New Children’s Sex Education Book

OUTTAKE VOICES™ (Interviews)

Cory Silverberg talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about his new children's sex education book “You Know, Sex” that’s aimed at kids aged 10 to 14. “You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty And Other Things” is the first thoroughly modern sex ed book for any child navigating puberty and adolescence. Silverberg is a certified sex educator and former chair of sexuality educator certification for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists. He’s created this fabulous manual that’s presented in a comic book genre illustrated by Fiona Smyth. This 400-page comprehensive work looks at sexuality, body differences, reproduction, hormones and development with an emphasis focusing on our LGBTQ teens and also addresses power, pleasure and how to be a decent human being. This is Silverberg and Smyth’s fourth collaboration following their other publications including “The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability”, “What Makes a Baby” and “Sex is a Funny Word” all available on Seven Stories Press. In “You Know, Sex” Silverberg focuses on young people’s thoughts and experiences exploring sex. Cory also includes chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, trauma, consent, boundaries and safety as well as puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary and intersex bodies experiences and more. Fiona Smyth illustrations include racially and ethnically diverse characters providing an inclusive cross-disability experience that makes “You Know, Sex” a book for every kind of young person and every kind of family especially in these challenging times when the mere discussion of sexual orientation is being banned in states across America. We talked to Cory about what he hopes to accomplish with his timely new sex education book and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

Cory Silverberg was raised in the 1970s by a children's librarian and a sex therapist and grew up to be a sex educator, an author and queer person. Cory received a master's degree in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Illustrator Fiona Smyth was inducted into the Doug Wright Awards' Giants of The North Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame alongside Alootook Ipellie in 2019. She teaches illustration and cartooning at OCAD U and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Cory and Fiona’s collaborations have been honored by ALA Stonewall Book Award and 2016 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction.

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