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!).
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Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Power and a World Without Rape - OnGoing Blog
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‘Parents’ rights’ as a red herring
Boston Globe [January 18, 2023] -
Sex education in America gets a failing grade, according to experts. Here's why — and how they believe it can change.
Yahoo!life [October 27, 2022] -
Americans are being misled on comprehensive sex ed. Here is what it actually does.
USA Today [August 31, 2022] -
How to Help Transform U.S. Sex Education
Private Parts Unknown [August 25, 2022] -
Sex Ed: In Our Classrooms, Communities and Culture
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From a whisper to a roar
Boston Globe [July 21, 2022] -
Who’s grooming who?
Boston Globe [June 30, 2022] -
If only the Supreme Court justices had better sex ed
WBUR [June 24, 2022] -
WHY EVERYONE ONLINE IS HAVING SUCH A BALL TRASHING AMBER HEARD
We are the Meteor [May 28, 2022] -
Let’s (Not) Talk About Sex
Boston Magazine [April 5, 2022] -
Deadly silence: what happens when we don't believe women
The Guardian [January 21, 2020] -
Women Must Stop Playing By The Rules After Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation
Refinery29 [October 6, 2018] -
Sex & Consent: It's Time To Go Beyond The Rules
Refinery29 [September 6, 2018] -
Unsolicited Advice for Bristol Palin: Call It Rape
Good [July 8, 2011] -
DSK, Lies, and the Myth of the Perfect Victim
Good [July 1, 2011] -
What You Really Really Want: The Smart Girl's Shame-Free Guide to Sex and Safety
Seal Press [2011] -
What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape
The American Prospect [December 10, 2010] -
To combat rape on campus, schools should stop keeping it quiet
The Washington Post [March 14, 2010] -
We Are All Polanski's Victims, and We All Deserve Justice
The Huffington Post [October 1, 2009] -
Tucker Max Has Female Fans. Why?
The Washington Post [September 20, 2009] -
Beyond Punishment: What Really Matters About Chris Brown's Sentence
Huffington Post [August 5, 2009] -
The Nation on Grit TV
Commentary -
Jaclyn Friedman - How Feminist Digital Activism Is Like the Clitoris
Commentary -
Naomi Wolf vs. Jaclyn Friedman: Feminists Debate the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange
Democracy Now -
Part II...Feminists Debate on the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange
Democracy Now -
Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape
Seal Press [2009] -
Who Decides What Makes a Woman?
The Daily Dose [May 8, 2015] -
What’s Desperately Needed in Sex Education Today
TIME [May 28, 2014] -
Choosing a college? Look into campus rape rankings before you start packing
The Guardian [April 25, 2014] -
Rape on TV—More Than Just a Plot Twist
The American Prospect [January 15, 2014] -
Dissecting Donglegate
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Toxic Masculinity
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Let's End Rape in Conflict
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Katie Roiphe's perversion of feminism
The Guardian [April 16, 2012] -
Bride's 'Purity Certificate' Stirs Up Premarital Sex Debate
ABC News
In this WMC Talks conversation, Soraya Chemaly talks with activist and educator Jaclyn Friedman to explore why comprehensive sex education is largely absent from national discourse despite overwhelming public support for it. She explains how inclusive, K–12 sex ed goes far beyond health—shaping civic engagement, reducing violence and bullying, and strengthening democratic values like autonomy, respect, and critical thinking.















