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Shanna Katz

Every other Wednesday The CSPH will highlight a Sexuality Professional you should keep your eye on. Their backgrounds are very diverse in order to bring attention to the wide variety of amazing people working in the field. This week we bring you Shanna Katz.

What do you do in the field of sexuality?

I am a bit of a chameleon. I work full time as the Resident Sexuality Educator for Fascinations, I run two personal blogs, I travel the country teaching workshops to adults about the spectrum of sexuality (at colleges/universities, sex toy shops, LGBT centers, centers for sex and culture, local groups and more), and I shoot queer porn from behind the camera. I’m also currently working on a survey on people with disabilities and their partners which will hopefully lead to a book, and I’m editing an anthology on the intersections of sexuality and disability.

Where are you based out of?

Currently, Phoenix, AZ, although I plan to be back in Denver, CO within the year.

What is your focus?  What do you do?

I tend to focus my work on non-traditional sex education for adults, including classes on relationships, communication, oral sex, anal sex, kink, sex toys and more. I think that we stop providing sexuality education after high school, yet peoples’ sexuality is constantly developing and changing. I’m passionate about helping people explore, discover and celebrate their own sexualities, and really bloom in their relationships. I’m particularly passionate about working with “alternative” communities; queer comminities, kink communities, people with disabilities, sex-positive pornography and more.

What are your particular goals and passions in the field?

Eventually, I’d like to write a few books, as there are not a lot of sexuality books about areas in which my passions lie, and I really enjoy writing. I’d also love to have a radio or TV show, but given the current views in our society, that may be a while in happening. In the more immediate future, I’d like to branch out and speak to more academic settings, work on completing my survey of people with disabilities and their partners so that I can write a book on sexuality and disability, and I’d like to work on starting my own series of sexuality education movies, similar to Nina Hartley and Tristan Taormino.

Why did you choose to work in this field?

I’ve always been interested in sexuality; my own and that of others. However, the turning point came my first year of college in my Human Sexual Behavior class, when a visitor from Planned Parenthood put a condom on her whole hand and arm and said “if a guy comes at you with a penis bigger than this; RUN.” Everyone laughed, but people definitely got the message that it was unlikely for a condom to ever be “too small.” At the moment, I realized that I wanted to talk to people about sex in a way that made them laugh and smile and feel comfortable enough to ask questions, etc.

Where did you go for school/training?

My undergrad degree is from Colorado College in Sociology (and German), and I have a Master’s in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University. Additionally, I choose to never stop learning. I go to conferences lik AASECT and Sex 2.0, I go to other educators’ classes and workshops, and I read a lot, both books and blogs. I try to continually build my knowledge base of sex and sexuality.

How did you get to where you are?

With the help and support of a lot of people. I started out going to Widener, and responded to a Craigslist add looking for someone to help with GayHotMovies.com.  Instead, I got hired on as a writer/reviewer/affiliate manager/blogger for HotMoviesForHer.com. From their, I reached out to Jamye Waxman and Audacia Ray, who helped me with amazing advice and pointed me in the right direction. Add to that bloggers such as Sinclair Sexsmith, pornographers/educators like Candida Royalle and Tristan Taormino, and a plethora of other educators like Catherine Toyooka, and more. Support from within the community is so incredibly important. It also helps that I’m a little OCD, and a little manic at times, so I can work on a whole lot of projects at the same time and get them done. I’m also very driven, and have a wonderfully supportive partner.  So from HotMoviesForHer.com to Eden Fantasys (back in 2007-2008) to working on an anti-personhood amendment campaign to freelance writing and working as the educator-in-residence at Hysteria to now working at Fascinations, I’ve had a lot of different experiences in the field, and they’ve all helped me get to where I am now.

What would you recommend to future sexologists attempting to get into the field?

Read everything you can and go to every class/workshop/lecture possible. Start a blog, or start a free support group, or workshops. Get yourself out there, get your name out there, and continue to learn as much as you can.  You’ll have to do a LOT of free/pro-bono stuff, especially in the beginning, but it’s all worth it, because you’re still providing good information to people. Create networks, build connections, and reach out into the community.

What is the most challenging aspect for you working in this career?

Sex really doesn’t pay. I’m lucky enough right now to have a salaried position, but when I didn’t, sometimes it was really hard to pay the bills. I also sometimes feel guilt about charging people for sexuality education, because I think it’s so important for everyone to get.

One must read-what would you recommend?  Why?

Opening Up, by Tristan Taormino. It’s about so much more than polyamory/consensual non-monogamy. It’s about relationships and communication, and all the important parts of interacting with one another. Also, while it’s a bit 101, The Guide to Getting it On (any edition) by Paul Joannides is a great basic read with LOTS of amazing information.

Where can our readers check out more of your work?

Most of my writing is on my blogs, and you can also read articles I’ve written on  http://blogs.funlove.com, http://shop.funlove.com/store/content/720/Sex-Education/ (sex education), http://magazine.goodvibes.com/, etc.