Students at Yale University this week will have more than their schoolwork to focus on — a student-run event will feature speakers ranging from porn stars to former Catholic priests.
"Sex Week at Yale" is a biennial event held on the Yale campus during the week of Valentine's Day to promote discussion about sexuality. The event has come a long way from its origins, evolving from "Kosher Sex Week," designed to get Jewish students informed and involved.
According to the director of the event Dain Lewis, speakers for Sex Week are chosen from "any industry which involves sex" in order to present "as many possible perspectives in one week."
The long list of participants this year includes dating specialists, relationship coaches, business and media executives, sex therapists, and adult entertainment stars.
In addition to the weeklong agenda of lectures, fashion shows, concerts and debates, this year's Sex Week also features a 60-page magazine with articles on sex and sexuality, highlighted by photographs and other illustrations.
"This year we definitely increased the size and scope of this event," Lewis said. "Especially with the magazine — the design of it and the articles are just awesome."
While the magazine will be available throughout the Yale campus, it is also being distributed to 18 other universities across the country. All Ivy League schools as well as Northwestern University, Duke University, the University of California-Los Angeles and others will have a share of the 25,000 copies being freely distributed outside Yale.
"These issues are universal for college students," Lewis noted. He went on to say that Yale was as good a campus as any to spearhead this type of an event because "when you think of Yale, you don't think of sex."
The magazine's cover portrays a scantily dressed girl sporting bottoms with Yale printed on them, and other graphics accompanying articles are similarly themed.
Students from universities on Sex Week's distribution list who have flipped through the magazine do not seem to be offended by the content.
According to Brown University sophomore Mike Dupuis, the magazine includes some graphic sections, especially in terms of writing, but is still tasteful.
"It certainly catches your interest, but it's pretty professional," Dupuis noted. "It's not like you're looking at a porno."
Dupuis also commented that while the magazine reported on some risqué topics, including sexual intercourse and specific techniques, other perspectives were also conveyed.
As far as the provocative nature of some of the articles and graphics in the magazine, Lewis said he has not seen a negative response.
"There's controversy in anything, especially when you're talking about sex," he said. "But the reaction [to the magazine] has been awesome."
According to Patrick Emanuel, coordinator for Sex Out Loud at the University of Wisconsin, the Sex Week magazine seems like an effective way to reach target audiences. This is one way of getting helpful information about the topic out to college students, he said.
"I think it's a great way to get the message out," Emanuel said. "As long as it's a sex positive resource, promoting healthy sexuality and encouraging many perspectives, it's a good thing."
Emanuel said Sex Out Loud holds similar events at UW, including this week's condom demonstrations and hand-outs for National Condom Week.
Also similar to Yale's approach of bringing speakers to spark discussion is Sexual Health week, put on annually by Sex Out Loud. This year's event will feature Dan Savage, sex columnist for The Onion.
At Yale, the goal of Sex Week is to promote a sexually aware campus, Lewis said.
The program promises interesting events and stimulating dialogue, with events like "The Art of Mackin'" and "Homosexuality and Religion" dotting Sex Week's schedule.
"Everyone struggles with the same problems but everyone thinks no one else struggles with them," Lewis said. "Let's start talking."
