Born in Philadelphia in 1954, Annie Sprinkle, born Ellen F. Steinberg, is an American artist and sexologist whose work connects performance, film, and education. A key figure in sex positive culture and in advocacy for the rights of sex workers, she earned a doctorate in human sexuality in 1996 at the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco.
With artist Beth Stephens, she co founded ecosexuality, a movement that reimagines our relationship to the living world and brings together art, humor, and ecological awareness through performances, films, and participatory actions. Their collaboration has been presented at Documenta 14 and is documented in the book Assuming the Ecosexual Position: The Earth as Lover