Alicia Sinclair Rosen, founder and CEO of COTR, Inc., will be among the panelists of the LGBTQ+ Sex Education for Brands discussion at the South by Soutwest conference and festival, set for March 16 at 11:30 a.m, CT.

Rosen, a sextech entrepreneur and 20-year pleasure products industry vet, will be joined on the panel by fellow sex-positive advocates and experts in the field of advertising. The discussion titled “LGBTQ+ Sex Education for Brands” will explore the lack of authentic LGBTQIA+ sex in advertising.

While cishet sex is frequently used in marketing, LGBTQIA+ representation is often limited to Pride season. The panel’s description notes, “For decades, the ad and marketing industry has infused sex into every product, from condoms (obvious) to hamburgers (not obvious, but OK). And for years — in June — we’ve added a rainbow to everything from search engines (obviously) to mouthwash (sure?).”

The discussion will focus on strategy and inclusive representation and serve as a call to brands that rely on sex to sell their products to get informed by the community reinventing sex for the world.

“Ultimately, you believe in innovation, culture, and progress, or you don’t,” the panel’s description continues. “So, unless your brand becomes celibate, reconsider how you respectfully experiment as a marketer. Culture started this. Brands followed suit. Sex sold. Now we discuss what’s next.”

As the CEO and founder of COTR, Inc., Alicia Sinclair Rosen has established a family of brands that embodies her personal values and philosophies in their own unique ways, making sex more fun, more enjoyable, and more adventurous for all who seek it. Rosen is a multi-award-winning sextech designer, certified sex educator, and businesswoman. She has been a voice for pleasure-based sex education leading workshops at Pleasure Chest, Babeland, Museum of Sex, and as a panelist delivering inclusive, research-based approach to sextech with HBO, Soho House, and the Erotic Intelligence Institute.

“With such a broad spectrum of sexual identities and preferences, equal representation for the LGBTQIA+ community is still lacking as cishet norms and values continue to prevail in advertising,” Rosen said. “I hope that having this important conversation on such a prominent stage as SXSW’s will lead to greater awareness of the need for consumers to see themselves in the marketing from the brands they support.”

Set for March 16, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., CT at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas, the “LGBTQIA+ Sex Education for Brands” panel is part of the events scheduled for SXSW. For complete details about the panel, click here.