It can be argued that sex is part of human nature. For as long as we have had libidos, it has remained a simple fact of life; ubiquitous in virtually every sector of the mass media that weaves its way into our daily lives, yet a mystery.
We have fantasies that permeate our daily thoughts, and often times, these fantasies are pushed to the back of our minds to make way for safer, “cleaner” thoughts.
Who decides the sanctity of these ideas about sex, what we “should” and “should not” be thinking? Or is it possible that these thoughts are not indecent at all? The Feminist Organization Reclaiming Consciousness and Equality (F.O.R.C.E.) will attempt to address these issues during Sex Positive Week from Feb. 9 to 11 at Cal State Long Beach. F.O.R.C.E. pioneered Sex Positive in October 2008 with favorable support.
“I was prepared for more objections to it, but people were very open minded,” said F.O.R.C.E. co-chair Justine Schneeweis.
Building on the October 2008 Sex Positive event, where workshops, documentary screenings and discussions were presented, F.O.R.C.E. will also premiere sex positive art, where guests are invited to view and discuss images and drawings created by students from the art department.
From female pornography to polyamory, a relatively new type of relationship where people engage with multiple partners, Sex Positive is opening wide the possibility for sexual tolerance.
Several panels have also been organized, including one from the Center for Positive Sexuality, Bondage Domination Sexual Masochism (BDSM), representatives from the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community and other off-campus advocates.
The campus community is invited to join a forum that will celebrate sexual openness and provide a safe environment that encourages a broad understanding of sex. The event will not only focus on the many forms of sex, but allow guests to explore sexual freedom among themselves.
“Women are looked at in the virgin-whore dichotomy lens. Everything is told by the media and pop culture in the form of hyper-sexualized images,” Schneeweis said. “It’s problematic for social equality and personal freedom.”
Schneeweis said the main message of the event is to encourage acceptance of people’s sexuality, no matter what it may entail.
“It’s important to have a comprehensive anti-sexist, anti-homophobic education as opposed to one that only teaches abstinence, as we have seen from the Bush administration,” she said.
On Tuesday and Thursday, events will be held in the University Student Union Ballroom B from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, events will be held in the Soroptomist House from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, separate evening portions will take place each night at 7 p.m.
In a society that rarely showcases sexual lifestyle in an honest way and puts the topic of sex on the back burner, students and faculty who attend Sex Positive will be exploring a new frontier of sex that reaches beyond the conventional male-female model. If it challenges all previous knowledge about the issue and even separates some from their comfort zones, it will have accomplished the most effective tool yet: awareness.