 I started Pleasure Pie in 2014 because I wanted to give people the affirming sex education that I never got as a teenager. At the time I was teaching sex ed to teens in Boston. We had to follow a strict curriculum, which was dictated by the state. The curriculum had an optional add-on section about consent. One day, I was teaching the consent lesson and it was not landing. The kids seemed to feel attacked by the lesson, as if I thought that they were all criminals just waiting to commit sexual assault as soon as they got the chance. It made me realize that the lesson—like so much consent education—was written in a way that felt condescending and controlling. But the reality is that I didn't think that the kids in that room needed to be lectured into conforming to a narrowly defined approach to affirmative consent (think: "Do you want to have sex?" "Yes!" "Great, let's!" with zero exceptions regardless of how long you've known the person or any other circumstances, and with zero alcohol or weed). What I really thought was that probably no one in that room wanted to harm a potential sexual partner. They just needed the skills to communicate comfortably about sex and consent—and importantly, about pleasure—to avoid causing harm. But our society doesn't teach about sexual communication, pleasure, or consent in ways that speak to people's real life needs and experiences. So that's why Pleasure Pie exists—to provide pleasure-centered sex and consent education that celebrates the incredible diversity of sexualities, gender, relationships, bodies, and desires. Sex ed that is down to earth and doesn't make people feel attacked or chastised. Consent education that is based in the belief that pleasure and connection are crucial to human existence, and that teaches people the skills they need to pursue them with integrity and care. What is Pleasure Pie? Pleasure Pie is a sex positive education organization in Boston, MA. Our approach to sex education is based in sexual justice and intersectional liberation. We celebrate diverse sexualities, bodies, relationships, genders, and desires in everything we do. Zines: Our zines are a down to earth, inclusive, trauma-sensitive way for adults and teens to learn about sexuality. Workshops: We lead shame-free sex ed workshops for colleges and organizations. This article was written by Nicole Mazzeo. Nicole is a sex-positive zine maker, trauma informed sex educator, and low brow art enthusiast. She is the founder of Pleasure Pie.
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