Embrace Sexual Wellness is conducting a multipart spotlight series of interviews with sexuality professionals. If you missed the previous ones, check them out on our blog. For the fourth installment in our interviews, we spoke with Erica Smith (she/her) of Erica Smith Education and Consulting.
Erica Smith spent 17 years working as a sex educator, advocate, and HIV prevention counselor for justice involved youth in Philadelphia, specifically young women and LGBTQ+ youth. Now she offers sexuality education that is tailored specifically to people raised in Purity Culture. Her clients were raised in incredibly restrictive and conservative religious environments that pathologize normal and healthy sexual behavior. Two years ago she started the Purity Culture Dropout Program, where she gives folks all of the medically accurate, queer inclusive, trauma informed, and shame free sex ed that they were denied.
Sex education is a profession that has a wide variety of forms. Some work in a more formal capacity like a school or non-profit, others work freelance. Some choose to become certified, others do not. Some utilize digital media as their main platform, some do mostly in-person work. Some work with youth, others work with adults. Most sex educators have a niche, a few topic areas that they specialize in. For Erica, her focus is battling purity culture.
What inspired you to pursue your career path?
I majored in Women's Studies in college and especially loved the classes on women's health and sexuality. I was very active in feminist politics in school, and my friends and I put on a few sexuality related events that drew a lot of controversy (this was the late 90s at Penn State). I loved doing these events and talking and learning about sexuality. There's nothing else I've ever wanted to do, honestly.
How does your field differ from that of other sexuality professionals?
As far as I know, I'm the only sex educator who focuses specifically on people raised in purity culture; at least this is what I've been told by many prominent ex-Evangelical mental health professionals who also do purity culture work!
What is the most rewarding part of your career?
The most rewarding part of my career is witnessing people's lives be truly transformed by the power of sexuality education. Sex education is transformative. It's a social justice issue. Good sex education is power.
What's the most misunderstood thing about what you do?
That it's all… sexy. That I'm just teaching people the best oral sex techniques and talking about the mechanical aspects of sexual intercourse all day. I am happy to do that stuff and it absolutely comes up, but I'm doing so much more work around things like sexual values, shame, cultural messaging, gender roles and expectations, and things that are quite far from sexually arousing to be honest! Sexuality is such a large topic that touches on so many different aspects of our lives, and the actual act of sex is a rather small part of it.
What's the most common question you receive from others about your career?
People most often ask how I got started in this field or why I focus on purity culture when I wasn't raised in it.
What advice would you want to share with aspiring sexuality professionals?
That we need more sex educators and that there isn't only one path to becoming one! We need sex educators with a whole variety of experiences and backgrounds and identities.
If you had to describe your work in one sentence, what would you say?
I help people understand themselves and their place in the world better through educating them about sexuality.
Is there anything you’d like to add?
Yes! I find social media's role in sex education to be so fascinating. It's a gift. There is great sex ed being put out there by so many people and organizations. This access changes peoples’ lives.
Thank you to Erica for taking the time to share her perspective. We encourage you to find Erica on social media and her websites, linked below.
Instagram: @ericasmith.sex.ed
Website: purityculturedropout.com
