Against the backdrop of growing concern over pornography, the first “Rocky Mountain Sex + Intimacy Summit” was held Sept. 23-24 in Salt Lake City.
“The Summit empowered mental-health professionals, medical professionals, clergy, students and the general public with information they need to address what some call ‘Utah’s pornography crisis,'” said event organizer Kristin Hodson, a Salt Lake clinical social worker and owner of The Healing Group clinic.
The Summit featured presentations by world-renowned sex experts Gina Ogden and Emily Nagoski. Dr. Ogden is an award-winning therapist, family therapist, researcher, leader and author. She founded the Relational Sexuality Network, an international collaboration of practitioners whose mission is to expand the practice of therapy and sex therapy. Dr. Nagoski is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Come As You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life.” She also is a frequent presenter at international conferences and symposia on human sexuality.
Hodson said the Summit addressed “how not to become a victim of the porn crisis by empowering yourself and others with information about personal sexual awareness and healthy sexuality. Understanding our sexuality is absolutely necessary when determining the effects pornography has on our relationships as a society and individually. Developing healthy sexuality also is essential to creating healthy and loving relationships."
2016
Conference co-chairs Kristin Hodson and Nicole Miranda invited the Utah community to engage in crucial dialogue around sexuality, inclusivity and community well-being on Sept. 22 and 23 at the Rocky Mountain Sex + Intimacy Summit. Hosted at the Sheraton Hotel in Salt Lake City, the conference was comprised of 4 nationally renowned speakers and four sessions focused on a variety of health, sexuality and inclusivity topics. The theme in 2017 was "building bridges" and some featured speakers included Dr. Marty Klein, Al Vernachio, Dr. Tina Shermer Sellers and Bonnie Owens.
Kristin Hodson on behalf of The Rocky Mountain Sex Summit said, "This summit offered an invitation to the whole community to engage in thoughtful dialogue around issues like sexuality, intimacy, and wellness that can be tough to discuss. But we are provided the perfect framework for healthcare professionals, counselors, parents, clergy, teachers or anyone to learn more about issues that impact our society and hopefully put caring strategies in place that make our community more inclusive."
The summit was informative for people in all professions but especially those who serve in the counseling, social work, mental health, and wellness professions.
2017
Period! This year’s conference was all about leaning into reproductive health from a variety of perspectives. Held at the beautiful, historical building in Salt Lake City, The Wave, the summit hosted Uchenna (UC) Ossaid, PhD,
2018
Sluttish: Language, Gender and Social Justice--Deconstructing the Narrative Growing up, it felt like there was little room to explore gender, race, and sexuality. You were damned if you did and you were damned if you didn’t. However, these ideas and the words that are sometimes carried with them haven’t stayed static. They’ve evolved. Jjust like the world around us has continued to evolve. Words such as slut and queer have been reclaimed and repurposed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of someone’s lived experience and a source of empowerment.
In this year’s Rocky Mountain Sex Summit we are taking these gendered narratives, scripts, and words and deconstructing them. Together we will learn about the intersections of gender, race, sexuality, pleasure, sexual orientation and their impacts on social safety, and belonging. We will reflect on our own lives as professionals and individuals with these intersections as well as the people with whom we serve.
Featured Speakers: Keynote: Amanda Montell author of Word Slut, Cultish, and The Age of Magical Thinking, Evelyn Cervantes, Lisa Diamond and Michelle and Secadio Sanchez
