Sex has been a taboo topic for over a century since the Victorian era. When we do talk about sex, we usually talk about how to have safer sex and birth control. But what about pleasure? What about deeply connecting with someone? What about intimacy? What about RADICAL LOVE?

80 years and tens of millions of dollars in research at Harvard point to one thing: “happiness is love”. Healthy, happy relationships are literally life-saving and humans are hard-wired for connection. Despite mounting evidence from psychology to neuroscience that reveals how much humans need each other to survive and thrive, many people struggle with creating intimate and meaningful relationships. In a world that’s overwhelmingly hyperconnected through technology, nearly half of Americans said that they felt lonely, isolated from others or left out.

Myths about gender and sexuality prevent us from expressing our authentic selves as well as deeply connecting with one another. How are we socialized to behave, think, and feel about our sexual lives, our sexual pleasure, and our relationships? Let’s talk about what’s getting in the way of deep connection and how they’re all linked.

This Olio explores how politics, money, power, and toxic masculinity are barriers to some of the most fulfilling aspects of our lives: our connections. Let’s think of new possibilities for community by strengthening how we relate to ourselves and each other.