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Sexual health focus of week’s events on campus

April 21, 2003 By John Lucas

Sex Out Loud, a student organization promoting sexual-health education with a sex-positive message, is presenting its annual Sexual Health Week, Monday-Friday, April 21-25.

The theme of this year’s event is “Come Clean: Get Talking, Get Tested, Get Together.” Highlights include Thursday evening’s lecture by Carol Queen and Friday afternoon’s Sexual Health Fest on the Library Mall. Queen is a writer, speaker, educator, activist, former sex worker and practitioner of alternative sexualities. She holds a doctorate in sexology.

“These events are geared towards raising awareness about sexual health issues in a fun and creative way,” says Meredith Schonfeld-Hicks, Sex Out Loud event coordinator. “Sex Out Loud addresses serious issues, like safer sex and sexually transmitted infections, but we never lose sight of the fact that sex should be a fun, positive experience.”

Events take place throughout the week. Some of the events in the week’s schedule (listed below) are related to Sexual Health Week, but are not produced by Sex Out Loud.

  • “Breaking Down the Nookie: What We Take Away From Adult Film,” 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 22, at 4281 Helen C. White. This program screens examples of adult film from different genres aimed at different target audiences. Participants will discuss such issues as the differences between fantasy and reality, the place of erotica in a person’s sex life, and whether adult films reinforce or break through sexual inhibitions and stereotypes. Participants must be UW–Madison students over 18, present their student ID upon entering the program and sign a consent form. Participants are expected to be mature and approach the subject in an appropriate manner. People may leave at any time.
  • “Get Together: Sex Out Loud’s New Relationship Program,” 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 23, at 4281 Helen C. White. This program will provide students with a new framework from which they can analyze relationships. Participants will gain a better idea of what relationships mean, how to create and maintain healthy ones, and how to have healthy breakups.
  • “Sex Positivity,” 8 p.m., Thursday, April 24, at Grainger Hall. Carol Queen will speak about the ways we learn about sex in U.S. culture and how the image of Puritanism can be changed. She will address her ideas of “sexual multiculturalism” and diversity as well as how to get more comfortable with one’s own sexuality.
  • “Sexual Health Fest,” 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday, April 25, at Library Mall (rain location: Red Gym). Sexual health and positive sex culture will be promoted through games, informational booths, student organizations, free HIV testing, a bouncy castle, live music from WSUM, prizes and more.
  • “Queer People of Color Film Festival,” 6:30-10 p.m., Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at 6210 Social Sciences. The film festival, conceived to explore LGBT identity across cultures, aims to create an environment conducive to sharing cultural experiences about different sexualities. For more information, visit http://lgbtcc.studentorg.wisc.edu/qpocff/.
  • Encore! Presents “To Love or Not to Love,” Thursday-Friday, April 24-26, Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. This theatrical event explores issues of sexuality, power, abuse, desire and relationships of people with disabilities. Tickets: $9 in advance, $10 at the door. Call (608) 276-9209, ext. 382, for ticket information. The event is presented in collaboration with the Rape Crisis Center.
  • “Take Back the Night March,” 5 p.m., Saturday, April 26, on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol, State Street side. The rally and march are aimed at ending violence against women and to honor survivors.
  • “Peep Show with Carol Queen,” 7:30 p.m., Sunday-Monday, April 27-28, at Gates of Heaven, 302 E. Gorham St. Queen will perform her spoken-word performance piece entitled “Peep Show,” a look inside the private booths of San Francisco’s Lusty Lady Theatre, where she used to perform. The 90-minute performance will be followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer session. Tickets: $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets available at A Woman’s Touch, 600 Williamson St., the A Woman’s Touch table at the Sexual Health Fest on Library Mall, Friday, April 25, or by phone at 250-1928 ($1.50-per-ticket service charge). Proceeds support the free sexual health education efforts of A Woman’s Touch Sexuality Resource Center.

Among those organizations supporting Sexual Health Week are: University Health Services, Campus Women’s Center, LGBTCC, WSUM Madison Student Radio, Associated Students of Madison, Women Happily Advocating Masturbation, Student Global AIDS Campaign, Students For Camp Heartland, Health Education Leadership Program, NARAL, VOX Voices for Planned Parenthood, the UW–Madison Dean of Students office and The Daily Cardinal.

For more information, contact Meredith Schonfeld-Hicks, events coordinator, (608) 264-1930; Sex Out Loud, (608) 262-5625; or visit http://www.sit.wisc.edu/~sexoutloud.