07 November 2014
Christian Today
Anti-pornography organization Morality in Media (MIM) has expressed contempt for Harvard University’s “Sex Week.”
The controversial series of events includes a sex education course, anal sex tutorial, and a sexual health career panel. According to MIM, Sex Week promotes “an environment where porn, torture sex and risky behaviours are encouraged.”
Harvard Sex Week was founded in March 2012 by Sexual Health Education & Advocacy Throughout Harvard (SHEATH), and is presented in the spring and fall semesters. Sex Week Fall 2014 began on November 2, and runs through November 8.
While some applaud the university’s effort to educate students about sexual activity, MIM criticised Sex Week for promoting deviant practices such as sadomasochism – discussed in Friday’s “Fifty Shades of False: Kink, Fantasy, and Fetish” workshop.
“With the rise of sexual assault on college campuses one might think that the smart folks at Harvard would avoid promoting porn and violent sexual practices because these are at the root of sexual assault,” MIM Executive Director Dawn Hawkins said. “Yet, Harvard, like all schools conducting sex week events, can’t see the forest for the trees and is promoting sexual violence while pretending to teach proper sex.”
Another contentious Sex Week event was Tuesday’s anal sex class, “What What in the Butt: Anal Sex 101.” Representatives from adult toy retailer Good Vibrations spoke to students about preparing for and engaging in anal sex, and sought to dispel myths about the act.
SHEATH co-president Kirin Gupta said that opposition to the workshop stems from prejudice.
“Saying we don’t need [the workshop] is like saying we don’t need sex education, or should have abstinence-only education, or that people should feel ashamed for doing whatever it is that’s part of their sexual practice,” she told MTV.
“The conservative backlash speaks to the latent homophobia that society thinks so often it has gotten over, and has not. It speaks to these residual prejudices that people [have] when faced with a reality they’re not willing to acknowledge or respect.”
MIM maintains that the Ivy League university’s Sex Week is irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
“Harvard is clearly not serious about stopping rape and sexual harassment on their campus if they are promoting an environment where porn, torture sex and risky behaviors are encouraged,” Hawkins said.
