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Controversy sparked by sexologist Sandrine Atallah’s online video

Sexologist Sandrine Atallah says her online campaign for sex education faces incessant trolling

Controversy sparked by sexologist Sandrine  Atallah’s online video

A screengrab from the TikTok account of sexologist Sandrine Atallah

BEIRUT — While sex education initiatives in the Middle East continue to struggle beneath societal taboos, sexologist Sandrine Atallah had her TikTok account suspended Tuesday after releasing a video in which she used an anatomically correct model to explain the location of the clitoris. The video was banned after 30 million views.

With Atallah’s followers pressuring TikTok Arabia and condemning the ban, the platform reactivated Atallah’s account Tuesday night, a few hours after deleting it.

Atallah has released several informative videos on her popular social media platforms to facilitate conversations about sexual health.

Being a sexual health advocate in a digital world has its disadvantages, Atallah told L’Orient Today, explaining that trolls are consistently triggered by her content and try to shame her for her work. Despite their constant efforts to report her content, she said “access to sexual health information online is crucial for anyone who otherwise would not receive education or health conversations about sexuality.”

Atallah considers Tiktok’s latest temporary ban as a “digital female genital cutting.”

Earlier this year, Atallah appeared on TV to debate sex education in Lebanon only to be ridiculed by her male hosts, repeatedly interrupted and mocked. The episode later sparked online outrage decrying the objectification of women.

While Tiktok’s terms of use states that the company does not allow “depictions, including digitally created or manipulated content, of nudity or sexual activity, [being] mindful of the content that may be offensive or culturally inappropriate” Atallah argues that other social media accounts dedicated to sex education are more explicit than her own.

“I never show nudity or any sexual activity,” Attallah says. “I was banned by an algorithm because of misogynistic reports.”  

BEIRUT — While sex education initiatives in the Middle East continue to struggle beneath societal taboos, sexologist Sandrine Atallah had her TikTok account suspended Tuesday after releasing a video in which she used an anatomically correct model to explain the location of the clitoris. The video was banned after 30 million views. With Atallah’s followers pressuring TikTok Arabia and...