This Filipina-Made Sexual Wellness App Is a Safe Space for the Religious and Conservatives
Two religious women came together to promote sex education.
(SPOT.ph) Let's be real: The subject of sex continues to make most Filipinos recoil, including those with more liberal views on it. Conversations tend to be dismissed before they can even begin. This is particularly true for Catholics, who make up almost 80% of the Philippine population. That’s not even counting the other religious groups with stern rules on sex yet.
Enter Unprude, a local “sex therapy app grounded in culture where sex is seen as taboo and shameful.” It also happens to be the first sex therapy app in all of Asia. In it are sex modules, conversation cards, meditative audio guides, podcasts, shortform videos, and soon, community-led conversations. Behind this app is sex and relationships therapist Rica Cruz with the help of Chief Technology Officer Nicole Bernabe. Both women are devout followers of the faith, a Catholic and a Christian, respectively.
The two realized that faith shouldn't get in the way of sexual empowerment, regardless of how one would interpret it. The problem was, religious people like them often have little to no avenues to seek advice on sexual matters. As Bernabe would put it, “It’s not like you can ask your pastor what to do.”
“All the people advising me are too Biblical: You should pray, ganyan. It’s more condemnation than help. I know that I need to pray... but how do I do this in a Godly way?" Bernabe said.
SPOT.ph spoke to Cruz and Bernabe to find out what inclusivity means to Unprude—and how it is reflected in the creation of this local sex therapy app.
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Overcoming sexual shame was key to Unprude's fruition
Initially, Cruz approached Bernabe with the intention of partnering up for the Unprude app. Bernabe rejected this offer as a Christian who believes that masturbation is a sin and that sex should only be within the bounds of marriage. She couldn’t bear the thought of contributing to something she believed was so immoral.
Over lunch, the future CEO was able to convince Bernabe to hop on board as CTO—simply by explaining to her what Unprude would want to offer: honest and healthy conversations about sex from authoritative sources. After all, sex therapy is expensive, and not many people can afford Cruz’s professional services.
“Hindi ‘to sustainable. I have to find a way to scale myself. Technology is the answer to that. There are people who need sex therapy who are scared to talk to me, to approach me... so I had to find a way to get to them," Cruz told SPOT.ph.
Out of this need, Unprude was born.
It wasn’t just Bernabe who had to strip her initial guilt and judgment about sex therapy asCruz experienced similar in the past. Before pursuing sex therapy, Cruz said she used to cry in church all the time for the sexual shame she felt throughout her adolescence.
Now Bernabe can proudly tell her churchmates about this app she helped build.
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So, how exactly can a sex therapy app be inclusive of the religious?
In Unprude, the first thing you’ll see upon opening the app is a questionnaire, with straightforward inquiries like “How do you feel about masturbation?” and “When do you want to have sex?” flashing on the screen. Unprude will then curate the kind of content that is aligned to your sexual values, regardless of religion.
“We found a way to know where you are right now,” Cruz said.
This test is the most pivotal feature in Unprude, given how sex therapy apps from Western countries are often too explicit for conservative Filipinos.
“The sex therapists [in international apps]? They’re not the ones running the show. That’s how we’re different. I use what I know to make sure that people are comfortable using the app.”
In other words, Unprude will only show modules that you will be at ease with. After all, the app is more about self-introspection, and it’s best to interact with the app without reservations.
“If you’re not comfortable with masturbation or sex before marriage, then the app wouldn’t show you those kinds of modules,” Bernabe said.
From abstinence to sex toys to the lack of sex in marriages, there are several modules for everyone. This is also the same reason why Unprude is available for download to minors aged 12 and above.
For single Catholics and Christians in particular, Cruz said: “You will see dating modules, sexual shame modules. You will have exercises on knowing your sexual values, how to communicate your sexual values to your partner given that you don’t want sex. You will see modules on abstinence, how it can help you.”
Not keen on self-introspection just yet? No worries—that’s what Unprude’s conversation cards are for. Decks can go from silly to serious: “The first time I got broken-hearted…”
In the end, it does the trick of embracing your sexual self on your own terms.
“That’s where the conversation starts come in,” Cruz said. “If you’re not ready for therapy, at least there are things to ask yourself. That’s why we made it fun... para hindi siya intimidating.”
Unprude is available for download on Android. It will be available on iOS soon.
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