$30 Superpack: Sex Ed Do-Over

Did your sex education suck? Maybe you learned the joy of abstinence, or sat through harrowing tales of pregnancy and STDs, or were told lies and euphemisms, or that whatever you wanted and felt was wrong. Or maybe nobody told you anything at all. Fortunately, it's never too late to turn that ship around and learn for yourself what you need. Here's a selection of books and zines that can help fill in some of those gaps so you can make the best healthy, self-affirming decisions for you about what you do and who you do it with.

The Courage Party is the book about sexual assault ostensibly for kids, but every adult who needs to hear the words "It wasn't your fault" will find it remarkably cathartic. The young protagonist is assaulted in a park, and her guardian and best adult women friends throw her a party to celebrate her strength and courage and to share their own stories. Powerful, paradigm-changing stuff.

And some key zines:

STI FAQ was written exactly for you, oh sex-ed-deprived ones! If you've ever been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, or had a giant red bump freak-out, or were left more confused than informed by what you learned in school, this zine walks you through exactly what diseases are out there, how to identify and treat them, and most importantly, how to deal with what happens if you do get one—how to talk to the other people involved and manage your own feelings fallout, too.

Unf*ck Your Consent walks you through the history of sexual consent, what exactly it means, how it's changed over time, and how to practice being excellent at it so we can have spectacularly fulfilling sex lives without hurting each other (except consensually, of course).

Sex Without Roles is great. It's a trans guy's perspective about anonymous sex, dating, relationships, and most importantly communication and consent. It's written specifically about navigating sex when assigned gender roles and body parts don't match with social norms, but whatever your gender, sexuality, or style, you'll learn a ton from this short, honest take on how to be truly yourself with self-respect and good communication with others.