Sue Johanson

Susan Avis Bailey Johanson Template:Post-nominals (Template:Née; July 29, 1930<ref>Sue Johanson, Who Talked Sex With Aplomb, Dies at 92 from the New York Times date 7 July 2023</ref> – June 28, 2023) was a Canadian registered nurse and sex educator. She operated a birth control clinic in Toronto and hosted a series of radio and television programmes on birth control, safer sex and sexual health. She also published several books and wrote a newspaper column promoting sexual health.

Biography

Early life and career

Johanson was born Susan Avis Bailey Powell in Toronto, Ontario, in 1930 to Wilfrid Powell, a decorated British war hero,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and an affluent Ontario-born Irish Protestant mother, Ethel Bell.<ref name="encyclopedia">Template:Cite web</ref> Her mother died when Johanson was ten.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> Johanson attended nursing school in St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, graduating as a registered nurse.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Soon after, she married a Swedish-Canadian electrician named Ejnor Johanson in 1953.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="encyclopedia"/> They had three children: Carol, Eric, and Jane.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> The family moved to North York, where Johanson kept house and raised her children.<ref name="globe">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1970, Johanson opened a birth control clinic in Don Mills CI high school, the first of its kind in Canada.<ref name="encyclopedia"/> She worked there as a coordinator for 18 years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She continued her education at the Toronto Institute of Human Relations (a postgraduate course in counselling and communication), the University of Toronto (family planning), and the University of Michigan (human sexuality), graduating as a counsellor and sex educator.<ref name="webmd">Template:Cite web</ref>

Radio and television programs

Johanson first achieved popularity as a sex educator and therapist hosting her own show on rock radio station Q107 during the 1980s.<ref name="uoft">Template:Cite web</ref> The show, entitled Sunday Night Sex Show, transitioned into a TV talk show of the same name on the community television Rogers TV in 1985.<ref name="globe" /><ref name="uoft" /> In 1996, it became a national show on the Women's Television Network (WTN)<ref name="webmd" /> which ended in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 2002, reruns of the show began to be replayed to American audiences on Oxygen Media.<ref name="encyclopedia" /> The recorded program was very popular, but American viewers missed the opportunity to call in and ask their own questions.<ref name="encyclopedia" /> The U.S. version of Sunday Night Sex Show, called Talk Sex with Sue Johanson, produced especially for American audiences, debuted in November 2002 on Oxygen.<ref name="encyclopedia" /><ref name="webmd" />

On May 7, 2008, it was announced that the next Sunday night's episode of the show would be its last, ending the show's run after six seasons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Johanson made appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Acting

Johanson appeared in two episodes of Degrassi Junior High and two episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation. She played Dr. Sally, a radio host and sex educator who served as an in-universe version of Johanson.<ref name="via1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Documentary

A full-length documentary about Johanson was released in 2022. Entitled Sex with Sue, the documentary chronicles Johanson's life story, directed by Canadian documentary filmmaker Lisa Rideout.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Death

Johanson died in Thornhill, Ontario, on June 28, 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CBC 20230630">Template:Cite news</ref>

Books

Johanson was the author of three books: Talk Sex (Template:ISBN), Sex Is Perfectly Natural but Not Naturally Perfect (Template:ISBN), and Sex, Sex, and More Sex (Template:ISBN).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="via1" />

Johanson was also the author of a weekly column published in the Health section of the Toronto Star newspaper.<ref name="webmd" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Awards and honours

Johanson's work educating and informing the public about birth control and sexual health earned her Canada's second highest civilian honour after the Order of Merit, appointment to the Order of Canada as Member (CM) in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, Johanson was presented with the Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies for her contributions to the advancement and education of issues around sexual identification.<ref name="uoft" />

External links

• Talk Sex with Sue Johanson
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• Conan Talks Sex With Sue Johanson on Late Night with Conan O'Brien