We know that sex education is lacking in classrooms across the country. Young people are receiving less sex education today than they did 10 years ago, some states don't require sex ed to be medically accurate, and when sex education is taught, it's often not inclusive of LGBTQ people. To fill in the gaps, young people often turn to porn (which we know is not sex ed), and one teen even asked Reddit for some sex tips. While there are definitely resources online that can help young people learn what they need to know about sex, sometimes you need a little hands-on experience to guide your way. We're obviously talking about virtual reality.

People of all ages can get exactly that kind of experience on Lube River, the first installation of Pillow Talk, a three-chapter virtual reality (VR) experience that explores the vast spectrum of sexuality and gender, consent and communication in and out of the bedroom, and sex-positivity through toys and self-pleasure. The experience was created by Motherlode, a creative-tech startup for interactive 3D, augmented reality, and virtual reality design that was founded by three female artists, Carol Civre, Isa Ghaffari, and Leah Roh. As artists and developers who are women of color and queer, they wanted out of their previous gigs that they said proved to be male-dominated, and instead opted to create space for themselves to develop the stories that are important to them and their peers.

"We wanted to create a virtual reality experience that all three of us could get passionate about. This brought us to the topic of sex and more importantly what is missing from sex-education curriculum — hence, the birth of Pillow Talk," the Motherlode creators told Teen Vogue.

Through Pillow Talk, Motherlode, which is based at NEW INC, the New Museum’s incubator for art and technology, will explore the topics and people most often left out of sex education — queer people, disabled people, people of color, and more. Teen Vogue caught up with Carol, Isa, and Leah to see what exactly it means to use VR for sex education.

Teen Vogue: What lessons will Lube River focus on, and why is that important?

Motherlode: Lube River is the first chapter of Pillow Talk, which will premiere on June 3rd at Babeland (the Soho location). This chapter will focus on masturbation and pleasure. In Lube River, you are a sex-plorer on a journey down Lube River. The goal is to collect and learn about different sex toys that we sourced from companies whose values and visions align with our own. All the companies we are working with are female-run, and the toys we feature are designed for people of all sexual and gender identities.

Masturbation is still a taboo topic, especially concerning people without a penis. While cisgender male pleasure is not only represented but also celebrated in mainstream culture, all other individuals are portrayed as props to enhance male sexuality. This mentality has developed a culture of people who have been taught to feel ashamed about their sexuality and about exploring their own bodies. We want to create something that makes the whole thing a lot less serious, which is why Lube River allows the user to explore a candy-colored virtual forest aboard a va-gondola on a river made of lube. The toys featured are interactive, informative, and full of personality. We are using these toys as a vehicle to get people thinking about pleasure in ways they may not have before. The point is to redirect conversations on masturbation and pleasure so that they’re more fun and more inclusive — we believe that understanding pleasure can create a better and healthier overall sexual experience for one’s self and their relationship with partner(s).