Sex Workshops Should Be More Widely Available and Attended
by Kate Brunotts
I recently attended my 3rd Babeland workshop, and I came out glowing as ever. Babeland, a feminist-founded sex shop, gives out free sex education workshops to the general public with great names like “Talk Dirty to Me” or “March into Pleasure.”
In a short span of 3 sessions, I’ve learned so much about myself, my partner and pleasure. All workshops are run by certified sex educators who teach valuable content and consent.
As happy as I am with my experience, I recognize that not all cities and places across the U.S are as sex-friendly and inclusive as New York. I’m originally from Virginia and my experiences with sex education were largely based around abstinence.
Below, I’ll discuss why our country desperately needs accessible, informative sex workshops like those graciously offered by Babeland.
The Lack of Information
For a great deal of us, a lot of our sex education comes from what we learned at school. Unfortunately, it seems that school-mandated education falls pretty short in the US.
For example, only 15 states require instruction to be medically accurate, which no doubt causes a spread of misinformation surrounding sex. Most schools teach abstinence-only or abstinence focused education.
Moreover, If you’re lucky enough to have parents willing to discuss sex with you, it’s unlikely that they are fully equipped to explain sex safety and protection comprehensively.
Hence, it makes sense that so many adults are lacking in sex education. Without sex-positive workshops available to the public, many are left without a full understanding of what safe sex looks like.
Side note, abstinence-only education isn’t even effective for its intended purpose. Take a look at this map of teen pregnancy trends—
Surprise, surprise! States with more comprehensive sex education programs have a much lower rate of teen births.
It’s clear that sex education is far from standardized across our country. If we aren’t going to make it easy for kids to get the education they need, we owe it to adults to have friendly, educational sex workshops available.
Opens Up Important Conversation With Your Sexual Partner(s)
Much to my surprise, a lot of my sex workshop experience wasn’t about perfect positioning tricks. Don’t get me wrong, that was there, but a lot of the information surrounded boundary setting and communication. In my experience, this is extremely difficult for most adults.
My partner and I went home with a worksheet with important discussion topics to clearly understand each other’s likes/dislikes sexually. It makes sense that this is a part of the discussion— Sex is better when it’s communicated extensively on both sides.
While it can be scary for a lot of us to open up in this way, sex workshops give you a safe spot where that kind of discussion isn’t just accepted, it’s highly encouraged.
Helps You Learn More About Your Anatomy
As a girl, I’ve heard so many myths about my anatomy growing up and how it should be used. Sex workshops present in-depth information about your genitalia in a non-intimidating manner that is hard to come by.
After my first workshop, I went home and texted all my girlfriends what I had learned. All of them ended up learning something about themselves, which is saying a lot.
Learning about your anatomy is extremely empowering for both men and women. Sex workshops allow you to connect fully with your sense of physicality in ways that other environments can’t.
Takes The Shame Away From Sex
So many of us are taught to be shameful about sex and how we enjoy it. Sex workshops allow adults an opportunity to discuss sex openly and feel safe within relationships.
By having a sexologist there to answer any questions, you’re able to learn in a non-judgmental space. All of us have questions about sex, yet we’re too afraid to talk about it. At the very least, having more sex workshops will add to the conversation and might even act as the catalyst for honest, caring discussions about intimacy.
Clearly, we have a long way to go in terms of how we talk about sex in the United States. If there’s ever hope for reducing STIs and unexpected pregnancies, we need to find ways to offer accessible education. Sex workshops only serve as a force of good and offer more education to our largely uninformed population.
