The University of Toronto’s Sexual Education Centre (SEC) invited students to explore their curiosity at a local sex club on Jan. 21 as part of their annual Sexual Awareness Week.
Second-year psychology student Glenda Fairbairn said she enjoyed the event, adding that staff and attendees were respectful. Though she was in line outside the club until around midnight, “it was worth the wait,” she said.
“Everyone that I talked to said they had an amazing time,” said Dylan Tower, external education and outreach coordinator at the SEC.
Volunteers were on site to ensure that students felt comfortable and included, and to answer questions about sex-positive practices, consent, and using the safer-sex supplies provided, Tower said.
While sex is allowed at the Oasis Aqualounge club, it is not mandatory; guests can keep their clothes on if they wish and are not required to do anything to which they do not consent, according to the club’s website.
The event has been criticized as too risqué for a university environment, but the SEC has used the attention to clarify misconceptions about the event.
The event was not an orgy, or a “wild crazy sex party,” Tower said, but a way to show students that there are people on campus that enjoy talking about sex in an open and inclusive environment.
“I really think we needed this as a community, and I really appreciate the praise that we’ve been getting,” he said.
While the university has stated that they do not condone the event or approve of the sex club venue, university policy gives the SEC the right to express its philosophy until it hinders individual freedoms or leads to illegal activity.
The event at Oasis Aqualounge was the first of many sex-positive activities during the week, which will include interactive workshops on sexual pleasure and consent, an introduction to sex toys, a discussion about STIs, and a pornography screening accompanied by cookies, to name a few.
These resources are an important opportunity for students to learn about sexual diversity and consent, said Ruth Neustifter, assistant professor at the Couples and Family Therapy Centre at the University of Guelph.
They also teach us that we have a responsibility to respect each other’s diverse perspectives on sexuality, she said.
“Sexuality is an essential part of life, and we have the right to be curious about it, and we should have the right to be able to pursue accurate, respectful information,” Neustifter said.
Shawn Fournier, a second-year psychology and journalism student at the university said it’s a small price to pay for students to be able to address their questions and concerns.
“Students should always have a place where they can go to discuss their problems; sexual or otherwise,” he said.
“As long as learning maintains a valuable application, no topic should be avoided or skirted under the rug for fear of discomfort.”
