Shawna Shipley-Gates

As a certified health educator, sexual wellness writer, public speaker, and pleasure activist, Shawna Shipley-Gates, MPH, CHES empowers black womxn to unapologetically take control of their own erotic lives. With ten years of HIV prevention and sexual health expertise, she has shared her purpose on both local and national platforms addressing the importance of self-love, confidence, and knowledge as tools for healthier sexual behaviors among black womxn. Due to her academic, personal, and career experiences, Shawna founded Cupcake Noire to create a safe yet sex-positive space to celebrate everything healthy, unabashedly provocative, and luxurious about the eroticism of black womxn. Shawna received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College and a Master of Public Health degree from New York University. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Kansas.