At Acquaint Education, our mission is to illuminate the intricate roles that various sectors—including sexual wellness companies, adult film industries, sexual technology enterprises, and dating apps—play in shaping the public’s understanding and experience of sex, sexuality, intimacy, and attachment. By critically reviewing these entities through a queer, feminist, and ethical lens, we strive to provide a comprehensive discourse that challenges allonormative perceptions and compulsory sexuality, advocating for a world where every individual, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or identity markers, can navigate their relationship with sex and intimacy freely and informedly.
Rooted in the rich soil of queer theory and inspired by academics who have championed the cause of liberation across spectra of sexuality and identity, Acquaint Education (also known as Acquainted) commits to offering insights that are not only reflective but transformative. Our work is driven by the belief that understanding and education about sexuality and intimacy should transcend traditional boundaries, embracing the diversity of human experiences and desires.
In pursuit of this mission, we dedicate ourselves to:
- Elevating Discourse: Crafting and disseminating reviews that delve deep into how companies within the sexual wellness, adult film, sexual technology, and dating app domains function as inadvertent educators. Our analysis seeks to uncover the messages they propagate about sex, sexuality, intimacy, and attachment, highlighting the impact on societal norms and personal experiences.
- Championing Diversity: Ensuring our critiques are inclusive of and accessible to all, particularly those marginalized by mainstream narratives. We emphasize the importance of diverse representation and the acknowledgment of varied experiences, striving to shed light on stories that are often left untold.
- Promoting Ethical Practices: Advocating for responsibility and ethics in the portrayal and discussion of sexuality and intimacy by the industries we review. We believe in holding companies accountable for the content they produce and the ideologies they perpetuate, encouraging practices that respect individual dignity and agency.
- Fostering Education and Liberation: Providing a platform for education that liberates rather than confines, through the deconstruction of allonormative views and the critique of compulsory sexuality. Acquainted envisions a society where education about sex and intimacy is empowering, inclusive, and reflective of the full spectrum of human experiences.
Putting it all together:
Through our work, Acquainted aims to be a catalyst for change, challenging existing paradigms and contributing to a more inclusive, understanding, and liberated discourse on sex, sexuality, intimacy, and attachment. We are not just reviewers; we are educators, advocates, and allies in the journey toward a more informed and equitable world.
Ethan H. Freedman (he/him/they/them)
President of Acquainted
Colgate University ‘24
Inquiries:
Contact: notetoethanh@gmail.com