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“Let’s Talk About Sex” Offers Fruitful Environment for Sex Education

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On March 31, Goucher’s Health and Wellness Center hosted Let’s Talk About Sex, a special event in the Hyman Forum of the Athenaeum that encourages sex education. The event embraces being open about sexual relationships by having stations set up with specific lessons about pleasure, sexual health and hygiene, sex vocabulary, consent, and cultivating intimacy. The goal of Let’s Talk About Sex is to allow students to learn about and embrace their sexuality in an open and healthy manner. 

Carina Pavon ‘24, one of the Peer Educators from the Wellness Center, helped organize the sex positive event. She said that Let’s Talk About Sex is fun, but also an important opportunity for students to educate themselves.

 “I think it’s important to talk about sex positivity because growing up, I did not have that, and it was very taboo,” Pavon explained, “So, I didn’t know a lot about my body, until around my senior year of high school. I know there are many people who did not have the same experience as me, and they don’t know about what sexual positivity is. I just think that it’s important to know how to take care of yourself.”

Students participated in five educational booths, which focused on different elements of sex positivity, such as “green flags” and intimacy without sex. Each station had resources students could take with them, such as pamphlets, condoms, fidget toys, and stickers. 

Attendees checked in with their knowledge about sex by filling out a preliminary survey, and then ended the event by reflecting on what they’d learned from the event by filling out another survey. There was a raffle that gave winners one-of-a-kind prizes, as a thank you for participating in the event. 

The Let’s Talk About Sex event prioritized sex positivity for many sexualities. For example, asexuality was represented and respected by educating Goucher students about nonsexual intimacy and talking about activities that they can do with their partners that doesn’t involve sex. 

Cleo Kaprielian ‘25 is also a Peer Educator from the Wellness Center. Kaprielian states that there are some topics that should be focused on more in future events. 

“I think it would be cool to implement more programming on queer and transgender sex,” said Kaprielian, “While we explored certain LGBTQ+ inclusive concepts in our event this year, I think there is still a lot more we could cover looking ahead.”

Society often dictates sex should remain a secret and that it should be hidden, especially for certain groups. Women are especially shamed for embracing their sexuality, so it is difficult for others to know how to take care of their bodies and love themselves. Let’s Talk About Sex flips that narrative on its head. Education around safe, consensual, and positive intimacy is an important tool in disrupting the belief that sex is taboo and dangerous. This event informs people about having safe sex, understanding one’s body and desires, and knowing that it is ok to have kinks, as long as they are safe and consensual. There should be no shame, nor judgment in a sexual environment. And always remember that consent is key!

Feature image of Let’s Talk About Sex event by Kristen Wheeler.

Kristen (she/her) is a staff writer for The Quindecim. She is a sophomore transfer student and a Professional and Creative Writing Major. Kristen is from Parkville, Maryland and a graduate of Parkville High School, after which she earned her Associates of Arts degree from the Community College of Baltimore County. She enjoys writing poetry and short fiction within the gothic and horror genres. Outside of writing, she likes listening to metal music, with some of her favorite bands being Gwar, Avatar, Rammstein, and Korn. Kristen's favorite activities include playing video games on her PC and Nintendo Switch, reading books, and hanging out with friends and her boyfriend. She has previously submitted poems to the Community College of Baltimore County's Fine Print literary magazine. She is known by peers as creative, hardworking, and smart.

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