Unlearning Bad Sex Ed: Gen Z, Sex, and Power with Carter Sherman | 352

Let’s get something straight: sex isn’t the problem—control is. In this episode, we go there with award-winning journalist Carter Sherman, unpacking the “second coming” of the sexual revolution: why Gen Z is having less sex, how abstinence-only “education” and the internet are shaping desire (and anxiety), and what sexual conservatism vs. sexual progressivism actually looks like on campuses, in school boards, and in our bedrooms. We talk porn as an educator (for better and worse), the relationship recession behind the “sex recession,” consent, pleasure, labels, and—most importantly—how we each build a sex life that’s ours. If you’re tired of other people writing rules for your body and your choices, press play.

We reference Carter’s new book, The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future and her reporting on Gen Z’s values-driven “revolution,” not just in headlines but in real life. For more on her work, check out the Guardian feature on Gen Z and the changing rules of sex.

We Cover

• The internet as sex ed: community, confusion, and why nuance matters

• Abstinence-only programs vs. reality (and risk)

• Relationship recession > “sex recession” (what’s actually declining)

• Sexual conservatism vs. sexual progressivism—who’s setting the rules and why

• Pleasure, consent, and building a script that fits you, not Instagram

• How to talk about sex (without dying of awkward) and fight back—locally

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just a conversation about sex—it’s about agency, freedom, and reclaiming power over our own stories. And if there’s one thing this revolution makes clear, it’s that the most radical act might simply be choosing for yourself.

Connect with Carter:

Website: https://www.carter-sherman.com/ 

Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Second-Coming/Carter-Sherman/9781668052457

IG: https://www.instagram.com/heyyymizcarter/?hl=en 

Related Podcast Episodes

• 152 / The Necessity Of Choice with Jacqueline Ayers
• Your Body Already Knows with Nidhi Pandya | 315

• 051 / Connecting To Your Sexuality with Aylen Doucette

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