Laura Coryton

Founder and Managing Director, Sex Ed Matters

United Kingdom

Laura Coryton is the founder and managing director of Sex Ed Matters, a social enterprise that provides empowering relationships and sex education to schools in the UK. Their mission is to ensure every student feels confident about sexual education topics, including consent, sexism, menstruation, healthy relationships, and being kind. Laura is passionate about addressing period poverty in the UK and internationally. In 2014, she launched a petition to reduce the luxury tax rate applied to period products in the UK. The effort, which garnered 320,000 signatures, resulted in the repeal of the tax in January 2021. She also led efforts for the creation of the UK government’s Tampon Tax Fund, which has invested a total of £90.25 million in female-focused organizations over the last six years. Laura is the author of an activism guide for girls called “Speak Up!”