Sex Ed Shouldn't Suck – Details, episodes & analysis

This week we chat with Michael Timlin – comedian, butcher, and host of the podcast Work Sucks, I Know. We start off discussing his classic school sex ed experience (complete with P.E. teacher and all) and end the episode discussing what we've learned from people we've talked to on the pod. Does anyone anywhere ever get good sex ed?? Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to listen to find out.

Follow Michael's Twitter to read more of his brain thoughts and definitely check out his podcast, Work Sucks, I Know (pssst if you're not tired of hearing Kaylee talk yet, you can listen to her episode here).

This week we talked to Cyndi Darnell, author and sex therapist from Australia, all about her new book "Sex When You Don't Feel Like It." She tells us about how her clients inspired her to research pleasure and desire, offers sage advice on how to talk to intimate partners, and basically gives us both a free therapy session on the pod! 

If you like this episode of the podcast, definitely go purchase and read a copy of Cyndi's book, "Sex When You Don't Feel Like It." For a chance to win a free copy, check out our Instagram for a giveaway during the month of December (2022)!

You might remember TDo from previous appearances on the pod, including Kissing Girls > Kissing Boys and What's This Whole Kink Thing About? You may think we've run out of topics to talk to TDo about since we've already covered sexuality and kink, but YOU'RE WRONG! This episode may be our best TDo appearance yet. What do we discuss? You've got to listen to find out.

Did you know that on any given day, it's estimated that 1 in 5 people have a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? If it's such a common occurrence, why is there so much shame wrapped up in a positive diagnosis?

In this week's episode, Kaylee and Jen talk through their experiences learning about STIs when they were in school, which included graphic images passed around the room and essentially no useful information whatsoever. Then, Kaylee talks through her research into breaking stigmas and outing misinformation. To wrap up, Jen and Kaylee talk about ways to conduct useful, science-based, shame-free STI education that not only provides info for identifying infections, but also helps students understand how to get help, talk to their doctors, and to their partner(s).

Check out our sources:

• STIs podcast episode (Positively Positive)
• Hot Sex with STIs w/ Dr. Ina Park podcast episode (Sex with Emily)
• STD vs STI — What’s the Difference? blog post (Planned Parenthood)

We caught up with Blair, who runs all socials with the handle Talk Purity to Me, to talk about her sex ed experiences and all things purity culture. This one's got it all, folks! Abstinence-only sex ed in public schools, "radically middle" living room churches, fundamental misunderstandings of how pregnancy happens, and so much more! If you haven't yet, make sure to follow Blair on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok for all of your purity culture shame banishment needs.

In this episode, Jen walks us through the long and arduous history of birth control, from random experiments (did someone say elephant dung?) to condoms, diaphragms, and birth control pills. A good portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing Margaret Sanger, covering not only her world-changing work on birth control reform and the establishment of Planned Parenthood, but also how many of her views overlapped with eugenics, culminating in the birth control pill trials that took place in Puerto Rico.

Check out some of our sources:

• Birth Control Pill: A History (Planned Parenthood)
• The First Birth Control Pill Used Puerto Rican Women as Guinea Pigs (History.com)
• The Dark History of Forced Sterilization of Latina Women (University of Pittsburgh)
• La Operación (Dailymotion)

We talked to Rachel Fey, the VP of Policy and Strategic Partnerships at Power to Decide, all about her career journey working in sex ed policy. Rachel gives us an in-depth review of the current state of the law available for sex education funding and learning requirements among the different states in the US, as well as information on what we can do to help push for better sex ed. 

If you want to learn more, check out Power to Decide and Bedsider. Additionally, you can read up on the federal sex ed bill that Rachel mentioned, the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act (REHYA), as well as some of the federal sex ed funding programs she covered, like the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPPP), the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), and Title X. Finally, you can take a look at some of the online sex ed resources Rachel mentioned in the episode, including Scarleteen, Go Ask Alice, and Amaze.

Dating shouldn’t suck, but more often than not, it does. In this episode, Jen, Kaylee, and a few of their friends share some of their most unbelievable and cringe-worthy sex and dating moments. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and hopefully you’ll feel less alone. 

If you liked this episode and think this format is something we should do more often, please tell us! Email us at hello@sexedshouldntsuck.com or send us a DM on Twitter or Instagram. We'd love to hear from you <3 

Also it should be noted that Jen is a fog horn.

We all probably know a lot about sex in our current culture, but have you ever wondered how sex was viewed and talked about in the past? In this episode, Kaylee and Jen dive into the ancient history of sex in India, China, and Greece.  

Want to learn more? Check out our sources: 

• A graphic history of sex  
• History of human sexuality  
• What Was Sex Like in Ancient India?  
• Sex and Sexuality According to the Vedas
• Sexual Culture in Ancient China  
• Love, Sex, & Marriage in Ancient Greece

Calling all fans of feet pics, and those that are just foot-curious, this is the episode for you. Jen and Kaylee interview Kellie, a self-proclaimed semi-retired foot artist who is on OnlyFans! Talking points include white picket fences, having the “cool mom,” and...cockroaches?

Want to experience some of her sexy feet pics? Subscribe to our Patreon to get an exclusive look!