Educational organization Everyone Deserves Sex Ed (EDSE) has tapped gender and sexuality expert Beck Gee-Cohen to train attendees of EDSE’s upcoming 25-hour sex educator certification program, scheduled April 6-7 and 13-14 in Los Angeles. Gee-Cohen will facilitate discussion of gender identity and LGBTQIA+ representation, giving attendees a more confident understanding of inclusivity and its importance in sexual health and education spaces.

A compelling speaker and trainer, Gee-Cohen is a master’s-level clinician with an undergraduate degree in Sociology specializing in Gender & Sexuality. He owns and operates BGC Bridge, a consulting firm that helps facilities shift their culture and become more knowledgeable about the LGBTQ experience. Using personal anecdotes, humor and vulnerability, Gee-Cohen connects with clients in a heartfelt way as he addresses concerns of equality and acceptance of LGBTQ individuals – often requiring his audience to look inward to identify and process personal bias.

“My passion is helping facilities and practitioners improve their mental health services and create more inclusive, intentional spaces, and I’m excited to bring this work to EDSE attendees,” Gee-Cohen said. “Gender is deeply personal, yet so often misunderstood in clinical and healing environments, and it’s essential that service providers understand gender and sexuality on both a micro and macro level. This training will provide attendees with a new framework they can use in their personal and professional lives, and I look forward to connecting with everyone in April!”

EDSE founder and lead educator Anne Hodder-Shipp, ACS, recruited Gee-Cohen to teach this portion of the certification because of his enthusiastic and interactive teaching style, as well as his reputation as an LGBTQ-affirmative clinician. His work with BGC Bridge has enabled health facilities across the country to make the cultural and corporate shifts necessary to offer truly inclusive services, and Gee-Cohen’s perspective and skillset will leave a lasting impression with EDSE attendees.

“I had heard about Beck and his workshops long before he and I officially met, and I’m honored to have him as part of our education team,” Hodder-Shipp said. “Beck is known not only as a strong teacher but also as a genuine person unafraid to get vulnerable with his audience, which is perfect for our program. He’ll guide attendees through important and potentially challenging discussion of gender, bias and inclusivity and provide the language and information necessary for EDSE’s budding sex educators.”

Ideal for 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.

The next EDSE certification will take place April 6-7 and 13-14 in Los Angeles. Individual certification is $995, with payment plans available upon request.

To apply, fill out the form online. An EDSE representative will review and be in contact within 48 hours of submission.

“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.”

More information about Hodder-Shipp can be found online, or email her directly at anne@everyonedeservessexed.com.