Laci Green ( ) (born Valacia Nusheen Cyrus on October 18, 1989), is an American clinical mental health counselor and former

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

. Her content focuses on sex education; Green also hosted ''Braless'', the first

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel, as part of a 12-week deal with MTV. The first episode aired November 4, 2014. In 2016, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' named her one of the 30 most influential people on the Internet.

Early life and education

Green was born in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

. Her mother is a

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

from a small American town, and her father, from a

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

family, is from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. When she was two years old, her family moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, and when she was twelve, they moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

for her father's job. As she grew older she began to question the Mormon faith because of its strict

gender roles A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gende ...

and expectations of her as a woman. Growing up, Green was interested in theater and was supported by her mother, who owns a theater company. Green initially attended

Sierra College Sierra College is a public community college in Rocklin, California. It is part of the Sierra Joint Community College District, a district that covers over , serves Placer, Nevada and parts of El Dorado and Sacramento counties. History The coll ...

and then transferred to the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. In 2011, Green graduated from with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the University of California, Berkeley in legal studies and education. In 2021, Green moved to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

to pursue a career as a clinical mental health counselor. Green graduated from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in counseling in 2024.

Career

YouTube & Sex Education Career

Green's videos were originally a hobby, but as they grew more popular, she took greater interest in sex education. As of October 2014, her YouTube channel had more than 1,000,000 subscribers. As a sex educator, she has given lectures at several universities and on behalf of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

. Green is a former co-host of DNews, (now known as “Seeker”) a YouTube channel with short science-based shows, launched by the

Discovery News Discovery, Inc. was an American multinational mass media factual television conglomerate based in New York City. Established in 1982, the company operated a group of factual and lifestyle television brands, such as the namesake Discovery Chan ...

website. On January 18, 2013, Green appeared on ''

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), also known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who is best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased ...

'' in an episode titled "Girls Who Bash Girls Who Dress Sexy". She spoke about how

slut-shaming Slut-shaming is the practice of criticizing people, especially women and girls, who violate expectations of behavior and appearance regarding issues related to sexuality. It may also be used in reference to gay men, who may face disapproval for ...

is wrong and how it is used to degrade a woman's sexuality. Green advances the

sex-positive movement The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality (in the countless forms of expression) as a natural and healthy part of t ...

in her videos and lectures. She has said that she wants to "get people to talk about sex in a way that isn't shameful, awkward, or weird. People are uneducated and this creates so many stigmas that don't need to be there." After fellow YouTuber Sam Pepper posted a video of himself grabbing women's bottoms, Green wrote an open letter, co-signed by several other YouTube bloggers, asking Pepper to "stop violating women".

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

and the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

interviewed her about

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

in the YouTube community. In 2012, Green received death threats via the Internet for using the term "

tranny ''Tranny'' is a derogatory slur for a transgender person, often specifically a transgender woman. During the early 2000s, there was some confusion and debate over whether the term was considered as a slur, was considered acceptable, or a reap ...

" in a video in 2009; she apologized and took the video down, saying that the comment had been made years earlier when she had been very uneducated. After a month-long break, she returned to her YouTube channel in August 2012. Green won a 2016

Streamy Award The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are an awards show presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and wri ...

for Science or Education. In May 2017, Green had a series of dialogs on Twitter, in her own videos, and in the videos of other YouTubers, with critics of

identity politics Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity, such as ethnicity, Race (human categorization), race, nationality, religion, Religious denomination, denomination, gender, sexual orientation, Socioeconomic status, social background ...

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...

, and modern feminism. She said that some of the points these critics made were "more valid than they'd previously seemed" and though she did not repudiate any of her past positions on these issues, the critics welcomed Green's overtures. In 2018, Green published her first book, ''Sex Plus: Learning, Loving and Enjoying Your Body''. On September 3, 2019, Green launched a podcast, titled ''Indirect Message,'' which "explores how the internet is changing society."

Clinical Mental Health Counseling Career

On July 1, 2024, Green received an associate license from the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors. 30 days later, Green founded her therapy clinic, that would later be, calle
Green Center Therapy
in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

. Green's therapy clinic also offered

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

therapy sessions for

Western North Carolina Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...

residents impacted by

Hurricane Helene Hurricane Helene ( ) was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. It was the strongest hurricane on record to ...

Personal life

Soon after leaving

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

, Green fell into a state of deep depression and struggled with

self-harm Self-harm refers to intentional behaviors that cause harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and s ...

and

suicidal thoughts Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas or ruminations about the possibility of dying by suicide.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal i ...

. She began to work with a therapist who helped her through her depression. She is now an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, and occasionally attends the

Unitarian Universalist Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

church. Green identifies as

pansexual Pansexuality is sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people of all genders, or regardless of their sex or gender identity. Pansexual people may refer to themselves as gender-blind, asserting that gender and sex are not determ ...

. She now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Laci 1989 births 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American women writers Activists from California Activists from Utah American atheists American feminists American former Christians American people of Iranian descent American Unitarian Universalists American YouTube vloggers American women educators Atheist feminists Discovery Channel people Educators from California Educators from Oregon Educators from Utah Former Latter Day Saints Internet activists LGBTQ feminists LGBTQ people from Oregon LGBTQ people from Utah LGBTQ Unitarian Universalists LGBTQ YouTubers Living people Pansexual entertainers Pansexual women People associated with Planned Parenthood Sex-positive feminists Streamy Award winners Victims of cyberbullying Wake Forest University alumni American women video bloggers American video bloggers Writers from Salt Lake City YouTubers from Utah YouTubers from Oregon YouTubers from San Francisco Sierra College alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni LGBTQ people from North Carolina YouTubers from North Carolina Educators from North Carolina Activists from North Carolina People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina