Sue Johanson

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Susan Johanson
CM RN
File:Sue Johanson! (3006641609) (cropped).jpg
Johanson speaking in 2008
Born Susan Powell
(1930-03-13)March 13, 1930
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Occupation
  • Registered nurse
  • public speaker
  • sex educator
  • writer
Nationality Canadian
Alma mater
Spouse Ejnor Johanson (m. 1953)
Children 3
Website
www.talksexwithsue.com

Susan Johanson CM (née Powell; March 13, 1930 – June 28, 2023) was a Canadian sex educator, public speaker, and registered nurse.

Biography

Early life and career

Johanson was born Susan Powell in Toronto, Ontario, to Wilfrid Powell, a decorated British war hero,[1] and an affluent Ontario-born Irish Protestant mother, Ethel Bell.[2] Her mother died when Johanson was ten.[2] Johanson attended nursing school in St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, graduating as a registered nurse.[3] Soon after, she married a Swedish-Canadian electrician named Ejnor Johanson in 1953.[4][2] They had three children: Carol, Eric and Jane.[2] The family moved to North York, where Johanson kept house and raised her children.[5]

In 1970, Johanson opened a birth control clinic in Don Mills CI high school, the first of its kind in Canada.[2] She worked there as a coordinator for 18 years.[6] She continued her education at the Toronto Institute of Human Relations (a postgraduate course in counseling and communication), the University of Toronto (family planning), and the University of Michigan (human sexuality), graduating as a counselor and sex educator.[7]

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.[8] 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.[5][8] In 1996 it became a national show on the Women's Television Network (WTN).[7] It ended in 2005.[9]

In January 2002, reruns of the show began to be replayed to American audiences on Oxygen Media.[2] The recorded program was very popular, but American viewers missed the opportunity to call in and ask their own questions.[2] 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.[2][7] Talk Sex with Sue Johanson was divided into several segments, all covering the following topics: sexual life, love and relationships. Call-in segment included viewers' live calls with questions being answered by Johanson with discussions on a variety of sex topics. The show also included a sex quiz, a sex poll where viewers could vote via the internet and see the results at the end of the episode, and included important sexual news and information.[citation needed]

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.[10]

Johanson made appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13]

Books

Johanson was the author of three books: Talk Sex (ISBN 0-14-010377-5), Sex Is Perfectly Natural but Not Naturally Perfect (ISBN 0-670-83856-X), and Sex, Sex, and More Sex (ISBN 0-06-056666-3).[14][12]

Johanson was also the author of a weekly column published in the Health section of the Toronto Star newspaper.[7][15]

Death

Johanson died on June 28, 2023, at the age of 93.[16][17]

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 in 2001, for lifetime achievement.[18] 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.[8]

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Sue Johanson, beloved Canadian sex educator, dead at 93
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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