Sue Johanson, Canadian sex educator, died at age 93. That’s how people remember her

Beloved — and often funny — sex educator Sue Johanson, who helped destigmatize the joy of sex, has passed away at the age of 93.

“Sue paved the way for how we talk about sex and sexuality today, unafraid to break taboos,” the Twitter account of the documentary Sex With Sue said Thursday.

“Canada lost a national treasure today, but Sue’s legacy will create positive change for decades to come. We love you, Suus.’

The tweet is one of hundreds more in honor of Johanson — from memories of learning how to put on a condom, to quirky late-night talk shows about the legendary sex educator.

This is how people remember Johanson and who she was.

In memory of Sue Johanson

“Sue came to my high school one time, stretched a condom over her head as far as she could, and told her never to let anyone tell us they didn’t fit,” wrote British journalist Jenna Moon. “RIP Legend.”

“Sue Johanson was for so many people the first person they ever heard speak candidly about sex on TV or radio without any kind of judgment or moralizing.” wrote another Twitter user, referring to a snippet of Johanson on Conan O’Brien’s talk show in 2016. “RIP to a Canadian icon.”

“This is sad news” another Twitter user posted a response to Johanson’s passing. “My dad and I used to listen to her radio show in the car when I was a teenager. It helped us open the door to difficult conversations about sex. I think it also helped my immigrant father to be more open to new ideas and different choices.”

“What a warm and impactful person. Sue Johanson was a progressive – a rebel with a purpose. When AIDS emerged, sex and death became intertwined. She brought light to the sexual repression,” tweeted Canadian media personality George Stroumboulopoulos.

Who was Sue Johanson?

Johanson made a name for herself in Canada and the United States talking about sex on radio and TV, but she started in 1970 by setting up a birth control clinic at a Toronto high school.

In 1974, she began traveling to schools in Ontario to teach sex education and ten years later her radio show, “The Sunday Night Sex Show,” came on the air in Toronto.

That show, and its US counterpart “Talk Sex with Sue Johanson”, saw people calling with questions about obscure acts and fetishes in hopes of shocking the matronly nurse, her daughter Jane Johanson said in an interview for the launch of the documentary “Sex with Sue.

However, the real attraction was her answers.

“She really cared, sincere and honest. It wasn’t like she wasn’t putting on an act. She really cared,” Johanson said.

“If people were uncomfortable with something, she tried to put them at ease. If she felt it was a really sensitive subject that needed to be handled carefully and gently, she would sometimes put off a phone call until the end of the show and talk to people privately.

Sue wrote three books on sexuality and toured Canada lecturing in schools to spread the message of destigmatizing sex.

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