Health: Vanessa Geffrard

“In my work, I realize that women, especially Black women, don’t always have a platform to discuss their sexuality and sexual lives. These conversations are either held in private with one other person and shushed from larger society and I want to elevate the message that we're amazing, wonderful, complicated and multi-faceted beings who deserve to be heard and deserve to feel good. Joy and pleasure is our birthright. I honestly believe that when women and femmes feel good about themselves - they take care of themselves, their bodies, their health and put their best interests first. I want to be a catalyst for that.”

Vanessa Geffrard is a life affirming sex educator residing in West Baltimore. Vanessa wears a multitude of hats; she manages and implements middle school programming, adult training, and community workshops. She also trains and educates adults, parents, and community groups around sexual health topics such as consent and boundaries, sexually transmitted infection prevention, contraceptive methods, teen pregnancy and abortion stigma, healthy relationships, LGBTQ inclusion. She is founder VagEsteem™, a workshop series and podcast that encourages good and healthy sex through courageous conversations about love, sex, relationships, and everything in between and was awarded The Daily Record’s Leading Women Award.