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A B O U T

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As a sexual health educator, Black feminist researcher, and digital erotic cultural producer, Dr. Shawna Shipley-Gates (pronouns: she/her) empowers Black women and femmes to unapologetically take control of their own erotic lives. With more than ten years of HIV prevention and sexual health expertise, she has shared her purpose on both local and national platforms addressing the importance of current, culturally significant, age-appropriate, and sex-positive sexual health education to many audiences but especially for Black girls, women, and femmes. Her work explores digital erotic cultural production as a form of resistance against sexual oppression to address sexual health disparities among Black women. Dr. Shipley-Gates utilizes digital spaces to create safe yet sex-positive spaces that present Black women and femmes as diverse, provocative, and healthy subjects. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College; Master of Public Health degree from New York University; and doctoral degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Kansas. Dr. Shipley-Gates is currently a Lyman T. Johnson Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Kentucky. 

Dr. Shipley-Gates prioritizes speaking, writing, and media opportunities on the following topics: 
  • Sexual History and Stereotypes
  • Black Female Sexuality in Popular Culture
  • Sex-Positive Sexual Health Education
  • Gender & Sexuality 101
  • Healthy Sexual Relationships​
  • Eroticism and Pleasure-Based Sexual Health
She works with the following audiences: 
  • Digital Media
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • Intimate Gatherings
  • Conferences
  • Community Events
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Healthcare 
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From 2018-2024, Dr. Shipley-Gates was formerly known as the founder and digital erotic cultural producer of Cupcake Noire, a pleasure-based sexual health brand that created a safe, intersectional, and sex-positive space both in real life (IRL) and on digital platforms to celebrate everything healthy, unabashedly provocative, and luxurious about Black women’s eroticism. While the brand is no longer, she continues this work through her research, education, and community engagement. 

© 2025 Shawna Shipley-Gates

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