“If you can’t talk about sex, you can’t improve public health.” Upon reading this sentence in the Spring 2008 issue of the John Hopkins Public Health Magazine, my career goals became crystal clear. Sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) are on the upswing across Canada right now, especially among youth. With the majority of youth having cell phones and internet access, issues surrounding sexting and cyberbulling are rampant. Traditional sex ed makes LGBTQ youth feel like outsiders and the health effects of this exclusion are well documented and devastating. I could go on and on. Yet, despite countless studies stressing its importance for youth health, we are still scared to talk to youth about sex.
