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Who is Erika Moen? Internet FUMES over author’s 'inappropriate' children's ‘sex-ed' manual 'Let's Talk About It’

While some have lauded the work as a modern-day sex-ed manual, others have slammed the author for promoting sexually inappropriate content to students

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A comic book illustrator found herself in the spotlight after one of her books drew controversy for allegedly teaching minors how to make digital porn, indulge in anal sex, and explore sexual fetishes. 

Erika Moen's 'Let's Talk About It' has made waves on social media in the past year after parents across the country protested the distribution of the graphic book in school libraries. While some have lauded the work as a modern-day sex-ed manual, others have slammed the author as well as school districts for promoting sexually inappropriate content to students.

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Who is Erika Moen? 

Erika Moen describes herself as a "full-time professional cartoonist and comic book creator" who has been making webcomics for over 18 years at Helioscope Studio in Portland, Oregon, on her website. She identifies as a "cisgender, white, able-bodied, married queer lady" who wants to make "positive, diverse, and friendly comics." Born on June 25, 1983, Moen graduated with an illustrated storytelling self-designed degree from Pitzer College in 2006. Her work has been published by Oni, Dark Horse, Image, Villard, Scholastic, and several others.

In 2004, the author was profiled as a promising new talent "taking over the comic world with her stories about queer culture, sex, humor, and cute girls" by Sequential Tart. Since April 2013, she has reportedly been working full time on her ongoing webcomics project 'Oh Joy, Sex Toy', which features "reviews of everything that relates to sex, sexuality and the sex industry." Aside from creating comics, Moen regularly teaches classes and offers guest lectures on the subject in high schools and colleges across the country. She has been married to author Matthew Nolan since October 2008.

That said, Noem has received considerable backlash for her book 'Let's Talk About It' — arguably her most notorious work to date. The book, which is co-authored by her husband, reportedly instructs children to use editing software and apps to hide their "recognizable features” so they can text sexual photos of themselves to friends. Meanwhile, it reportedly also encourages readers to actively research their favorite sexual fantasies, kinks, and porn stars on the internet. What's more? The book also introduces children to the idea of anal sex, describing it as “practical and pleasurable” and a “primo erogenous zone for touching and penetrating," per Alaska Watchman.

The chapters in the book include “masturbation," "kinks, fantasies and porn,” “climax,” and “sexting,” among others. In the chapter dedicated to porn, an illustration depicts a naked man performing fellatio on another naked man with a caption that reads, in part, “watching pornography uncritically can leave you with unrealistic expectations about what to do in the bedroom, so do yourself a favor and consume with a hefty grain of salt.” The book also features in-depth demonstration of how to perform masturbation, insisting that girls should "circle your fingers around and over your c**t. Give it a couple quick pats!” Another caption discussing sexually transmitted diseases notes that the “majority of STIs are treatable and, if caught early, no biggie.” The authors insist that romance comes with “different flavors” with “no wrong choices” while completely rejecting the binary concept of gender. “Traditionally (gender) has been seen as a binary with just two options, masculine or feminine, but it’s much more like a spectrum, with many different possibilities,” the book states, according to Dickinson Press.

Social media backlash

It's worth noting that the book has drummed up quite the social media storm in the past year, especially after conservative Twitter page 'Libs of TikTok' posted excerpts from the book and highlighted how it was available in school libraries. 

Many criticized the book for targeting minors in the comments section. "Beginners book on how to become a porn addict sic," one tweeted. "Holy crap. This is one of the most evil things I’ve ever seen," another offered. "Reading age: 14-17 years. These people are gradually achieving their aim. Home School to the rescue," someone else chimed in. "I’m gonna write my own book called 'let’s not talk about it' it’s gonna be all about stuff that kids don’t need to know yet or do do. Any pre orders?" another quipped

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