Event page

8:30 am - 4:00 pm

Newton, MA (Near Riverside MBTA)
$225.00 ($175.00 for students)

The New England Sex Ed Conference, presented by Partners in Sex Ed and The Sex Ed Lecture Series, is a one-day conference for sex, health and wellness educators.

The conference provides opportunities to network with other educators, share ideas and learn best practices for teaching skills-based sexual health education.

This year, attendees can look forward to an inspiring lineup of keynote speakers and engaging workshops that will deepen their knowledge and equip them with valuable tools to enhance their teaching and advocacy in the field.

Keynotes

Pleasure is the Measure

Applying the science of sex to long-term relationships

Emily Nagoski is the award-winning author of, Come As You Are, Burnout, and Come Together. Emily "brings the science." As a gifted and engaging speaker, Emily is an expert on women's sexual wellbeing, healthy relationships, and the prevention of sexual violence and harassment. She travels all over, training professionals, teaching college students and other lay people, and learning more every day about the science and art of sexual wellbeing. She is a trained Gottman Seven Principles educator, with extensive specialized training in bystander intervention, motivational interviewing, and cultural inclusivity, including race, gender, and class.

How We Produce Hope

Practical strategies for defending and advancing sex ed in a hostile climate

Jaclyn Friedman is the Founder and Executive Director of EducateUS, where she is building a movement to change US public school sex education for good. Friedman’s work has globally popularized the affirmative consent standard of sexual consent. Her first book, Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Top 100 Books of 2009, and has inspired new laws in five U.S. states, as well as policies on countless campuses across the country and the world. She also spearheaded the legendary #FBrape campaign, which forced Facebook to address and exclude content that promotes or trivializes violence against women under their hate speech policy, and is founder and former executive director of Women, Action & the Media (WAM!).

Jack Patrick Lewis is an American state legislator from Framingham, Massachusetts. A Democrat, he was sworn in as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 4, 2017. In addition to his political involvement, Lewis has served as the executive director of OUTMetro West, a nonprofit working with at-risk LGBT youth, and as assistant minister and director of religious education at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills.

Event page

7:00 - 10:00 pm

72 Joy St. (Somerville)
$15-30/person sliding scale. Scholarships available, so don’t let the ticket price be the reason you don’t come.

Come join two growing communities for an evening of Japanese-inspired rope bondage (shibari) modeling and figure drawing. We’ll discuss some of the consent and negotiation involved in bondage play and then demonstrate some aesthetic rope ties for your drawing pleasure!

Snacks and drawing materials will be provided. Cost is on a sliding scale based on your ability to pay and recognition of structural privileges: $15-$35 (scholarships available, so don’t let the ticket price be the reason you don’t come!)

You don’t have to be kinky to enjoy seeing the masculine body tied in new shapes. You don’t have to be good at drawing to enjoy looking and watching.

Event page

7:30 - 9:30 pm

Upstairs at Bow Market (Somerville)
$23.18 - $33.85 sliding scale

Half a Mind Comedy presents BAZONGAS! - an evening of standup comedy at Upstairs at Bow in Somerville, MA, featuring jokes about boobs and more by people who have, have had, or wish to have boobs.

Our lineup consists of our brilliant headliner, Janelle Draper, our amazing comics Ang Buxton, Mel Moscoso, Lj, and Steph Dalwin, and our dashing co-producers Shruti Datari, Kathleen Meditz, and Alyssa Shore.

This show will run for 60-90 min and will feature 5-6 comics.

Net proceeds from BAZONGAS! will go to Point of Pride trans surgery fund, which provides scholarships to trans folks who are seeking gender affirming surgery.

Event page

6:45 - 8:00 pm

Cambridge Community Center (Cambridge)

Empowering Identities is a genderqueer and asexual music experience with Miss Christine. During the presentation, band leader Christine Moad (they/them) discusses terms relevant to the genderqueer/ace perspective, offers educational resources for those who share one or both of these identities, and provides insights they’ve gleaned from their own journey to aid those in the LGBTQIA+ community who might be questioning or newly out.

Christine also gives tips for allies who want to better understand and support people with those identities. After the presentation, Miss Christine puts on a private concert for attendees.

Christine has given this presentation at youth organizations and colleges across the Northeast and Midwest and they are excited to share this firsthand knowledge with you and your audience.

Event page

7:30 - 10:00 pm

Jamaica Plain. Exact location will be given to confirmed ticket holders.
$10-45/person sliding scale.

Curious about kink but not sure where to start? Join SBC for an introductory workshop on kink exploration! In this discussion-based class with roosiieebee, we will cover the journey into kink, how to keep yourself safe as you venture outside your comfort zone, and commonly used vocabulary. We will also discuss setting expectations for yourself and others and simple rules of thumb to follow.

This workshop is designed for those new to kink, whether you're brand-spanking-new (pun intended), stepping outside the bedroom and into the community for the first time, or venturing into different areas of kink. We encourage participants to come to this class with an open mind and connect with others at similar stages in their kink journey. If you're unsure whether this class is for you, feel free to reach out to us!

The venue is located in Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA.

IMPORTANT POLICY INFROMATION

All event details (including address) will be sent out 7 days before the event and 1 day before the event. Please add smartbostonco@gmail.com to your address book so our email doesn't go to your spam folder. If you purchased your ticket after the first confirmation email is sent, you may not receive the address until the day before.

Ticket sales will close at 12:00 PM the day before the event. No ticket sales will be processed after this time.

What to Bring

A notebook and writing utensil.

A mat or blanket to sit on.

Please note - Yoga mats will be available for rent at the venue for $3. Free blankets and yoga bolsters will be available for class use.

Venue, Accessibility, & Transportation

The class space is on the third floor of the building. There is currently no elevator access.

The studio is shoe-free. Shoes must be removed before entering the studio space. There are multiple shoe racks right outside the studio door.

There are two bathrooms - one is only for femmes on the third floor, one is a single-stall gender neutral bathroom on the second floor that requires a key from the front desk to access.

The venue is a 10 minute walk from the Green Street stop on the Orange Line or a 2 min walk from the 41 & 39 bus stops.

Parking is available at City of Boston Municipal Lot #6 on Burroughs Street. It's free and only a 2-3 minute walk away. There is also free street parking available near the venue.

Dress Code

This is a discussion-based event. We recommend wearing clothes that are comfortable to sit and relax in. No nudity is permitted at this event.

Tickets & Payment Options

Payments will be processed through Eventbrite with sliding scale pricing. All tickets provide the same entry (1 person per ticket) to the event. Pricing is access-based, not "pay what you want". If you benefit from systemic privilege, please consider paying more.

Health and Safety

Attendees of all events are encouraged to be fully vaccinated and boosted. We also encourage folks to practice regular at home testing before events to ensure you are COVID negative. Attendees are required to STAY HOME from any event, and notify organizers of their absence, if they are feeling at all ill.

About the Presenter

Roosiieebee (Rosie, she/her) is a switchy polyamorous pansexual who first tied someone up over 10 years ago. She enjoys bringing her chaotic energy to rope scenes whether she’s tying or being tied. A born and bred New Englander, she’s Boston based and part of SMart Boston Collab, and loves spending time doing kinky, witchy, Jewish shit. She’s passionate about exploring inclusivity in rope, particularly representation of fat folks and bodies of all different abilities.