Sex positive educator and comedic storyteller, Cindy Pierce will be on campus Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m. in Jamrich 1100 to discuss navigating hook-up culture. Pierce has been teaching sex education for 12 years, “by accident.”

“The funniest part of the whole thing was that I was the last person to be sexually active in my friend group,” Pierce said.

Pierce travels the country talking to middle schoolers, high schoolers, parents, adults and college students.
“I was alarmed by how much crappy sex my friends were having,” Pierce said. “So pleasure education is really where I started.”

Her friends encouraged her to pursue sex education with storytelling and comedy and she has performed for audiences of up to 800 people.

“As I had gone along, I wasn’t even interested in doing this, I didn’t have time to be doing this. But the more I learned about how little people knew the more I felt it was necessary,” Pierce said. “No one wants to talk about sex, but they love it when someone else does. Even my very Catholic mother and her friends were clinging to every word I said.”

Sexual education continues to be limited, even to this generation who has advancements
in technology and communication, she said.

“I would argue that while social media and texting are great in so many ways, it’s getting in the way of improving sexual communication because people are relying on the safe distance of
communicating through their thumbs and sending ‘dick pics’ and ‘nudes,’” Pierce said. “Porn is the No. 1 sexuality educator for most people, regardless of identity or
orientation, it’s where people go because they feel embarrassed because they don’t know.”

Pierce’s underlying message, however, is social courage.

“I’m not encouraging the hook-up culture. I encourage people to take your time and choose carefully,” Pierce said. “There is so much below average sex because of lack of communication. I want to raise the bar.”