As is the experience for most sex educators, people are frequently asking me “how did you get into this line of work?” I think that’s understandable since most high school career days don’t include my chosen profession. While many people enjoy talking about sex, far fewer actually want to make a career out of it and those few sometimes struggle to learn how exactly one becomes a professional sex educator. In my recent twitter feed, I came across a link to Widener University’s 5th Annual Careers in Sexuality Conference, which will be held on October 12th of this year. As the name suggests, this conference centers on how to build your career in sex ed. Continue Reading →
Kate McCombs
Kate McCombs is a sex educator, blogger, and speaker, specializing in sex-positive and pleasure-inclusive approaches to sexual health promotion. She's originally from California, but moved to Australia to get her Masters in Public Health at the University of Melbourne, which she completed in 2011. In addition to facilitating workshops, Kate works as a teaching/research assistant and guest lecturer for the School of Population Health at the University of Melbourne. She's also the founder of sexgeekdom.com, a website designed to bridge the gap between online and real-life community for sex educators, researchers, and others who might identify as sex geeks.
Recent posts
Why I <3 Menstrual Cups
While I was setting up for a women’s health workshop, unpacking the contents of my favorite red carry-on suitcase, an early arrival approached me and asked, “What on Earth are those?” She was referring to the rainbow of menstrual cup demos I had lined up on the table. “How many people actually use those?” Since I hang out with a lot of sex ed-types, my perception is “a lot.” I’d estimate that well over half of the women with whom I talk about menstruation use one. Continue Reading →
“Sapiosexual” – My New Favorite Neologism
You know that feeling when you find a new word that describes an identity or characteristic and you just think, “OMG! That’s totally me!” and you get really excited? It’s that feeling of shared reality and lack of aloneness that comes from realizing you aren’t a freak (or are at least, you’re one of many freaks). I can remember feeling this way the first time I heard the term “sex geek” but more recently I felt this way when I learned the word “sapiosexual.” Continue Reading →
This Week on MSP: Sex and Language
For the first week of August, MSP will be featuring posts under the umbrella of “Sex and Language.” I’ve been thinking a lot lately (well, always really) about how language interrelates with sexuality. Whether it’s about the etymology of sex words, or the importance of linguistic precision in relationships, there’s always something that connects the two. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of discussion online about this commercial for pantyliners which (gasp!) uses the words “vagina” and “discharge.” The words we use around sex can be powerful, controversial, and ideally, make our lives more wonderful. Continue Reading →
Check out MSP on Pinterest
Want to see a colorful menstrual cup or knitted vulva in between all your mason jar crafts/dream bathroom designs on your Pinterest homepage? Then come check out the new MySexProfessor pin board. Now you can share the best “Genitals in the Wild” or a recent sex book review with those who follow your pins (or just ‘like’ our pins if you’d rather keep the penis fence to yourself). Hope to see you over there! Continue Reading →
Book Review: Perfect Combination by Jamillah and David Lamb
In their recent book Perfect Combination: Seven Key Ingredients to Happily Living & Loving Together, authors Jamillah and David Lamb describe “their recipe for romantic success” though anecdotes and insights they’ve gained from their decade-long marriage. Not only are the authors married to one another, they also work together as co-producers on their off-Broadway play Platanos Y Collard Greens. Throughout the book, they use cooking as a metaphor for building a successful relationship (hence the Key Ingredients in the title and the Dutch oven on the cover). While I found some of the examples a bit cheesy (e.g. 1 Cup of Forgiveness and 1 Tablespoon of Humor), overall I think authors did a fine job of making simple that which is often complicated. Continue Reading →
Upgrade Down Under: Australian Boys Will Get Free Gardasil Vaccinations
After years of only vaccinating young women and girls, the Australian National Immunisation Program will begin covering Gardasil for 12 and 13 year-old boys. The Gardasil vaccine protects against four strains of the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) – two that cause 70% of cervical cancers and two that cause 90% of genital warts. The types that cause cervical cancer can also cause penile and anal cancers in men, but because those cancers are rarer than the cervical types, girls have been prioritized for vaccine delivery. However, many public health advocates have argued for giving the vaccine to boys not only because sexually active men can get genital warts, but also to prevent them from spreading the cancer-causing strains to young women. Will other countries follow suit? Continue Reading →
Sexual Health Among Aboriginal Australians: An Interview with Kat Byron
The sexual health status in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) communities is a hot topic among public health professionals in Australia, but rarely makes international news. I knew relatively little about Indigenous health before I moved to Australia and was shocked when I learned about the degree of health inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, especially since Australia has a nationalized healthcare system. To shed some light on this issue, I interviewed Australian sex and drug harm reduction educator Kat Byron about her extensive background working with ATSI communities on sexual health promotion. Kate: How did you get started working in Indigenous sexual health? Note: The “countries” listed below represent specific Aboriginal nations within Australia. Continue Reading →
This Week on MSP: Sex and History
This week, the MSP blogging team will be discussing a number of sexuality issues related to the past for our “Sex and History” theme. From syphilis in the 20th century, to an analysis of biblical passages on abortion, we’ll be covering a wide array of topics we hope will pique your interest. Have an idea for a future theme week? Tweet us @mysexprofessor. Continue Reading →
The Sex-Positive Parent: An Interview with Founder Airial Clark
Airial Clark has an MA in Sexuality Studies and is the founder of The Sex-Positive Parent. She writes about the intersection of sex-positivity and parenting for multiple media outlets, teaches workshops for parents who have alternative sexualities, and offers one to one coaching for parents looking for sex-positive strategies and support. I first met Airial when we were both studying Anthropology at UC Berkeley. Who knew we’d both follow careers in sexuality education? When I learned about Airial’s amazing project, The Sex-Positive Parent, I couldn’t wait to share her inspiring message with the MSP community. Continue Reading →