Shaping Sex Ed: A Public Health Perscpective

What is the most common question an online sex educator finds in her DMs? Danielle Bezalel, aka DB, is an executive producer and creator of Sex Ed with DB. She has a Master of Public Health with a focus on sexuality and reproductive health. In this conversation, she talks to Bryde and Jeremie about public health and its role with sex education, highlighting the need for age-appropriate and medically accurate sex education that covers topics such as boundaries, consent, puberty, menstruation, STIs, and contraception, and statistics relating to abstinence only sex ed.

DB breaks down the benefits of masturbation, including effects on stress levels, mood, and confidence, and details on her own masturbation science project and the findings. Jeremie offers a brief history lesson on the Magic Wand. Other topics of conversation include the challenges of being a sexual health influencer on social media plus a workshop to help folks who are establishing their sex health brands online. DB also addresses questions about talking to children about masturbation and the most common questions she receives as a sexual health educator.

Keywords: sex education, public health, abstinence-only, comprehensive, age-appropriate, medically accurate, boundaries, consent, puberty, menstruation, STIs, contraception, pleasure, orgasm gap, sex education, masturbation, sexual health, Magic Wand, confidence, parenting, sex toys, social media

Takeaways

Comprehensive and age-appropriate sex education is crucial for promoting sexual health and well-being.
The United States has a lack of comprehensive sex education, with only 17 states requiring medically accurate program content.
Abstinence-only programs perpetuate myths and misinformation about sex and sexual health.
Sex education should start at a young age, with age-appropriate discussions about boundaries, consent, and body parts.
Public health plays a vital role in addressing sexual health issues and promoting overall well-being.
Masturbation can have numerous benefits, including stress reduction, improved mood, and increased confidence.

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Other episode mentions:

Guttmacher Institute

Chapters

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Introduction to Danielle Bezalel (DB)