A Tribute to Dr. Ruth Westheimer (1928-2024), Who Taught America How to Talk about Sex

Dr. Ruth talked publicly about sex more than anyone else. Ever.

She was my inspiration to do media work. In 1980 I began listening to her radio call-in show “Sexually Speaking.” In 1982 I watched her first appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Show, a footstool under her feet because she was 4-foot 7. She spoke openly and with enthusiasm about sex – including masturbation. In those days, public discussion of sex was shrouded in prudishness.

She often said, “When it comes to sex, the most important 6 inches are the ones between the ears.”

My guest, Dr. Mark Schoen, founder of Sex Smart Films, is both smart and sexy! He has Dr. Ruth clips on Sex Smart Films. And he knew her before she became famous! At NYC’s Columbia University, she asked him to put her in one of his sex education films, which were used in sex education classes. His explicit films were always made to educate, not to titillate. Mark declined her request, fearing that her heavy German accented English would not appeal to viewers. Fast forward 19 years when Dr. Mark was producing sex ed films for the Sinclair Institute. They wanted her in one of their sex ed films. When he called Dr. Ruth to ask, she replied, “Mark, call my agent!” By then she was too expensive for the Sinclair budget.

Dr. Mark and I discussed many aspects of her remarkable life.

Her sense of purpose came from her history. Her parents died in the Holocaust. Dr. Ruth observed, “There were 1,500,000 Jewish children killed during World War II. I was spared because I was sent to Switzerland. People like me have an obligation to make a dent in society. I did not know that my eventual contribution to the world would be to talk about orgasms and erections, but I did know I had to do something for others to justify being alive.”  She understood that sex was a portal to living a happier life and that she was motivated by tikkun olam – Hebrew for making the world a better place. Dr. Ruth said, “You can take horrible experiences you will never forget, but you can use the experiences to live a productive life.” And she had fun being Dr. Ruth!  She described herself as being like a German doll: you knock it down and it bounces back. Ahh, resilience!

Dr. Ruth noted the importance of humor in teaching. I heard this first-hand in 1995 when I was part of a faculty which included her for a weekend sex conference in Washington D.C.. I spoke about my expertise: Sex & Aging. Meeting Dr. Ruth was a thrill!  She lectured that “if a professor leaves his students laughing, they will walk away remembering what they have learned.”

Westheimer promoted long-term relationships. Another quote: “I believe that the best sexual relations have to be in a loving relationship – not like in Hollywood, or your first love or the first night of sex, but in an enduring relationship, and realize how grateful we are that we have someone who cares for us.”

Old was not in her vocabulary. One of her 37 books was Dr. Ruth’s Sex After 50. She advised that if you are a senior and alone, buy a vibrator!

In her own very old age, she was named New York State’s Honorary Ambassador to Loneliness. Her prescription for the lonely was the same as for the sexually frustrated: Be open. You have to feel your emotions. If you bottle the sadness in, the joy gets bottled right along with it.

R.I.P., Dr. Ruth, our beloved sex therapist known for her cheerful and insightful advice that educated millions about sexual health!