This panel discussion will explore the relationships and work of one cohort of emerging practitioner/scholars from California Institute of Integral Studies doctoral program in Human Sexuality. A review of the framework of Critical Sexuality Studies will help build the structure of our panel presentation. Here we will explain the deeply embedded ties between social power and sexuality. We will delve into analysis of the first 18 months of COVID-19 where our lives and our communities were impacted, drawing specific attention to issues related to intersections of sexuality and social justice. We will provide interpersonal examples of how our positionalities and identity politics impacted our early relationships and then explore how we grew (and continue to engage in this growth) to build trust and collegiality in the act of acknowledging our different standpoints. We will move on to demonstrate how our interpersonal connections paved ways for us to further our scholarship in exploring frameworks such as Reproductive Justice, Black Lives Matter and Critical Trans Politics, broadening our praxis with engagement in Emergent Strategies and Mutual Aid. What are the impacts of these events on our lived experiences in relation to sexuality, empowerment and pleasure? How has our professional research and praxis been disrupted and grown through all we have been through both as a group of colleagues and as individuals in the field? Our goal is to report on how our building community with each other whilst engaging in the learning of difference, human rights, pleasure and collective leadership assisted us towards proactive engagement furthering our praxis as sexuality professionals working towards social justice.