Actress Kerry Washington is channeling her passion for sex education and reproductive wellness through a partnership with Winx Health, a Gen-Z-focused sexual and vaginal health brand. This collaboration offers Washington a platform to educate and empower individuals on these crucial topics.
Washington, best known for her role in Scandal, has been committed to sex education since her teenage years. “When I was a teenager, I started working with a theater and education program that did a lot of sexuality education in high schools and community centers,” Washington shared with PEOPLE in a recent interview.
“We wrote these skits about health and wellness and safer sex issues and homosexuality and abortion. Trafficking in this space has been important to me for a long time.”
The urgency of spreading awareness about reproductive health has increased due to recent changes in reproductive health rights across the United States. The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended federal abortion rights, has led to a series of statewide abortion bans. Washington acknowledges the heightened importance of her work in this context. “Right now, it’s weird. It’s like — I wouldn’t say that I’m partnering with the company to be an activist, but just operating in the space of sexual health feels like a radical act right now, because of the attacks on reproductive rights and the attacks on education,” she said.
Also, read; Ex-Laker Darius Morris Dies of Heart Disease, Cocaine a Contributing Factor, Medical Examiner Reports
Washington aims to amplify the critical work Winx Health is doing in women’s health education. “I really want to amplify the important work that [Winx] is doing around women’s health education and just make sure that people are informed,” she emphasized. “The ability to really know ourselves and take care of ourselves allows us to love ourselves and to live empowered lives of choice as women.”
In addition to advocating for reproductive health education, Washington is also focused on another closely related issue: voting. She believes that reversing restrictive legislation depends heavily on electing the right candidates in upcoming elections. “Much of the legislation can be reversed if the right candidates are elected in November,” she stated, highlighting the importance of civic engagement in the fight for reproductive rights and comprehensive sex education.
