"Am I normal?" An analysis of adult sex education through interviews with sex educators

Abstract

Research and discussion about sex education almost exclusively focused on sex education of children and teens; however, there is an increasing amount of sex education aimed at adults. Despite its growing popularity, few studies have explored adult sex education from a pedagogical perspective. With educators ranging from Instagram sex ed influencers to dominatrix-led kink workshops to church-based sex education courses, adult sex education has solidified its place in modern society. The current study sought to investigate adult sex education from the perspective of the educators in order to better understand the work that they do, as well as the clients they serve. Seventeen sex educators from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom participated in this study. Five themes were identified as part of this sample. This included normalcy, communication, shame, past sex education, sex education beyond heteronormativity, and empowerment. The results of this study help to outline the information sought from adult sex education, as well as inform gaps in mainstream sex education.