I wanna be a sex education

[Shreklover]

How do i become a sex educator for lgbtq+ people is it a good option is it viable considering our current admission??

[Sofi]

Hi! There are different paths to becoming a sex educator, depending on the kind of work you want to do, where you want to work, and if you're wanting to pursue higher education or not. For example, I made it my major in college, and we even had LGBTQ+ Studies as a minor for whoever wanted that as their focus, so that's one option. Whether it's viable or not is less so the question, because the answer to that is yes it is, but whether it's an easy field to find employment in is another (short answer: it's not). There are also a lot of places that hire volunteers (like us!), since funding is hard to come by for this type of work. Is your concern more about how to become a sex educator or whether it's a good route to take at all in the current political climate?

[Shreklover]

Both of the last question is my concern. Im not sure whether its a good idea.

[Latha]

Hi there, Shreklover!

I'm not an expert, but here is my sense of things:

On one hand, there is definitely a lot of need for queer-positive sex education, especially because the policies and attitudes of the current administration have made it less accessible for too many young people. Learning about sex education is sure to serve you personally, and so long as you are in community with those who need sex education and sexual health care, (i.e. most everyone) you'll probably be able to use your knowledge to help other people. On the other hand, those same policies do make this work more precarious. As Sofi said, it is not easy to find well-paying employment in this field.

One thing to consider might be making sure you have the skills and knowledge to do other, more reliable work while pursuing your interest in sex education. That way, you'll be prepared for whatever opportunities are available to you. Keeping your options open like this has the benefit of allowing you to make decisions based on a more concrete evaluation of what the risks are, rather than guessing about what might happen in the future.

[Latha]

I was speaking to Char (another volunteer here) and I want to pass along something xe said: your skills and dreams don't need to be sacrificed just because things don't look the brightest right now. It is okay to be idealistic. <3