LOS ANGELES—Everyone Deserves Sex Ed has tapped renowned disability educator, advocate and consultant Andrew Gurza to train attendees of EDSE’s upcoming 25-hour sex educator certification program, scheduled Nov. 9-10 and 16-17 in Los Angeles.
This is Gurza’s second time teaching Sex & Disability with EDSE, and he will facilitate a frank, honest and enlightening discussion of the disabled experience with regard to sexual health and education, helping attendees to recognize and reduce ableism in their everyday lives.
“I am so excited to work with EDSE again this year and educate attendees on the everyday ableism that exists in sex ed and health spaces,” Gurza said. “As a queer person, disabled man, sex educator, and known to many as the sexiest queer cripple, I’ll help EDSE attendees recognize and confront their own sexual ableism while laughing along with me. As a disabled sex educator, my goal is to show attendees that sex and disability is an often overlooked, but vitally important part of comprehensive sex education. EDSE participants will learn that sex and disability education is not only essential, but also really hot!”
Gurza uses his lived experience of disability along with years of work in the field to offer refreshing and candid conversations about sexuality and disability—especially the challenges disabled people face while accessing intimate health services. Most recently, Gurza was named one of Queerty’s Pride50, a national campaign that celebrates the special people actively continuing the progress of 50 years of Pride. Gurza was recognized for establishing the #disabledpeoplearehot hashtag, which celebrates the innate sexiness and sensuality of disabled people while identifying ableist misconceptions and misinformation about sex and disability.
Gurza will guide EDSE attendees through an intersectional discussion that will help prepare and empower them with the language and understanding necessary to provide services that are truly accessible.
EDSE founder and lead educator Anne Hodder-Shipp, ACS, tapped Gurza to handle the Sex & Disability portion of the certification because of his friendly approach to discussing sensitive subjects. Best known for his popular Disability After Dark podcast and lead role in The National Film Board of Canada’s Picture This documentary, Gurza has become a thought leader within the disabled community and his work shines a candid light on the realities of the disabled experience.
“Andrew has a unique talent for disarming his audience and quickly connecting with people at an authentically human level, which is so important when discussing topics that can be difficult to talk about,” Hodder-Shipp said. “One of the most memorable parts of my own sex education training was learning from disabled educators and advocates and understanding how my own unconscious ableism was affecting the ways I worked with clients. We had such a great time working together at EDSE’s spring sex educator certification and it was a no-brainer to invite him back this fall.”
Ideal for budding sex educators, health and social service workers, and anyone looking to bolster their sex ed knowledge, the EDSE certification program prepares attendees to have informed, inclusive and confident conversations about sex. Over the course of two weekends, EDSE attendees will learn key information about human sexuality, intimate health, consent, and communication skills and be trained to respond to sex-related questions in a concise, intersectional, and nonjudgmental manner. Attendees also will leave with new insight into their own sexuality—a fun side effect of sex education training.
“During my time as a sex educator, and a sex blogger before that, there was one thing I noticed most people had in common: a lack of confidence in, and even a little fear about, talking about sex,” Hodder-Shipp said. “This insecurity has a dramatic trickle-down effect. It leaves professionals feeling unprepared for workplace dynamics, parents terrified of having ‘the talk,’ and service providers caught off-guard during sensitive conversations with their clients. My goal with EDSE is give people access to the kind of professional and educational support so many of us have lacked throughout our personal and professional lives.”
The next EDSE certification will take place Nov. 9-10 and 16-17 in Los Angeles. Individual certification is $2,095, and payment plans are available to those in need.
To apply, fill out the form at EveryOneDeservesSexEd.com/certification/. An EDSE representative will review and be in contact within 48 hours of submission.
More information can be found at EveryoneDeservesSexEd.com/certification, or email Hodder-Shipp directly at [email protected].
