.
I’ve compiled this list of organizations, blogs, etc. that specialize in sex education and sex-related topics so it’ll be easy to find information. From sex toys to contraception to birth control, I hope this list makes it easier to find the information you may be looking for!
The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health is an adult sex-education center based out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Their goal is to reduce sexual shame, challenge misinformation, and advance the field of sexuality. They coordinate professional trainings for health care providers, educators, and counselors. They also offer an intern program for students and new professionals. The CSPH is a 501(c)3 non profit organization. *As a previous intern of the CSPH, this organization holds a special place in my life. It was a place where I felt safe and was taught so much. It is also at the Center where my interest in sex ed was born.
O.school is a platform where educators provide live streams and moderated chats to help overcome shame, heal from trauma, and develop skills to communicate and set boundaries in the pursuit of your sexual pleasure. It was started in order to create a safe space for people, especially women and gender diverse people, to explore and learn about sex and pleasure without shame.
Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Summit is a conference featuring human rights activists, sexuality educators and researchers, professionals from the legal and medical fields, authors, sexual freedom movement leaders and organizational partners all working together to create a world where sexual freedom is fully recognized as a fundamental human right. The next conference date will be August 2–5, 2018. More information on their website.
The National Sex Ed Conference has been hosting an annual sex ed conference since 1985! The conference started as a one day conference for New Jersey Health Educators and has grown into the largest conference in the US that is exclusively devoted to sexual education. The Center for Sex Education hosts this conference yearly.
The Women of Color Sexual Health Network (WoCSHN) was born in 2009 at the AASECT Annual conference. They are an organization created by, and for, women of color who wanted to hold space for themselves in a place that wasn’t welcoming or supportive of their presence. They created a place for women of color sexuality professionals to share their experiences, a place to gain support when they are shut out, pushed aside, silenced, erased and otherwise considered nonexistent.
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) is a not-for-profit, interdisciplinary professional organization that is not limited to just sexuality educators, counselors and therapists. They are devoted to the promotion of sexual health by the development and advancement of the fields of sexual therapy, counseling and education. AASECT also offers a program to gain a certification as a sexuality educator. More information on their website.
Guttmacher Institute was founded in 1968 as the Center for Family Planning Program Development. They are a leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health in the United States and globally. They offer high quality research, evidence based advocacy, and strategic communications. *Guttmacher is a great place to look when researching sex education for a research paper or any school assignment.
Planned Parenthood is a health center that offers a wide range of health services, education and training, and advocacy. Their services are often very affordable, even for those without insurance. They get their funding from government reimbursements and grants, non-government revenue, and private donations and bequests. They often come under attack from anti-abortion and pro-life protesters who want to remove their funding. *My local planned parenthood very often has these people outside every morning with graphic signs and pamphlets. They are very invasive to the point where PP has to provide escorts into the building so people coming in for their appointments are not harassed.
Editor’s note: These are all terrific, worthy organizations, but we especially laud and support Planned Parenthood and its efforts to combat the erosion of women’s reproductive rights. Planned Parenthood, Gulf Coast is a subdivision of the organization that is especially tapped into localized issues, like city elections, clinic locations, local law, etc. If you’re in our area, that’s another good PP resource.
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the Unites States (SIECUS) has become a recognized leader in the field of sexuality and sexuality education. They’ve published numerous books, journals and resources for professionals, parents, and the public. The SIECUS report has been used as a key resource for thousands regarding critical sexuality issues. *SIECUS is also a great resource for research based projects such as essays and research papers. They offer a ton of information.
Future of Sex Education was launched in July 2007 as a partnership with SIECUS. They have completed numerous projects to advance the collective effort of improving sexuality education in U.S. schools. They seek to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools. *This is a great resource for finding information about sex education in public schools. They offer classroom resources and lesson plans as well.
American Sexual Health Association promotes the sexual health of individuals, families, and communities by advocating sound policies and practices and educating the public, professionals, and policy makers in order to foster healthy sexual behaviors and relationships and prevent adverse health outcomes. They offer information on sexual health as well and women’s and men’s health. They also have resources for parents, health providers and teachers.
Scarleteen is a site that provides inclusive, comprehensive, supportive sexuality and relationships info for teens and emerging adults. At the top of their website, there is a helpful tool where you may click on the topic that you have questions about. They have a category about bodies, gender, sexual identity, sexual health, pregnancy and parenting abuse, and so much more on their site. Scarleteen is an independent and grassroots sexuality and relationships education and support organization and website.
Bedsider is a site that provides information on birth control methods and where to get them. On the website, visitors are able to explore the different methods of birth control to see which ones are right for them. They also offer information on how one might be eligible for free birth control. They are an online birth control support network for women 18–29 operated by power to decide, the campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancy. *Although the site is marketed towards women, it is not only women who need birth control so I would still recommend this website regardless. It has a lot of great information about the different BC methods.
Did I miss anything? Be sure and let me know in the responses if there’s something I should add!
I hope this article was helpful in finding comprehensive sex education. Don’t forget to share with your friends who might also have questions or even have suggestions of things I should add!
