Sex shop owner in Washington state, who serves on school board, to host classes on 'pleasure' for kids as young as 9

A Washington state school board director who owns a sex shop says she will host events for children as young as 9 at her adult store which will discuss topics like "sexual anatomy for pleasure" and "safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities."

Jenn Mason is the school board director for Bellingham Public Schools. She is also a sex educator and the owner of WinkWink, an adult store that advertises itself as "a woman-owned sex shop delighting in expertly curated sex and body products, lingerie, and books."

In August, Mason will hold several sex education workshops aimed at children in her store. The classes are called "Uncringe Academy," and their purpose is to "[help] young people to feel comfortable around these topics so that they can advocate for their own bodies, health, and well-being.”

Mason is offering two classes, one for kids aged 9-12 and another for teenagers 13-17. The workshops "will vary for developmental appropriateness," according to a description of the event.

The list of class topics includes:

• Healthy relationships and relationship models
• The science of puberty
• Consent and communication
• Gender and sexual identities
• Sexual anatomy for pleasure and reproduction
• What IS sex? Kinds of solo and partnered sexual activities
• Safer sex practices for all kinds of sexual activities
• The ethics and realities of sexualized media and pornography

“This course includes understanding the basics of sexual anatomy, including the names and function of body parts related to reproduction and pleasure. We also cover the basics of biological sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation," she added.

Mason also described sex in vague terms, arguing that sexual intercourse is open to interpretation.

“While some people think of sex as only being when a penis goes in a vagina, ‘sex’ can really be any activity that a person does with themselves or others to become aroused,” she told Rantz. “There’s no such thing as ‘real’ sex and it’s okay if your definition of sex is different from someone else’s.”

The classes Mason is offering will be held in her personal capacity as a business owner, and not as the director for the Bellingham School District, Rantz reported. They are not associated with the school district.

Mason stirred controversy last month with another youth event at her sex shop directed at kids who identify as LGBTQ+. The event was called "Queer Youth Open Mic Night" and it was held to celebrate "young queer voices," according to the National Desk. Children were encouraged "to share poetry, music or a story" at WinkWink.

WinkWink's website states "there is no law or store policy that sets an age-limit for our customers," and that "all people" are allowed in the shop at any time. While "ID is required for any items that must be legally sold to people 18 and over," the store says "we don't actually sell any pornography or any other items that are age-restricted.”