It’s Sex Week at USC!
Supported by USC Student Health and sponsored annually by the Graduate Student Government, Undergraduate Student Government and Women & Youth Supporting Each Other, student staff and “sexperts” worked hard to make the final Sex Week event of the year a satisfying finish.
At the interactive and sex-positive hangout space on USC’s McCarthy Quad, passersby were distracted from their farmer’s market strolls by the mention of themed prizes (from unicorn-shaped sex toys to massage candles and chocolates) as well as a panel of “sexperts,” both professional and self-proclaimed.
“Come on over to the Sexploration Tent! Don’t be shy!” shouted stand-up comedian, actress and regular panelist on NPR’s “Wait..Wait..Don’t Tell Me,” Helen Hong.
As a moderator for what she calls the “sex tent,” Hong says that humor is a great way to squash the awkwardness that might surround conversations about personal fulfillment.
“One of the great ways of diffusing the tension around taboo topics is to laugh about them!” She says that a lighthearted approach might make us more comfortable. “It’s really helpful to have comics just be like ‘it’s cool, you can joke about it, we can talk about it.’ It removes the uptightness around talking about sex.”
Will Lodge, a USC Thornton student majoring in Popular Music, stopped by the tent on a whim, along with a few friends. He agrees that sex talk can be beneficial to those who may not be used to it.
“A lot of important health information can be kind of hard to access for people who aren’t made aware of it. Sex positivity is important and can increase sexual health and safety when it is openly discussed.” Lodge said that the highlight of his visit was when he answered a question correctly about contraception, allowing him to win a ‘spank stick.’
Sophia Dettweiler, a Pre-Med student at USC, is the Public Engagement lead for the Well-Being and Health Outreach Ambassador team for USC Student Health. She shares the teams’ efforts and motivations to organize events like USC’s Sex Week, making more public what is often private.
“A main part of what the WHOA team tries to do is make these student health topics more approachable,” said Dettweiler. “Obviously, sexual health is a very important and relevant one for college students. So what we’re trying to do here is create a really welcoming, open space for conversations about sexual health and all its different forms.”
In the middle of the tent, a glass bowl rests on a table, surrounded by sex-themed books and paddles. Here, students can anonymously write down their questions surrounding intimacy and sexuality.
“I’m here to answer your questions. Your sex, dating, intimacy, kinky questions,” said Erin Tillman, a certified Sex Educator, Intimacy Coordinator and the author of “The Consent Guidebook.”
“Where else do you have the opportunity to ask these questions in a non-judgemental space?” she asks into the microphone, gesturing to the half-filled bowl of questions.
Tillman touches on the navigation of individual sexuality and experiences amidst societal expectations, as well as sexual portrayals in media. “It’s important to know yourself first…to really do a deep dive within ourselves is to see what we actually like, what we are curious about, and not just going along with what society says we should be doing. This is your own individual journey,” she said.
This marks Tillman’s fourth year participating in USC’s Sex Week.
“I’m so grateful, especially in our current climate … In a lot of ways, it is activism to have these events,” said Tillman. “ I think that’s a beautiful thing, this country specifically needs places where people aren’t afraid to ask questions, be curious and not have any shame attached to it.”
As Sex Week wraps up, and the tent comes down for another year, students head back to classes and homework, having learned a lot … yet left with a buzzing curiosity.