“As of 2020, only 17 states require sex education to be medically accurate,” reads a statistic from a press release. “In the United States, teenagers have the highest pregnancy rate in the developed world. And moreover, some 700,000 queer people have endured conversion therapy.” Even amid such realities, Liu’s overwhelming curiosity into sex compelled him to secretly surf the world of online pornography, where he was oftentimes confronted with narratives and fantasies he was unable to process in a healthy way. Alas. This led Alex down a path of shame and isolation that eventually turned into suicidal thoughts. Convinced that sex — same-sex intercourse, specifically — would inevitably end his life through some means of infection.
But now in his 30s (and out of the closet), Liu has turned fear and loathing into something positive and humorous: a documentary eeks to turn his personal pursuit of shame-free pleasure into a call for comprehensive sex education for everyone. // For more information on A Sexplanation, including how to get tickets to the Silicon Valley-based Cinequest Film Festival — which shows the film is run through March 20 – 30 — visit herraproductions.com/a-sexplanation. Screenshots of the film provided by Herra Productions.
