(*About Sex)
How can you know what you don’t know about sex when the information you need is hidden from you? What questions would you ask if you never realized the subject or problem even existed?
That’s the absurd predicament facing adults seeking sexual wellness information online these days.
The Great Sexual Wellness Blackout
Today, resources are disappearing faster than you can say “algorithm update.” Thanks to legislation like FOSTA-SESTA and increased media and corporate censorship, sexual education for adults is dying online.
One example: not that long ago, Facebook labeled a campaign by the American Sexual Health Association as “sexually explicit.” It was a campaign to increase adult awareness of a common female condition (vaginismus) that makes vaginal penetration painful. According to a boldly titled scientific study (Facebook Doesn’t Like Sexual Health or Sexual Pleasure), “Sexual health content is often flagged as pornography by Big Tech and banned automatically.”
Sex writers, gynecologists, urologists, and even sex therapists and counselors have found their ads, blogs, and comments censored on Facebook—even when educating adults about reproductive health with zero “obscene” content by any rational measure. I speak here from firsthand knowledge! It’s a constant fight with META algorithms to get my content about sex, kink, or sexual health to run.
Censorship is Reaching Boiling Point
And as the corporations go, so do influencers. I already told you about people calling sex “seggs” on FB and Instagram. A few days ago, I saw a sex influencer talking about (wait for it) CORNOGRAPHY. Because corn is the new seggs.
Sexual illiteracy isn’t just embarrassing—it’s a bane on humanity. Personal health, body image, romantic success, love, relationships, marriage, and self-esteem are all deeply tied to sexual health.
This censorship particularly frustrates me because psychological sex problems are among my clinical specialties. I see firsthand how education can transform adults’ lives and revive their sexual function. What I don’t see is awareness among adults that those changes are possible. They are more likely to invest their hopes in fraudulent claims and sketchy treatments.
Time to Turn the Lights On
If you don’t let light in, darkness will take over. Sitting on the sidelines and bemoaning censorship accomplishes nothing. Offering all the sex education I can at this moment in time feels like a battle worth fighting.
Get ready for some changes in how the site looks and reads as we continue to grow this year. It’s always been my dream to share as much of the knowledge I’ve culled from 35 years of research into the meaning of sexual normality, variations, and diversity; the whole-body experience of being a sexual being; and the complex connections between sexual identity and human identity.
The Sexual Wellness Library will officially launch this September, featuring ebooks designed to take you on journeys of self-discovery and psychosexual healing.
photo credit: Jaredd Craig https://unsplash.com/@jaredd
