Celebrating 30 Years of Sex Sense: A look back at our history and forward to our future.
This year we are celebrating 30 years of Sex Sense! For over 30 years we have spoken with hundreds of thousands of people across B.C. and across Canada and around the world. In our busiest year we fielded almost 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 counsellors, and had dozens of Sex Sense volunteers who greatly supported the program.
Our History
In February 1996 the Facts of Life Line was launched (when Options for Sexual Health was still Planned Parenthood of B.C.) with the motto we have held true to ever since: “We supply facts. You supply decisions.”
Back then our Resource Manual was on paper in a big binder and was under 100 pages. Today it is digital, thousands of pages long, 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 evidenced sexual health education, paired with compassion and care. Perhaps even more today in 2026 in this age of misinformation.
In 2004 we added the phone line “YKSTYLE” for callers in the Yukon. The Yukon later rebranded on their end to “Better to Know” and directed Yukon callers to Sex Sense.
10 years in, in 2006 we rebranded as the 1-800-SEX-SENSE line and added email to our service. This coincided with Options for Sexual Health launching the Won’t Get Weird network: a website of care providers who ‘won’t get weird’ when they are asked about sex. The advertising for Won’t Get Weird and the 1-800-SEX-SENSE line with oft-remembered horrified and judgmental cartoon characters looking aghast with our tagline: “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 & emails. After many years, the Won’t Get Weird network did start to dissipate; however, many of the resources collected during that time have remained as part of our frequently referenced sources, organizations, and care providers.
2011 and 2013
In 2011, our bus ad campaign, “We’ve Got a Room for You” playfully encouraged people to contact Sex Sense if they were looking to hook up with the closest clinic, or call if they had a burning question. This fun campaign resulted in many people calling to ask if we actually had a room for them, but also brought a new audience to Sex Sense and helped more people understand the type of information and resources our service provides.
This campaign was replaced with a new campaign in 2013 with a general ad campaign for all of the Options for Sexual Health programs. This was the first time that one of our ads featured a QR code, which at that time was new and innovative. Although at the time, QR codes were not as commonplace as they became in 2020 (when everyone was scanning QR codes instead of reading menus!), the QR code did help folks to connect with our services through their cell phones.
In 2014 We found that clients were increasingly using the internet to find Sex Sense. The number of clients who learnt about Sex Sense via the internet grew 387% from 929 to 4,525 and represented 55% of callers.
In 2018 we launched our “Everybody has questions about sex. We want you to ask us.” ad campaign.
In February 2023, to honour of the 60th anniversary of Options for Sexual Health (and Sex Sense’s 27th Birthday) we launched 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 along the lines of “so, this is a [weird/stupid/embarrassing] question…” The truth is they really aren’t! Chances are someone (or many someones) has already asked us pretty much the same thing.
We receive thousands of questions each year and there is lots of variation, but clear themes do tend to emerge. A lot of similar things are obviously on a lot of our minds. And so, we wanted to begin sharing some of what we’ve learned about the topics people ask us about, as well as some of the resources we most recommend.” You can find our blogposts through a link on our website sexsense.org. Our post “So Glad You Asked: First Time Sex Tips” is consistently one of the most visited/read page on the Options website!
2020-2024: During and post-pandemic, we noted a huge increase in the number of anxiety-related concerns, and an increase in complexity of calls, which resulted in a sharp increase in duration of calls and emails.
2025 Sex Sense’s 30 years of service and excellence was recognized nationally! We received the Helen & Fred Bentley Award for Excellence of Achievement! This award recognizes outstanding programming by Associate Organizations of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, particularly in contraceptive care. “Sex Sense, continues in the great tradition of previous winners, in working to ensure that sexual and reproductive health services are available to all.”
What’s Next for Sex Sense?
Late 2026: In honour of our 30th Anniversary, and in recognition of how people are accessing resources and information in 2026, we are excited to be launching a new way for people to interact with Sex Sense staff. We’re adding live text and chat services! With all of the many resources available, we wanted to be able to continue to provide the excellent service you know and love in a new way. Our text and chat service will be staffed by Sex Sense staff members, and will not be staffed by an AI bot! We currently have a survey running until the end of July to help us learn more about what type of resources you’d like to see as part of Sex Sense. Please click here to participate!
When Sex Sense launched 30 years ago, texting wasn’t part of everyday life and online chat support didn’t exist. Today, we’re getting ready 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.