Happy Daze: Sex Museum and Carnival
Did you stop by the Sex Carnival on April 6 in the Winston Room or the Sexual Positivity and Empowerment Museum up all week in the Crandell Room? Well, if you didn’t, you missed out! The Sexual Positivity and Empowerment Museum was founded by a group of SLU students in the fall of 2021, including Fernanda Leon ’22 and Ellie Bascom ’22, in the Gender Studies Class, Women’s Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights with Professor Morolake Odetoyinbo. For those who may not be aware, Gender and Sexuality Studies minors have to complete an on-campus and off-campus praxis in which they engage in the theory they have learned by creating an action for social change. In short, this project ultimately created social change as it made a lasting impact on the people who were on campus and witnessed it. Complete with a body positivity nude photo shoot by Bascom, the museum took place in the Buckley room and was bordered with curtains so as to not expose the participants. However, this event had longevity for more than a one-time event.
Spearheaded by Lindsey Cohen in the Title IX office, Laura Lavoie in the Wellness Office, and yours truly-a senior with a passion, this year’s revival sought to combine Title IX prevention and education with sexual wellness and partnered with various groups on campus including PPGA, the Advocates, the Dub, Nine Coalition, SLU Democrats, Gender Studies Praxis Students, and students passionate about reproductive health and sexual wellness! “We could not have pulled this off without the contributions of so many students and are thankful to everyone who contributed to this successful event,” Lavoie expressed.
The event was kicked off on April 3 at noon in the Winston Room with snowcones, popcorn and yellow cupcakes and roses in the theme of Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action. Furthermore, the Wellness Office, Advocates, SLU Dems, the Seven Dancers Coalition, and praxis students all tabled to spread awareness and understanding of the event! “A goal of mine with having the museum in April, SAAM, was to bring an interactive program on the prevention side to campus. Many events on campus often focus on the response after the fact, but talking about these subjects and having them be able to be talked about is a step towards building sexual positivity and respect on campus. The response side is so important for survivors on our campus, but proactive education — and in fun ways like this museum — have such an essential space this month,” Cohen stated.
Featuring both artifacts and informational content, the museum covered a wide range of topics surrounding sexual wellness and even featured interactive components! The artifacts, which were physical objects that could be handled, showed a physical and metaphorical representation of the fight for sexual freedoms and expressions. Whether it was a crocheted sweater proudly displaying the phrase “Not A Girl,” a handmade and bound book on Hormone Replacement Therapy, photos of a pro-choice movement, or carefully crafted clay vulvas, the artifacts demonstrated the impactful ways we all personally think about sexual positivity and empowerment. “One of my favorite things about the museum was seeing students from different class years engage with the museum. Sex positivity and empowerment does not look identical with everyone, but I hope the commonality is us talking about these issues,” Cohen noted.
The informational content represented textual education both for learning healthy practices and unlearning taboos and shame; this included infographics, newspaper clippings, books and handouts. Topics like the orgasm gap, BDSM, pleasure and consent, hookup culture, ethical porn, disability, sexuality and the LGBTQIA+ community, menstruation, Title IX myths, decriminalization of sex work, the history of sexuality education and more were covered, offering something for everyone! But wait, there’s more! The museum featured several interactive components such as QR codes to scan for more information, written prompts to respond to, games, a feedback bin, and various “challenges” throughout to push back against taboo. Handouts on aftercare, self-care and consent were also provided for participants! Freebies were given out in the form of safe sex kits, fidget toys and sweet treats, and three lucky winners were drawn last Monday for the sex toy raffle!
Closing the Sex Museum on Saturday, Planned Parenthood Generation Action had its first Sex Carnival! Typically, sex is something viewed as taboo in our culture, so it was important for the club to create a fun and lighthearted space surrounding sex with games and prizes! Participants played educational games such as pin the IUD on the Uterus, guess the pride flags, sex grams, period trivia, match the genitalia, giant checkers, giant connect four, and more to win tickets to enter our raffle buckets: movie night, self-care, and PPGA merch! This event would not have been possible without the Dub, Literacy for Nepal, Spectrum and Praxis students!
Overall, the week went well, with an incredible turnout of over 65 people! If you were able to stop by the museum or carnival, thank you for your support and participation! For those of you who did not, luckily, the Title IX and Wellness Office are going to continue the museum annually/semesterly and build the exhibit further. Participants had the option of donating their contributions for future years or retrieving their materials, but submissions will still be accepted in the future. If you are a Gender Studies praxis student, please consider contributing to the carnival, PPGA, or the museum as part of your on-campus component. A big thank you to Lavoie and Cohen for their work and for continuing an impactful, engaging, and inspiring event on campus! Looking forward, Cohen is hopeful for future events, stating, “In the future, I would love to see the museum have materials from three, five,10 plus years — that feels like an incredible future experience!”