RIP

'Everything I needed to know about sex, I learned from Sue': Fans mourn 'true Canadian icon', educator and broadcaster Sue Johanson

For many Canadians, the trailblazing educator was the only sex education source they were exposed to

Christine Jean-Baptiste
·Contributing Reporter
Thu, June 29, 2023 

Sue Johanson, famous for her show Sex With Sue, shares a laugh with Governor General Adrienne Clarkson after being invested into the Order of Canada at a ceremony in Ottawa Thursday May 31, 2001. TV sex educator Johanson has died at age 93. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tom Hanson (The Canadian Press)

This morning, it was announced that Sue Johanson, Canada's beloved sex educator and broadcaster, died at 93.

It was confirmed that the Canadian trailblazer passed away last night surrounded by her loved ones in a long-term care home in Thornhill, Ontario.

Johanson was best known for hosting Sunday Night Sex Show as a live call-in radio program in 1984, which then became a tv show from 1996 to 2005, where she discussed unfiltered sex advice concerning topics like STIs, consent, anal, oral and solo sex. She then hosted the U.S. spinoff, Talk Sex With Sue Johanson from 2002 to 2008.

Since the mid-1900s, Johanson pioneered g safe spaces for "sex talk" and made taboo topics accessible.

Online, fans mourn the sex activist, remembering her show as their first introduction to sexuality. For many, Johanson filled the gaps that sex-ed courses couldn't.

"She was funny and frank. She helped a lot of kids when their bodies were freaking out. A true educator. RIP Sue Johanson," one fan tweeted.

"Rest in peace to an absolute Canadian icon. She was the only sex education many of us ever got," another tweeted.

"Rest in peace, Sue Johanson. Everything I needed to know about sex, I learned from Sue. She was frank, confident & compassionate. She taught us all to be informed about our bodies, never ashamed or fearful, and to always always be one's own best advocate. Respect & gratitude," tweeted actor Jean Yoon.

"I was able to see her live in first year uni," one fan remembered. "She taught generations of us to reduce stigma around sexually related things through proper education, especially when many schools systems refused to do so."

"My Catholic school upbringing left a lot to be desired when it came to sex ed. "Canada'a Naughty Grandma" Sue Johanson filled the gaps and made sure a kid like me wasn't left behind. She was basically the Mr. Dress-Up for curious Canadian teens," another tweeted.

In 2001, she received an Order of Canada for her sex education advocacy.

"Listening without judgement and candid in her responses, she helps Canadians to improve their understanding of sexuality and their ability to make wise health choices," the honour statement reads.

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