The 2026 Sexual Health Alliance Annual Sexological Conference brought together hundreds of sexual health professionals for an unforgettable experience that extended well beyond the conference room.
From October 15–17, 2026, professionals gathered at the Grand Hyatt Denver for three days of education, professional development, networking, and community. Designed for therapists, physicians, researchers, educators, counselors, sexologists, coaches, pelvic health professionals, and others working across sexual health, the conference featured more than 30 expert presenters and some of the leading voices in the field.
And in 2026, we put just as much thought into what happened after the final session of the day.
Attendees experienced A Taste of Kink at our Black-Tie Bondage Gala, and this year's evening events created an experience attendees wouldn't find at a traditional professional conference.
Explore the 2026 Annual Sexological Conference highlights and program.
What Was the 2026 SHA Annual Sexological Conference?
The Sexual Health Alliance Annual Sexological Conference is an interdisciplinary professional conference focused on sexual health, sexology, sexuality education, therapy, medicine, research, relationships, and human sexuality.
The 2026 conference took place October 15–17 at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Denver, Colorado.
Rather than separating medicine, mental health, research, education, and lived experience into different conversations, the conference created space for professionals across disciplines to learn from one another.
Attendees included therapists, psychologists, physicians, gynecologists, urologists, pelvic floor physical therapists, nurse practitioners, researchers, academics, educators, counselors, sexologists, coaches, and other professionals interested in advancing sexual health.
This interdisciplinary approach reflected the broader understanding of sexual health described by the World Health Organization, which extends beyond the absence of disease or dysfunction to include physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being related to sexuality.
For professionals interested in building a career in this growing interdisciplinary field, SHA also offers a guide to careers in sexual health, including pathways in therapy, sexology, education, counseling, coaching, research, healthcare, and media.
Who Spoke at the 2026 Sexual Health Conference?
The 2026 keynote lineup spanned sexual medicine, psychology, research, communication, somatics, media, and sexuality education.
Featured keynote speakers included Ashley Winter, MD; Justin Lehmiller, PhD; David Ley, PhD, CST-S; Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, PhD; Chris Donaghue, PhD, LCSW, CST; Shan Boodram, CSE; and Evan Goldstein, MD.
Topics ranged from complex disorders of libido, arousal, orgasm, and pain to sexual communication, Gen Z's changing sexual behavior, pornography and relationships, anal health, attraction, desire, somatics, and pleasure.
Beyond the keynotes, attendees had the opportunity to participate in concurrent presentations and interdisciplinary panels addressing some of the most relevant conversations happening in sexual health.
These included discussions of GLP-1 medications and sexual health, pelvic and chronic pain, intimacy coordination, romance and erotic literature, digital sexuality education, kink-informed clinical practice, modern sexual medicine, and more.
Explore the 2026 conference speakers, presentations, and panels.
Sexual Health Continuing Education—Across Disciplines
The conference also served as a continuing education opportunity for professionals looking to bring current sexual health knowledge back into their clinical, medical, educational, or professional work.
The in-person conference offered eligibility for up to 20 continuing education hours, depending on each attendee's profession and sessions attended. The 2026 conference was also approved for up to five CME/CE credit hours across multiple healthcare professions, including medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, pharmacy, physician assistants, dentistry, athletic training, and interprofessional healthcare education.
Learning That Went Beyond the Lecture Hall
One thing that made the 2026 SHA Annual Sexological Conference different was our belief that professional education about sexuality doesn't always have to happen from a chair in a ballroom.
The conference included optional experiential pre-conference workshops, including Somatic Sexual Healing with Charlie Glickman, PhD, and A Taste of Tantra: Arousal, Awareness, and Self-Pleasure as Embodied Presence with Rachel Rowlatt.
These workshops explored areas such as embodiment, boundaries, consent, communication, nervous-system awareness, connection, and the ways experiential learning can inform professional practice.
That same philosophy continued into the evening.
A Taste of Kink: From Clinical Curiosity to Experiential Learning
One of the 2026 conference's presentations, Beyond Kink-Aware: Kink, Bias, & Clinical Curiosity, explored an important question for sexual health professionals: What happens when a client's desires challenge our own assumptions about what is healthy, pleasurable, intimate, or empowering?
The session examined how personal values, cultural conditioning, clinical training, familiarity, and bias could influence the way professionals respond to kink.
Then the conversation moved beyond theory.
A Taste of Kink gave conference attendees an experiential opportunity to approach unfamiliar experiences through curiosity, consent, personal boundaries, and choice.
For professionals who work with diverse expressions of sexuality, this created an unusual opportunity to consider what being genuinely kink-informed means—not simply knowing terminology, but becoming more aware of our own responses when sexuality moves outside our familiar frame of reference.
Professionals interested in developing deeper competency in this area can also explore SHA's Kink-Informed Certification Program.
The Black-Tie Bondage Gala
And then it was time to dress up.
One of the biggest additions to the 2026 conference experience was our Black-Tie Bondage Gala, which brought the SHA community together for an evening combining celebration, connection, creativity, and the unexpected.
Think black tie—but SHA.
After days spent discussing sexuality through the lenses of medicine, psychology, research, culture, relationships, pleasure, and professional practice, the gala created space to celebrate the community advancing those conversations.
It was also part of something we believe professional conferences need more of: genuine opportunities to connect.
The relationships built over dinner, at receptions, between sessions, and during evening events have the potential to become collaborations, referrals, friendships, research partnerships, podcast guests, professional opportunities, and communities that last long after everyone has left Denver.
More Than a Sexual Health Conference
The 2026 conference schedule reflected that balance between education and connection throughout the week.
The experience kicked off with an online launch party on Tuesday, October 13, featuring online keynote presentations from Evan Goldstein and Shan Boodram.
On Thursday, attendees participated in pre-conference workshops, an opening reception, keynote programming, breakout sessions, and the first evening experience.
Friday featured a full day of education followed by the highly anticipated Black-Tie Bondage Gala.
Saturday brought another day of breakout sessions, networking, keynote presentations, and an evening activity that closed out the main conference experience.
And for those who weren't ready for the conversations to end, Sunday featured AMPLIFY Sexology, presented by The Sexology Lab, a special event that brought together creators and professionals working to change how the public talks about intimacy, relationships, sexuality, and sexual health.
Together, these experiences reinforced what makes the SHA Annual Sexological Conference unique: education from leading experts, an inclusive and diverse professional community, and opportunities to connect through immersive experiences that go beyond traditional conference programming.
Who Attended the 2026 Sexual Health and Sexology Conference?
The 2026 SHA Annual Sexological Conference welcomed people working across—and interested in—the field of human sexuality.
Attendees represented a wide range of professions, including mental health professionals, medical providers, sexuality educators, researchers, academics, sexologists, counselors, coaches, pelvic health professionals, writers, creators, and others whose work intersects with sexuality, relationships, intimacy, or sexual wellness.
The conference also provided valuable opportunities for professionals considering deeper education in the field. SHA continues to offer professional pathways in sex therapy, sexuality education, sexuality counseling, sexology, and sex coaching, alongside continuing education and experiential learning opportunities throughout the year.
Why the 2026 SHA Annual Sexological Conference Was an Experience to Remember
The 2026 SHA Annual Sexological Conference brought together research, clinical education, medicine, sexuality education, professional networking, continuing education, and experiential learning in one dynamic professional gathering.
But the experience was about more than attending presentations or collecting continuing education credits.
It was about bringing together professionals from different disciplines, creating space for important conversations, challenging assumptions, and building meaningful connections within the sexual health community.
From expert-led educational sessions and thought-provoking panels to immersive workshops, evening experiences, and the Black-Tie Bondage Gala, the conference demonstrated what becomes possible when education and community come together.
Our goal was never simply for attendees to leave Denver with more notes.
We wanted them to leave with new knowledge, new questions, new professional relationships, and a broader understanding of where the field of sexual health is headed.
As we reflected on an incredible week of education, collaboration, and connection, we were reminded of what makes the SHA community so special: the professionals who continue showing up, challenging outdated narratives, sharing their expertise, and helping move the field of sexual health forward.
We look forward to continuing these conversations and building on the connections made in Denver.
Learn more about the SHA Annual Sexological Conference and future events.
Thank You to Our 2026 Conference Sponsors
The Annual Sexological Conference is made possible in part through the support of organizations and brands that invest in sexual health education, innovation, and professional community. Thank you to our 2026 sponsors for helping us create an event where clinicians, researchers, educators, healthcare professionals, sexologists, and other leaders can learn, connect, and move the field of sexual health forward.
Lovehoney / pjur — Lovehoney is a global sexual wellness retailer offering pleasure products, lingerie, and intimate care, while pjur specializes in premium personal lubricants and sexual wellness products.
Ashlin Hadden Insurance — An independent insurance agency providing tailored insurance solutions for individuals, professionals, and businesses.
MedEnc Technologies (Moanr) — MedEnc develops privacy-focused technology for relationship and sexual wellness, including Moanr, a platform designed to help people better understand their intimate health and relationships.
Popstar Labs — A doctor-founded sexual wellness company creating science-backed products focused on semen health, sexual performance, confidence, and pleasure.
C.A. Goldberg — A law firm representing survivors in cases involving sexual violence, stalking, image-based abuse, sextortion, online harms, and technology platforms.
Future Method — A doctor-developed sexual wellness brand combining science-backed products with education focused on anal health, preparation, pleasure, and aftercare.
Cuddlist — A professional cuddle therapy platform centered on platonic touch, consent, boundaries, connection, and human closeness.
FirmTech — A sexual health technology company developing wearable products designed to provide insights into erectile function and sexual health.
Arya — An intimacy platform for couples that combines personalized guidance, curated experiences, communication, and products to help partners explore and reconnect.
Redefined Intimacy Therapy — An inclusive therapy practice supporting individuals and relationships with intimacy, desire, connection, and relationship concerns.
Intimacy Space — An intimacy app offering guided sensual audio, stories, games, and prompts designed to encourage exploration and connection, solo or together.
Oboo — A women-created intimate wellness brand developing pleasure and sexual wellness products with perimenopause, menopause, and midlife bodies in mind.
TENGA — A global pleasure brand creating innovative products for solo pleasure, partnered experiences, and sexual wellness.
LELO — A Swedish luxury pleasure and sexual wellness brand known for design-driven intimate products and technology.
Afterglow — A sexual wellness and adult media platform combining pleasure-focused films with sex education and content centered on pleasure, communication, and exploration.
Intimacy Aura — A research-based intimacy assessment designed to help people better understand their individual patterns of desire and arousal.
SVAKOM — A global sexual wellness brand creating technology-forward pleasure products, including app-connected devices, vibrators, stimulators, and intimate accessories.
CalExotics — A woman-founded pleasure products company creating an extensive range of inclusive intimate products designed to support pleasure and sexual exploration.
ProDx Health — A physician-founded health testing company offering private at-home testing for STIs, hormones, and other health and wellness markers.
AASECT — The American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists is an interdisciplinary professional organization dedicated to advancing sexual health and professional standards in sexuality education, counseling, and therapy.
Sensuali — A sexual wellness platform connecting people with practitioners and experiences across sexuality education, coaching, intimacy, sensuality, kink, and pleasure.
STIMULATE — A business-to-business sexual wellness trade show and conference connecting brands, retailers, healthcare professionals, educators, and industry leaders to advance innovation, education, and collaboration in sexual health and wellness.
MV.Health — A sexual health technology company developing research-informed, medical-grade devices that use targeted vibration to support erectile function, arousal, intimate wellness, and sexual health.
Risqué Exposures — A Colorado-based boudoir and erotica photography studio creating empowering, artistic experiences centered on body confidence, self-expression, sensuality, and celebrating diverse expressions of sexuality.
School of Consent — An educational organization founded around Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent framework, offering workshops and professional training focused on consent, boundaries, communication, touch, and personal agency.
Überlube — A premium personal lubricant brand creating high-quality, silicone-based products designed to enhance comfort, reduce friction, and support intimate pleasure and sexual wellness.
If/When/How — A reproductive justice organization mobilizing lawyers and advocates to protect reproductive autonomy, provide legal support, and advance policies that uphold individuals' rights to make decisions about pregnancy, birth, and their bodies.
Cooch Ball — A pelvic floor wellness tool created to support pelvic muscle relaxation, body awareness, circulation, and pelvic health through accessible, at-home movement and self-care practices.
Insight Sexual Health — A sexual health education organization founded by Renee LaVail, offering educational programs and professional guidance to help individuals and practitioners approach sexuality, intimacy, and sexual wellness with greater knowledge and confidence.
Hello Nancy — A pleasure-focused sexual wellness brand creating playful, approachable intimate products designed to make self-exploration, body confidence, and sexual pleasure more accessible and shame-free.
Zestra — A sexual wellness brand specializing in non-hormonal, botanically formulated arousal oils designed to enhance sensation, support arousal, and promote women's sexual pleasure.
SEX-ED+ — A sexual health education initiative creating anatomically accurate, inclusive genital models and educational resources to improve sexual anatomy knowledge, challenge misconceptions, and promote body diversity.
Awakening Boutique — An independent, sex-positive boutique in Colorado offering thoughtfully curated pleasure products, intimate wellness essentials, lingerie, and educational resources that encourage exploration, confidence, and sexual well-being.
