038 - Heather Edwards - Wait! Genitals Don't Equal Gender!?

In this interview with Heather Edwards, Antony and Marika learn a lot about gender, sex, sexuality, BDSM and more!

Heather has been a pelvic physical therapist since 2003 and is one of only a few AASECT (American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists) certified sex counselors in the world. As an artist, she has a line of coloring books the blend gender-inclusive genital anatomy with fun and approachable designs. As a producer and host, she created a sex-ed-in-a-bar event series, Vino & Vulvas, in 2015.

In this episode, Heather tells us about her journey in pelvic health and how she fell into it when no one else wanted to! Along the way, Heather discovered an interest in sexuality and wanted to learn more about this topic, so she went on to do further studies.
Some of the questions that we asked Heather were:
- What does LGBTQIA stand for?
- What is the difference between sex and gender?
- As a health or fitness professional, how can we support people of all genders and orientations in our clinics? How important is the environment and our language? (NB Heather recommended the podcast Decolonising Fitness)
- Where can health and fitness professionals learn more about supporting LGBTQIA clients?
- When doing a subjective assessment, how do we create a safe space so that our clients feel comfortable sharing information?
- What does BDSM stand for and how can knowledge of this area help in working with clients with pelvic pain?
- When people talk of penetrative sex as being the goal, how can we introduce other aspects of sensuality into their rehabilitation program?
- Are there any particular things you’d like pelvic health physiotherapists to know about gender reaffirmation surgery?

Please go to the website www.womenshealthpodcast.com to download the coloring pages.

You can find Heather:
http://www.heatheredwardscreations.com 
vinoandvulvas@gmail.com 
https://pelvicguru.com/event/trans-inclusive-trauma-informed-kink-aware-care-optimizing-sexual-wellness-in-atlanta-ga/