Celebrating 30 years of Sex Sense: A look back at our history and look ahead to our future.
This year we celebrate 30 years of Sex Sense! For over 30 years we have spoken to hundreds of thousands of people throughout BC. and across Canada and around the world. In ours Our busiest year we made nearly 13,000 calls and emails! Over the years we have had staff members who are registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified sexual health educators, midwives, social workers and abortion counselors and we have had dozens of Sex Sense volunteers who have greatly supported the program.
Our History
In February 1996 the Facts of Life Line launched (when Sexual Health Choices was still BC Planned Parenthood) with the slogan we’ve stayed true to ever since: “We provide facts. You provide decisions.”
Back then our Resource Manual was on paper in a large binder and was under 100 pages. Today it is digital, has thousands of pages and is updated daily. What hasn’t changed: The majority of questions we receive are about contraception (birth control), sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy (including pregnancy options, pregnancy risk and testing, abortion) and sexual health. What also hasn’t changed: that people need access to medically informed sexual health education, combined with compassion and care. Perhaps even more so today in 2026 in this age of misinformation.
In 2004 we added the “YKSTYLE” hotline for Yukon callers. Yukon later rebranded as “Better to Know” and directed Yukon callers to Sex Sense.
10 years in, in 2006 we renamed the line 1-800-SEX-SENSE and added email to our service. This coincided with Options for Sexual Health launching the Won’t Get Weird network: a website of caregivers who “won’t get weird” when asked about sex. The ad for Won’t Get Weird and the 1-800-SEX-SENSE line featuring the oft-remembered horrified and judgmental cartoon characters looking upset with our tagline: “We talk about sex and some people get weird. We won’t.”
The launch of this new campaign resulted in an immediate increase in the number of calls and emails. After many years, the Won’t Get Weird network began to disband. However, many of the resources collected during this time have remained as part of the frequently cited sources, organizations, and care providers.
2011 and 2013
In 2011, our bus advertising campaign, ‘We’ve got a room for you’ playfully encouraged people to contact Sex Sense if they wanted to be connected to the nearest clinic or to call if they had a burning question. This fun campaign resulted in many people calling to ask if we actually had room for them, but it also brought a new audience to Sex Sense and helped more people understand the kind of information and resources our service provides.
This campaign was replaced by a new campaign in 2013 with a blanket advertising campaign for all Options for Sexual Health programs. This was the first time one of our ads featured a QR code, which at the time was new and innovative. Although at the time, QR codes weren’t as common as they are in 2020 (when everyone was scanning QR codes instead of reading menus!), the QR code helped people connect to our services through their mobile phones.
In 2014 We found that customers they increasingly used the internet to find Sex Sense. The number of customers who learned about Sex Sense online increased by 387% from 929 to 4,525 and accounted for 55% of callers.
In 2018 we started “Everyone has questions about sex. We want you to ask us.” publicity campaign.
In February 2023for the price of 60u anniversary of Options for Sexual Health (and Sex Sense 27u Birthday) we started a blog on the Options website called “So Glad You Asked”. With our first post we shared: “Many people start their calls or messages to us with something like “so this is a [weird/stupid/embarrassing] question…” The truth is that it is not!
We receive thousands of questions every year and there are many variations, but clear themes tend to emerge. Many similar things are obviously on our minds. So we wanted to start sharing some of what we’ve learned about the topics people are asking us about, as well as some of the resources we recommend the most.” You can find our posts via a link on our website sexsense.org. Our Glad You Asked: First Time Sex Tips is consistently one of the most visited/read pages on the Options site!
2020-2024: During and after the pandemic, we saw a huge increase in the number of stress-related concerns and an increase in the complexity of calls, which resulted in a sharp increase in the length of calls and emails.
2025 Sex Sense’s 30 years of service and excellence recognized nationally! We received it Helen & Fred Bentley Award for Excellence of Achievement! This award recognizes outstanding programming by Canadian Action Partners for sexual health and rights, particularly in contraceptive care. “Sex Sense continues in the great tradition of previous winners, working to ensure that sexual and reproductive health services are available to all.”
What’s next for Sex Sense?
End 2026: In honor of our 30th anniversary and in recognition of how people access resources and information in 2026, we’re excited to launch a new way for people to interact with Sex Sense staff. We are onedding live text and chat services! With all the many resources available, we wanted to continue to provide the great service you know and love in a new way. Our text and chat service will be staffed by Sex Sense staff members and not AI bots! We’re currently running a survey running until the end of July to help us learn more about what kind of resources you’d like to see as part of Sex Sense. Click here to join!
When Sex Sense was released 30 years ago, texting wasn’t a part of everyday life and online chat support didn’t exist. Today, we’re gearing up to offer both as part of our commitment to meeting people where they are. As we celebrate three decades of service, we’re excited about what the future holds for sexual health information and support in BC.
