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Erica Smith, Sexuality Education and Consulting

It's only 3 days into the new year and ...dear lord

Published about 1 month ago • 2 min read

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Happy New Year!

(And Happy Birthday to my mom, a New Year's Day baby, who reads all of my emails and is my personal reason for celebrating. Love you mom!)

I rang in the new year in quiet fashion in my own home because I came down with an illness. I was supposed to travel to Texas to be with my husband and in-laws but alas, here I am in Philly where it is 20 degrees F instead of 80.

But I can't complain. I am sad I couldn't travel but I am really making the best of this situation. I actually thrive being home alone with my pets in my cozy space, and I do adore hibernating and enjoying my own company. I'm reading, watching movies, taking baths, and I made a really incredible pot of gumbo on NYE. To me the turn of the new year is a time for deep rest. So basically, I'm built for this. :)

But today- what the fuck- I woke up to the same news we all did, the USA bombing Venezuela overnight and arresting their president and his wife without congressional authorization. I'm sad, stunned, and scared like I imagine many of you are. I was an adult in my early 20s when the USA invaded Iraq (also for an oil war disguised as made up reasons), and I spent a lot of time marching and protesting that invasion. We had months as citizens to protest and prepare knowing that it was coming. I don't even know what to say about this except that I'm here with you in a mixture of feelings I can't yet articulate.

Just an absolutely bananas start to 2026 already.

Sooooooo I'm not going to bother crafting an artful transition into talking about business and the Queer Support Groups- I'm just going to be transparent and not try to be smooth, ok?

The first group begins this Thursday evening and I have a few spots left.

  • Tuesdays at 7pm ET (starts 1/13/26) SOLD OUT
  • Thursdays at 9pm ET (starts 1/8/26) 3 spots left, join by 1/7/26
  • Sundays at 11am ET (starts 1/11/26) SOLD OUT
  • Mondays at 8pm ET (starts 1/12/26) 4 spots left, join by 1/11/26

Dare I say that Thursdays at 9pm ET have historically been my most magical group? I don't know what it is, but the West Coasters and night owls that make up this time slot just usually go crazy together.

The info: the Purity Culture Dropout™ Queer Support Groups are heading into their 7th year and have now supported hundreds of people in building community and a more clear, confident understanding of themselves.

If you’re seeking others who understand what it was like to grow up in purity culture and later come to terms with their LGBTQ+ identity (like especially if you're still coming to terms with it!), this is where you’ll find it.

"As someone coming out in my 30s AND raised as a conservative Christian, I was worried I wouldn't be able to find a community who really got it. Thanks to the groups, I now have a circle of people who I can trust to listen and support me about issues few other people would understand. Erica created a nonjudgmental space where we could talk about complicated feelings and share the kind of outrageous experiences that can only come from being raised in purity culture. I feel like my cohort are the siblings I never had, and joining the program is one of the best things I've ever done for myself (short of coming out)! Also, several times I laughed until I almost threw up, and it was awesome."

Each meeting is 90 minutes long. The total cost of the 8 weeks is $450 per person. (This breaks down to less than $40/hr).

A payment plan is available- you can pay in 3 installments. If three installments is difficult, email me and we can personally set up a custom payment plan. Seriously- just tell me what works for you.

Let's kick off 2026 in community because community is really the answer to everything. <3

xo

Erica

Count down to 2026-01-09T02:00:00.000Z​

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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Erica Smith, Sexuality Education and Consulting

The Purity Culture Dropout™ Program

I developed the Purity Culture Dropout™️ Program to help people learn all of the sex education that they missed growing up in purity culture- sex ed that is accurate, queer inclusive, trauma informed, compassionate, and comprehensive. I have worked with hundreds of people to help them learn about healthy sexuality after high control religion. Subscribe if you're curious about / invested in shame free sexuality education that's specifically tailored to the needs of people coming out of high control religions and purity culture. Expect information not just about healthy sexuality and upcoming programming, but also cultural commentary on sexual politics in the US. I'm a sex educator with 25 years of experience and I'm excited to share that with you.

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