How To Talk With Your Kids About Porn, a book review by Beth Rendeiro

 How To Talk With Your Kids About Porn, a book review by Beth Rendeiro

How to Talk With Your Kids About Porn is a book all of us should read. Although the term “porn”, referring to pornography, is in the title…and we do learn a lot about the current state of porn…the most important takeaway from this book is its emphasis on the need for communicating with young people. This is a book that’s accessible, non-judgmental, inclusive and fun to read. It offers a how-to format that guides us step-by-step toward becoming better communicators about sex, sexuality, media literacy and porn, describing different ages and stages and the topics and approaches that work best at each age. It helps us think, broadly, about online safety  and general sex education while honing in on the topic of porn.

Read More

March 4th is Human Papillomavirus (HPV) International Awareness Day– by Joanna Palmieri, M.D.

March 4th is Human Papillomavirus (HPV) International Awareness Day– by Joanna Palmieri, M.D.

 Let’s get our kids vaccinated and prevent HPV related cancers!

 There are quite a few reasons why and here are some very important HPV facts:

  • Absolutely every single human being is at risk of becoming infected with HPV. Studies show that 85% of people will get an HPV infection in their lifetime.

  • The prospect of a high-risk HPV infection progressing to cancer is about 10%, even though about half of HPV infections are from high-risk strains.

  • There are approximately 13 million Americans infected with HPV annually.

  • HPV is spread by close skin to skin contact or touching during vaginal, anal and oral sex.

  • A person can get HPV when their vulva, vagina, cervix, penis or anus is touching another person’s genitals, mouth or throat.

  • The virus is spread by the skin to skin contact itself, which means that the sharing of bodily fluids is not necessary for transmission.

  • This virus can also be spread when an infected person has no known or visible signs or symptoms of active HPV.

  • It is impossible to track the exact time of exposure to HPV, especially because a person can be infected with more than one strain at a time. 

  • Most people will clear a strain of HPV in about 2 years, but it is not known how long a person can pass a strain on to others within that 2-year time frame.

Read More

The Smell of a Vagina

The Smell of a Vagina

Let’s face it, not many people really want to talk about the smell of a vagina. Yet it is, after all, just another body part that deserves to be talked about. So here we go! The vagina has many different smells that can indicate a wide range of conditions; which could be healthy, or require evaluation and treatment, or signal different stages in our lives, or are affected by what we consume, the activities we engage in, and even our hygiene practices. It is essential to normalize open dialogue about  the vagina and its composition, just like we talk about our mouths, noses, ears and other body parts without embarrassment. 

Read More

Welcome our Featured Blogger--Dr. Joanna Palmieri

Our new volunteer team member, Dr. Joanna Palmieri, she/her, is a dedicated Obstetrician/Gynecologist bringing a wealth of experience and compassion to her work in the medical field.

Dr. Palmieri will be regularly contributing to our blog and newsletter addressing the need for parents and caregivers to equip youth with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for their own sexual health care.

 Dr. Palmieri completed her residency training at UCLA and began the first phase of her career in private practice. The foundation of her treatment centered on creating open and non-judgmental spaces for her patients, allowing them to express their concerns and seek guidance on matters that are often sensitive. Over time, her interest in breaking down barriers and dispelling myths related to reproductive health led her to a broader focus on outpatient services. It is here that she has been able to make a larger impact by equipping young people with the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed decisions about their own bodies.

Dr. Palmieri worked at the UCLA Ashe Center where she educated patients in reproductive health, provided supportive and informational counsel and treatment, and mentored nurse practitioners.  She also worked at Kaiser Permanente where her role encompassed outpatient full scope obstetrics and gynecology as well as leading the Teen OB Program. She has also been an active member of the Intimate Partner Violence Committee and served on the Department of Public Health STI task force.

Dr. Palmieri strives to go beyond the traditional scope of her profession, always seeking to find new ways to educate and empower teens and young adults, and to foster safe and supportive environments for discussions about sexual health.

We are Committed to Fighting Anti-Trans Disinformation

We are Committed to Fighting Anti-Trans Disinformation

It’s a rough time to be transgender (trans) in the US. It’s not that it hasn’t been before, but these last few years have made it particularly difficult (especially if you live in a “red state,” and even more especially if you’re under 18). Trans rights, and queer rights in general, are under attack to an alarming degree. More than 500 bills targeting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people were introduced in 2023. And seeing the direction things have been going, there’s so much at stake for queer rights in 2024.


So much of this recent wave of trans panic stems from disinformation about trans and queer people.


Read More

Making Connections and Making an Impact

 Making Connections and Making an Impact

I love what I do. I’m grateful every day to have meaningful work that I know benefits young

people, even when it’s hard. Sometimes it can be challenging to have such a short amount of

time with a class; relationship building is immeasurably valuable to education, and we often

don’t get to know the students the same way their regular teachers do. But it’s beautiful to see

the impact we can have, even with just a few sessions, and to know that those messages will

last for years—even decades—after we’ve left their campus. Here’s a short list of some recent

highlights from the classroom:

Read More

Bodily Autonomy is a Fundamental Human Right

Bodily Autonomy is a  Fundamental Human Right

We help children develop an understanding of autonomy so that they recognize that they are unique, independent and capable.

Children have a right to live free from physical acts, such as touch, to which they do not consent. And to reinforce the right to bodily autonomy in all the spaces that children exist, we make it clear to the parents, caregivers and educators that bodily autonomy requires respecting boundaries, affirmative consent, and self-defined personal comfort with affectionate touch.

Read More

Join Us In Person! Saturday, November 18th, 2-3pm Yoga Fundraiser

Laughing Frog Studio in West LA

12217 Santa Monica Blvd #205, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Please join us for a donation yoga class benefitting More Than Sex-Ed on Saturday, November 18th. The class will be from 2-3pm, and after from 3-3:30pm please join us for complimentary tea and cookies. This yoga class is open level, meaning everyone is welcome and encouraged to come, whether this is your 1st class or 100th class. The class will be contact-free (unless consented) and focused on loving connection of mind, breath, and body. We encourage you to bring your own yoga mat if you have one, or you are welcome to borrow one at the studio.

The class will be taught by Advisory Board Member and certified yoga instructor Alix Kelsey. You can read more about her practice and teaching style here

We hope to see you there!

 Praise for AMAZE! by Emma Milkin

 Praise for AMAZE! by Emma Milkin

Just a couple of weeks ago, I got the chance to take part in a virtual conference hosted by AMAZE, and have nothing but positive things to report back.

For example, in a breakout session, we were given some valuable tools by Jess McIntosh when it comes to defending against disinformation. Jess guided us through building your message to support your values for your sex ed curriculum in the face of adversity. 

I am feeling equipped with lots helpful resources and am thankful to the AMAZE team for organizing such an awesome event.


Read More

Save-the-Date! November 28th!

Make a plan to donate to MTSE as part of #GivingTuesday

We at More Than Sex-Ed enthusiastically plant the seeds that start conversations about sexuality. We work in partnership  with young people and the adults who support them in order to nurture a healthy start in which relationships can grow and thrive.

When we started in 2015, we were a small organization providing sex education for youngsters in just a few middle schools, and that effort has now bloomed with programming in over 45 schools in pre-K through12th grade!

We are grateful for your support in our growth.

Our impact has been unmistakable and the numbers speak for themselves. 

#GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.

Talk With Your Kids Month: no one ever said it was easy…

Talk With Your Kids Month: no one ever said it was easy…

October is “Talk with your kids” month, and we encourage you to consider the wide number of intersecting topics that affect our understanding of human sexuality, and how we communicate these complexities to our children. 

In order to be comprehensive, sex education needs to cover many, many subjects, but we  can’t do it all at once. And it’s okay to focus on one thing at a time. A focus is not an exclusion. Just because we might be thinking and learning about Intersex Awareness issues on Oct 26, for example, doesn’t mean we can’t make connections between intersex identities and what we know, or want to learn, about mental health, or periods, or vasectomies, or AIDS, or menopause.

read on for a list of awareness days in the month of October that could inspire a conversation:


Read More

Have you checked out all the resources for parents at Amaze.org?

Since its debut in September 2016, AMAZE has published well over a hundred educational videos on topics including puberty, gender identity and expression, pregnancy and reproduction, healthy relationships, STIs and HIV, sexual orientation, and personal safety, to its YouTube channel and website. 

To reach youth, educators, and parents, Amaze content is published on five social media platforms: YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Parents and caregivers can preview every video and curate a playlist of videos they want to share with their kids. It really is an incredible resource!

Check out this series for parents and caregivers on “having the talks”. https://amaze.org/having-the-talks/


Shout out to "Puberty: The Wonder Years"

Wendy Sellers, sexual health educator, founder of Health4Hire, Inc., and author of Puberty: the Wonder Years recently chatted with our very own Emmalinda MacLean about the challenges of teaching puberty education. We are delighted to see Emmalinda receiving the recognition she deserves for her outstanding work as an educator.

Read more here: https://pubertycurriculum.com/educator-spotlight-emmalinda-maclean/



In honor of Sexual Health Awareness Month, we’d like to highlight the work of the American Sexual Health Association

 In honor of Sexual Health Awareness Month, we’d like to highlight the work of the American Sexual Health Association

 The American Sexual Health Association, ASHA, is a trusted, non-profit organization that has advocated on behalf of patients to help improve public health outcomes since 1914. They are a highly respected American authority for sexually transmitted infection information.

The information you find on their website is based on well-researched and documented medical facts and follows approved treatment guidelines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read More

The Barbie Movie sparks plenty of discussion

In the movie "Barbie" Margo Robbie lives in a pink Barbie world neighborhood where everything goes her way.

We’ve certainly had plenty of conversations over here about the Barbie movie. Lots of feels. Lots of quotes flying between our team members. Lots to think about when it comes to gender roles, patriarchy, inclusion, justice, and identity. Actually we could probably explore the whole More Than Sex-Ed curriculum using Barbie as the discussion starter. 

So I was really happy to find this blog post by gender specialist Rebecca Minor, with such great discussion questions that you can use to start your own conversations with the kids in your life.

Rebecca holds a master’s degree in social work and works extensively in the field of gender identity. You can subscribe to her blog here:

May is “Sex-Ed For All” month, and when we say ALL, we mean it!

 May is “Sex-Ed For All” month, and when we say ALL, we mean it!

May is “Sex-Ed For All” month, and when we say ALL, we mean it! All bodies, all identities, and even though the thought makes some people uncomfortable—all ages.

More Than Sex-Ed is proud to deliver classes for kindergarten through twelfth grade, and we’re used to getting surprised reactions when we tell people about the age range we serve, too. But everybody has a body, and feelings, and relationships with others, from the day we’re born until the day we die, and there are age-appropriate ways to talk about all those experiences with people of every age.

So how do we determine what info is “age appropriate”, and what may be “too much, too soon”? 


Read More

Enthusiastic Consent in Pop Culture--We reveal our picks

Enthusiastic Consent in Pop Culture--We reveal our picks

Last month we asked for your help in identifying unmistakable examples of consent from your favorite movies, TV shows, and music videos.

It took a huge amount of digging to come up with 7 examples that were both enthusiastic and explicit and not merely inferred/implied. Sometimes the actual enthusiasm doesn’t show up until the kiss. And often the moments of consent are surrounded by sketchy behavior or circumstances that call into question whether consent can legitimately be given. Our hope is that consent conversations become common in both real life and fiction.

Here’s our picks:

Read More

Enthusiastic Consent…why is it so hard to find in contemporary media?

Enthusiastic Consent…why is it so hard to find in contemporary media?

Consent, or permission/agreement for something to happen, is one of our favorite topics to cover in More Than Sex-Ed programs. We use consent in our daily lives; it’s More Than just interactions in sex (see what we did there?)

You can get involved! We are looking for examples of ENTHUSIASTIC, informed, freely given consent in modern media. These can come from your favorite movies, TV shows, music videos (preferably something we can cite in a clip) and more. We will post some of our favorites on our social media during mid-late March, so keep an eye out!

Read More