The following is a letter to the editor.
I wholeheartedly disagree with Thursday’s guest column about Sex Week. Yes, Sex Week is supposed to educate students about sexual safety (use condoms, get tested, etc.), but it seems like the author severely overlooked another important lesson Sex Week is trying to promote: sexual empowerment.
The author states that sex toy demonstrations and learning how to talk dirty in the bedroom “trivialize human sexuality.” But how is being confident and comfortable with your own body not sexy? Learning to communicate with your partner is an important part of sex because it helps to deepen your spiritual connection. That sounds pretty healthy to me.
She also bashes the Sex Week shirts for their bold design, which are supposedly only used to get people to participate in Sex Week. I feel like this is a very superficial judgment. Yes, the shirts are a source of advertising, but I see them as a form of empowerment. Why should we be afraid of using the word “sex?” Sex is a completely natural process, yet we treat it as such a taboo subject to the point where a simple shirt saying “Sex Week” is deemed inappropriate and offensive. Sex shouldn’t be a topic that people feel scared and embarrassed to talk about. It’s important to take care of our bodies, and whether you like it or not, people are going to have sex. Copious amounts of sex, in fact. We need to provide students with a welcoming and open environment to be able to discuss sex, instead of making them feel ashamed.
Students should also have a safe environment to learn about what actually goes on behind closed doors. I think it’s great that Sex Week provides students with informational sessions about sex toys and discussions with an actual sex therapist. Let’s be honest — I’m pretty sure most of the things college kids know about sex is either from porn or from random Google searches because I know I never saw a single sex toy in my 5th grade sex education class. Students shouldn’t have to resort to the Internet to find this kind of important information. We all know how untruthful the Internet can be sometimes, and sexual health is not something you want to jeopardize. If students are going to learn how to have sex, it should be from an experienced health professional who truly has their best interests at heart. Not from Wikipedia.
Sex Week is one of the best things that has happened to our university in a long time. Not only does it break down barriers on traditionally taboo subjects, it’s managed to portray sexual education and empowerment from a variety of perspectives, including people from both the LGBT community and religious organizations. Thanks to Sex Week, I feel infinitely more comfortable talking about sex, and in turn, I have never felt more at peace with myself.
Connie Chow is a junior civil engineering major.
