Sex is a topic that has influenced our society and culture as a whole for much of human history. Winthrop University elementary education student Quest Morris created an event to highlight “sexual practices, personal health and the societal influence on both.”
The event touched on many topics such as consent and whether or not porn ignores the value of consent, contributing to societal detriment. The event also was very involved with attendees and allowed them to write down awkward sex stories that were read aloud anonymously.
Winthrop takes a liberal arts approach to education, part of which is a requirement that all students must attend cultural events and take classes outside their major.
Morris said that Winthrop being a liberal arts school helped this event come to fruition.
“The value of a liberal arts education is that you’re able to converge and receive diverse experiences that you would’ve otherwise never gotten,” Morris said. “I feel like we get lost in the fray of doing programming that we know works, what we’ve tried time and time again. I got tired of seeing the same events. I wanted something new. I felt like the people deserved something new.”
Morris said this event was not put together without difficulty . He had trouble getting through barriers approaching the event. Morris acknowledged that Winthrop is a public university and respected the authority he needed to receive approval to go forward with the event.
“What would they think was too much? I wanted to push the limits,” Morris said.
Morris said that this event was intended to create awareness and to reach all students, not just those who watch porn and/or have sex.
Trinity Rucker is a sophomore at Winthrop and was a panelist at the event. Rucker credited the event to helping panelists and attendees critically think about issues surrounding porn. She said that she was impacted most by the things she would overlook in her own experience with porn.
“It has made me be more critical of how I consume media and has allowed me to unashamedly be selective in both my porn selection and other forms of entertainment media,” Rucker said.
The event addressed the topic of unrealistic expectations due to many individuals first experience with sex being through pornographic material. Women are often portrayed in scenes where they are degraded, verbally abused and taken advantage of. The discussion also dealt with issues surrounding the fetishization of different races and how they are depicted. For example, African American males in porn are depicted as aggressive individuals who contribute to crime and are of lower intellect.
“Although we just want to be entertained, those ideas still seep into the unconscious and cause our actions and opinions alike conform to the negative stigmas associated with porn, sexual health, sexual and romantic relationships and personal accountability,” Rucker said.
Rucker said she hopes that awareness and education can lead to a more sexually educated youth and an end to the cycle of unhealthy sexual practices. Rucker went on to acknowledge that sexism and racism are present everywhere in society. Rucker believes that since porn is available and accessible to everyone of any age group it could create a dangerous mindset or expectations among youth.
Morris echoed Rucker’s thoughts and said he too has issues with sexism in porn. Morris said he is very concerned with how desensitized society has become towards women in this industry. The way society consumes this media with no guilt is an issue as well, Morris said.
Emma Jeter, a sophomore at Winthrop, said this event was important as many who attend Winthrop have come from the South Carolina education system which, when teaching sexual education in schools, focuses on abstinence as the only way to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases and infections.
Jeter credits Winthrop’s role in the sexual health and prevention in its students with Winthrop’s partnership with Affinity Health for free testing. Jeter also applauded Winthrop’s health and counseling services and the Office of Victim’s Assistance, both of which had representatives in attendance.
OVA coordinator Itali Jackson follows up with online reports and spoke on the subject of consent. A video was shown to depict what consent does and does not look like. After the video, Jackson said that while efforts for awareness and education of consent are important, sexual assault should be stamped out entirely.
Photos: Marisa Fields-Williams/ The Johnsonian
Hi my name is Trinity Rucker and I just wanted to acknowledge the mistake made regarding my classification. I’m a Sophomore here at Winthrop, not a freshman. Thank you lol
Sorry about that Trinity and for the delayed reply.