By Tina Edward Gunawardhana

At a time when conversations around sexual health are still often whispered, avoided or cloaked in shame in Sri Lanka, Dr Yasuni Manikkage has chosen to speak — clearly, calmly and without apology. The senior urology doctor has launched Dr Yasuni Reveals,  her own YouTube channel dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, opening up a discourse that is not only timely, but deeply necessary. 

For more than a decade, Dr Manikkage has worked on the frontlines of sexual medicine. “I’ve been working as a senior urology doctor for over ten years, and a big part of my work has been helping people with sexual health problems,” she says. Over time, she realised that many of the clinical issues she treated were worsened by silence — by the fact that people had no safe space to ask even the most basic questions.

A few years ago, she began sharing simple posts on social media about common conditions she encountered in her clinic. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Her inbox filled with messages from people of all ages and backgrounds — many too embarrassed or afraid to ask anyone else. “It opened my eyes to how big the gap in sexual health knowledge really is in our society,” she explains.

That gap has consequences. Relationship breakdowns, unplanned pregnancies, untreated infections and deep-seated shame about one’s body are often rooted not in recklessness, but in misinformation and fear. For Dr Manikkage, the decision to move from clinic to camera was driven by responsibility. “If I had the training and the platform, I felt I should use them to answer questions openly and help break that silence, one conversation at a time.”

A consultant specialising in sexual medicine, she works in the Urology Unit at Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital. She is a Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine (2024), was awarded a global scholarship to study at the European School of Sexual Medicine, and holds a Master’s degree in Sexual Health from the University of Colombo and a Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Kelaniya. That blend of patient care and public health allows her to see both the intimate and societal impact of sexual health education.

Her first YouTube episode focused on something deceptively simple: how to use a condom correctly. The choice was deliberate. “Condoms are one of the simplest and most common tools in sexual health, yet many people still don’t know how to use them properly or feel comfortable discussing them,” she says. Starting with an everyday, practical topic sends a clear message — no question is too basic, and this channel is about real-life situations, not abstract theory.

For Sri Lankan youth in particular, this discourse is urgently needed. Young people are exploring their sexuality earlier than ever, often without reliable information. Myths persist: that you can’t get pregnant the first time, that withdrawal is sufficient protection, or that someone’s appearance can reveal whether they have an infection. Combined with limited access to trustworthy information in Sinhala and Tamil, these misconceptions leave many anxious and unprepared at a pivotal moment in their lives.

Dr Manikkage is equally concerned about the emotional and psychological dimensions of sexuality that are rarely discussed in schools. “We urgently need honest conversations about consent, pleasure, sexual dysfunction, pornography, sexual orientation and gender, sexually transmitted infections, and the impact of social media on relationships,” she says. Beyond biology, young women and men grapple with body image issues, performance anxiety and respectful communication — often feeling alone or “abnormal” simply because no one has spoken about these experiences in a compassionate, straightforward way.

Talking about sex publicly in a conservative society is not without risk. As a female doctor, she was aware that she could face criticism or professional pushback. Yet the response so far has been far more supportive than she anticipated. “People always have sex, whether we talk about it or not,” she says matter-of-factly. “Research and decades of public health experience show that withholding information does not stop people from having sex — it only makes them more likely to do it in unsafe ways.”

She is clear that open discussion is not about encouraging “bad behaviour.” It is about equipping individuals with facts so they can set boundaries, protect themselves and make decisions aligned with their values. Honest information reduces fear, shame and secrecy — and ultimately helps people act more safely and responsibly.

The channel also serves as a bridge for families. Many parents struggle to initiate conversations about sexual health with their children, unsure of how to begin. Dr Manikkage hopes her videos can ease that discomfort. “A parent might feel awkward starting certain conversations from scratch,” she says. “But they can share a video, watch it together, and then use it as a gentle starting point to talk about values, consent, boundaries and safety in their own words.”

Her approach balances medical accuracy with warmth and relatability. Every video is grounded in evidence and clinical experience, but delivered in calm, non-judgmental language. She consciously translates complex medical knowledge into everyday terms, using local examples so viewers feel they are listening to a trusted doctor rather than reading a textbook.

Ultimately, her vision extends beyond individual viewers. On a personal level, she hopes the channel helps people feel less ashamed, more informed and more in control of their sexual health and relationships. She wants someone scrolling on their phone late at night to feel reassured that their questions are valid and deserving of proper answers.

For Sri Lankan society, her dream is more ambitious: a gradual shift from silence and fear to evidence-based, compassionate conversations about sexual health that are normal in homes, schools, clinics and online spaces. In a country where many young people are still afraid to talk about everyday issues that affect their bodies and relationships, Dr Yasuni Manikkage’s voice may well mark the beginning of a healthier, more honest national dialogue.