Students’ Union’s annual Sex Week educates campus on sexual health
By Hayden McBennett, February 5 2015 —
Sex Week pitched its tent this week, and you’re all invited.
The Students’ Union hosts Sex Week every year to educate students about safe and pleasurable sexual conduct. This year, the SU joined forces with the Wellness Centre, the Women’s Resource Centre and the Q Centre to plan events and teach students about sexual health and wellness.
SU vice-president student life Jonah Ardiel said sex isn’t something we talk about day-to-day, but it should be.
“I think sex as a topic is something that has taboo around it. Because it is sensitive and private, it has that stigma around it. Weeks like this are important,” Ardiel said.
This year’s highlights include the Sex Week Carnival, the Islamic sexuality session and Bondage, Discipline, Sadism and Masochism (BDSM) 101 and 201.
The Q Centre brought in professional dominatrix Lady Seraphina to host two information sessions on BDSM. BDSM 101 covered the basics on Tuesday, Feb. 3, while on Wednesday, Feb. 4, BDSM 202 outlined advanced techniques like whipping, flogging and edging — bringing your partner to the point of orgasm without allowing them to finish.
The BDSM session is a yearly favourite, with high attendance and a tendency to go over time. Q Centre coordinator Leah Schmidt said depictions of BDSM in popular culture often fuel misunderstandings of the sub-culture.
“I think a lot of people assume that it’s not a consensual relationship, that it’s not a healthy expression of sexuality. I hope this workshop can chip away at those stigmas and open up a dialogue,” Schmidt said.
The Q Centre emphasized safety and consent when trying BDSM with your partner, covering topics like safe words, useful toys, accessories and safe techniques.
“It can be anything from role play, power playing and something called edge play, which we’ll cover in 201. Those are things that are a little more dangerous and pain based,” Schmidt said. “Obviously with everything on that spectrum, you have to be educated on how to do it properly and safely.”
The BDSM community has faced scrutiny in recent years given the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey and the reported abuse cases of Jian Gomeshi. The seminars outlined the difference between assault, domestic violence and BDSM, where consent and an open dialogue are critical.
On the lighter side, the Sex Week carnival held Monday, Feb 2, saw organizers give out cotton candy and host games like hit-the-clit — where contestants threw bean bags at a giant cardboard cut out of a clitoris — and a dildo ring toss. The carnival promoted a fun and safe environment where students could learn more about STIs and sexual and gender safety from campus and community groups.
Ardiel said he attended the carnival. His favourite game involved trivia, where he learned that, according to the game, 56 per cent of U of C students don’t use contraception when having sex.
The Islamic sexuality session, held Tuesday, Feb. 3, provided a safe, religiously sensitive setting where Muslim students could access sexual health information and support.
The session outlined the Qur’an’s rules regrading sex and common misconceptions surrounding Islam and women.
Panelist Fayaz Tilly covered female sexual expectations outlined in the Qur’an. She attempted to dispell the severity of cheating within Islamic societies.
Tanda Chmilovska, who also sat on the panel, expressed the need for safe spaces for LGBTQ Muslims.
“When I moved here 15 years ago, the words ‘safe place’ did not exist. There are still a lot of people too scared to come out to support groups even,” Chmilovska said.
Ardiel attended the Q Centre’s Alphabet Soup, a workshop that defined many of the acronyms used by the LGBTQ+ community. He said the most informative part was learning about orientations beyond the typical LGBT distinction.
“It touches on more identities that people identify with that are just as important,” Ardiel said.
Bedmates, Booze and Babies, held Thursday, Feb. 5, offered a historical perspective on the relationship between sex and alcohol. Sex Week concludes Thursday, Feb. 5 with the Ace workshop, a survey of asexuality.