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Facilitators: Sex has more than 1 way
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Sex Out Loud program facilitators Erica Andrist and Ryan Adserias are in agreement about one thing: There is more than one way to think about sexuality.
During a presentation Monday night to University of Wisconsin group Allies Program, the facilitators said media emphasizes that there is only one way to think about sexuality, and that “is really not a great message to send.”
“I think that’s one part of what Sex Out Loud is: to show that sexuality is a fluid thing, and that pleasure is a fluid thing,” Adserias said. “You should think about individuals as defined by people, not defined by the editors of Cosmo.”
Andrist, a UW senior and Badger Herald sex columnist, described the media as a powerful force in shaping student perceptions of sexuality, calling it a “double-edged sword” because of its ability to break down and set up societal norms. She said while these are not always positive, diversity is a necessary component.
“For lots and lots of people, either major or minor aspects of their identity are not seen on television, and so I think that having more diversity … on television does make a difference,” she added.
The presentation took place during the weekly meeting of Allies Program, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group that focuses on the educational aspects of the LGBT community.
Allies Program Co-President Tony Giuffre said his group’s goal is to educate the campus community about the LGBT community.
“If students are looking to become more involved in the LGBT community, I think student orgs are the first resource they should look for,” Giuffre said.
Giuffre expressed disappointment that the program was not geared more toward LGBT-lifestyles, but noted the material presented was still educational for the students present.
According to Andrist, this is a result of the way Sex Out Loud is orchestrated.
“It’s not like we have a pleasure program that we do for the heterosexual section of campus and a pleasure program that we do for the [LGBT] community on campus,” Andrist said. “We make sure that we emphasize … issues that are more predominant in these communities, but it’s not like it is a vastly different program, and I think that is what the biggest misconceptions about … the programs are.”
“It gives people a chance to ask questions in a peer-to-peer environment. It gives an air of approachability that isn’t always present with other professionals,” Andrist said. “We’re not here to advocate that people have sex. We’re here to advocate that people have the information about sex that they want and that they need when they are making choices.”
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Sex Out Loud does a fantastic job of using gender-neutral language in its programs which lets everyone feel included.
It’s not “he and she” but “your partner,” “the other person,” and so on.
SOL is a model for the rest of the UW campus in this regard.
“LGBT-lifestyles.” whooooo mama. we got a long way to go.
Geared more towards LGBT-lifestyles? What does that even mean? News flash: queer sex isn’t all that crazy different from hetero sex. Sounds like what the Allies Program wants is a nice little program where they can ooh and aah and point at queer sexuality for awhile, then call themselves educated. Like the way you’re totally educated about lions after you spend an hour at the zoo.
don’t hate. i know the person who heads allies and he actually IS really educated. so don’t talk about what you know nothing about.
sounds like it
7:03—I don’t think anyone is hating on anyone. But I do agree with the principle expressed in 12:10; it seems to me like what was being sought in this program was a chance to probe and inspect “LGBT-lifestyles” as something that is “other” or “foreign.” This is something that, in my opinion, Allies should be working AGAINST—the perception that LGBTQ sexuality and the LGBTQ community are separate and different.
no, that’s not what he was saying at all. the badger herald always turns and twists things to sound different than they really are. don’t trust everything you read.