Sexual Health Week Reflections

I think my exposure to sexual health is a common story in Canada: I learned about sex through movies, my parents ordered that I wait until marriage to have sex, and I was instructed to avoid sex to avoid STIs in the 1-hour of sexual education I had in high school. It felt like I was supposed to have been born knowing everything about sex, and when the time came, I would be able to just ‘do it’, and it would be ‘good’. I entered so many situations in high school, and then university, where I acted in a certain way to please other people. I didn’t see sexuality as an integral part of my identity or wellbeing, but as a taboo cluster of feelings I was meant to keep in check.

I give credit to my best friend from university for my involvement in sexual health. She was the first person I met to have such confidence in her body and feelings, without the shame that I thought was normal. I finally questioned why I felt so ashamed thinking about my body, sexual experiences, and desires. The freedom and safety that came with normalizing my sexuality made me want to play any small role I could in dismantling the stigma around sexuality and sexual health. This, alongside my own experiences, lead me to volunteering with Calgary Communities Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) three years ago as a crisis line volunteer. A year later, a friend that works as a sexual health nurse referred me to ASPSH!

To me, sexual health is about satisfaction, safety, and self expression! Sexual health makes up a facet of our overall health, just like mental and physical health. I believe we all have the right to the information we need to live our healthiest and most fulfilling lives.

Working with ASPSH has been special to me because I don’t work in the field of sexual health on a day-to-day basis. My research (as a PhD student) focuses on pregnancy, but ASPSH gives me the opportunity to learn and help educate on every other topic in sexual health! I feel very grateful to learn from and work with educators who are knowledgeable and passionate about sexual literacy and inclusivity.

I hope that the future of sexual health is caring, comprehensive and celebrated. The research on sexual health and education clearly indicates that more information regarding sexuality and consent leads to decreases in sexual violence, increases in sexual satisfaction and overall wellbeing. I hope that we, as a province, can follow the evidence, follow our conscience and protect and elevate the lives of everyone regardless of their sexual or gender expression.


- Dana Lowry, ASPSH Board Member