Welcome to your first day of sex ed! Don’t worry, this version of sex ed won’t involve learning how to use a condom with a banana or show you medical photos of different STIs. Instead, we will provide a list of different resource outlets that will help educate yourself way more than your middle school health class did. We’ve gathered a list of trusted books, podcasts, blogs, and articles that we find helpful in answering all of our sexual education questions.

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Books

There are so many books that should have been offered to us in sex ed about sexuality, our bodies, our options, and so much more. Woman: An Intimate Geography is a book by Natalie Angier that acts as an OG guide to the female body. This book covers everything from anatomy to orgasms to myths about the female body and is written in a witty and entertaining language. 

This Book Is Gay, by Juno Dawson answers all the questions you might have about sexuality, attraction, love, and relationships. This book will help navigate stereotypes, hook ups, pleasure, and feeling comfortable with your sexuality, no matter what it is. Through real stories from people with different sexual identities, this book is sure to educate you while making you laugh at the same time.

The Fifth Vital Sign, by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a Winx Health (formerly known as Stix) personal favorite and discusses understanding your cycle and your fertility. This book highlights how to increase your chances of getting pregnant, how to avoid pregnancy, and how to manage some critical aspects of your health.

Written by Laci Green, Sex Plus is the alphabet soup of sexual education. Laci Green is a sex educator and talks openly about consent, STI/STD prevention, the LGBTQ community, and healthy relationships. With the help of different kinds of medical experts, this book will help you take control of your sex life and answer all the questions we are too afraid to ask. Additionally, you can check out Laci Green’s YouTube channel for more helpful information about all things sex ed.

We’re including Becoming Cliterate by Dr. Laurie Mintz, because orgasm equality matters. It’s much harder for women to have an orgasm than men, but equally important! This book will change the way you think about sex and help you better communicate with your partner about what you need in the bedroom.

On a more serious note, Missoula by Jon Krakauer stresses the need for sexual assault education on college campuses through true stories of sexual assaults at the University of Montana. This book goes over rape in America and why it needs to be talked about more as well as provides resources for anyone who has experienced sexual violence.

Podcasts

Founded by Vanessa Geffrard, VagEsteem is a podcast for those of us who don’t keep up on sexual education as well as we should. VagEsteem makes talking about sex more of a fun conversation rather than an uncomfortable one you have once a year with your gynecologist. Vanessa covers a wide range of topics including sexual assault awareness, insecure sex, and sexual health myths.

Sex With Emily is another sex positive podcast to turn to for information about relationships, sexuality, pregnancy, and so much more. Hosted by Emily Morse, this podcast gets real about communicating with your partner in and out of the bedroom, sex during Coronavirus, and answers questions you didn’t even know you had.

Girls Gotta Eat is a dating and relationship podcast hosted by comedians Rayna Greenberg and Ashley Hesseltine. Through personal experience and insightful guests, this podcast gives empowering advice about knowing what you want from a relationship and knowing your worth. They cover so many topics from how to know you’re with the wrong person to body image issues and will have you laughing the whole time. 

Food 4 Thot is a podcast geared towards the LGBTQ community on queerness, relationship advice, and sexual wellness. Hosted by Joseph Osmundson, Dennis Norris, Tommy Pico, and Fran Tirado, this podcast is sure to give you a laugh while educating and entertaining all things sex at the same time.

The Sex Ed podcast was launched in 2018 and aims to create an open conversation about sexual wellness from a holistic perspective. Its founder, Liz Goldwyn is an author and filmmaker who aims to provide resources for others to explore sexual wellness through her three seasons of The Sex Ed podcast.

Like many women, Remy Kassimir was in her late 20s and had never had an orgasm. Once this comedian realized how slept on it is that so many women have this problem, she founded How Cum. She talked to so many different kinds of sex educators until she finally reached her goal and now works to help others accomplish their first orgasms through education, comedy, and everything about sex you’d ever want to know but never talk about.

Influencers

Eileen Kelly is a very well known sex positive influencer who normalizes pretty much everything about sex, sexuality, and gender identity. Also known as Killer and a Sweet Thang, Eileen talks about her experience with unhealthy relationships, slut shaming, and eliminating the shame surrounding mental illness. 

Sexuality doula and sex educator Evyan Whitney emphasizes body positivity and sexual wellness. This influencer is very honest and open with her followers about how she is feeling and encourages others to feel comfortable in their bodies and with their sexuality.

Bethany C. Meyers is a non-binary sex positive influencer that we can’t get enough of. Founder and CEO of the be.come project, Bethany advocates for gender equality, body neutrality, and teaching inclusivity. 

Raquel Savage is a sex coach and educator who covers many sex ed topics including masturbation, the female body, and consent. Additionally, she provides resources that anyone can use to further educate themselves about their sexuality, their options, and sexual wellness.

Karley Sciortino discusses sexuality, gender, sex during quarantine and so much more. She educates on what to do in case of STDs, pregnancy scares, and acts as a trusted resource for all things sex ed.

And finally, Winx Health! Winx Health is here to educate, empower, and provide resources to improve your sexual journey, whatever it may look like. Check out the Winx Health Library for more useful resources like this!