Nonprofit Professional in the Spotlight: Christine McLear

Christine McLear is a sexuality educator at Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes. For the past year and a half, she has been bringing accurate, age-approriate sexual health education to teens and adults in Steuben County.

Christine works in classrooms, after-school programs,  and with community groups to provide interactive lessons on healthy relationships, pregnancy prevention, STI prevention, and body image. She has also worked on projects like starting an LGBT youth group for teens in Steuben County.  

Christine is very passionate about her work. “This is my dream job,” she tells us. “I chose this field because human sexuality is a basic part of our lives that we, as a society, really struggle to talk about it. But we really need to talk about it! It’s really important that we give people accurate information so they can make healthy personal choices.” 

She also works to address misunderstandings about Planned Parenthood services and their mission.  “As an agency, and as individuals, we are committed to providing honest education, exceptional services, and fearless advocacy.  We work tirelessly to inform and support people in their choices,” Christine explains. “Sometimes people hear our name and think they know what we’re all about but we do a lot more than most people realize.  We offer a multitude of services and work with many local and regional agencies to support our community.”

A transplant to the area, Christine currently lives in Painted Post. In her spare time she goes horseback riding. When she isn’t riding you can find her at home cuddling with my adorable cat, Neko reading (“I just finished the Hunger Games trilogy-it was amazing!”) or watching tv (“Thursday night on NBC is the best!”).