Last Thursday marked the end of the 15th annual 鈥淪ex Week鈥� 鈥� a week of programming relating to sexual health organized by the University鈥檚 Sexual Health Awareness Group.
While SHAG hasn鈥檛 always led sex week programming, the program is now one of SHAG鈥檚 primary responsibilities. This year, the week鈥檚 theme was 鈥淢ean Girls.鈥�
This year鈥檚 most attended SHAG workshop 鈥� the cunnilingus workshop 鈥� was one of SHAG coordinator monique jonath 鈥�24鈥檚 favorite events. The workshop 鈥渨as something I had in the works for over a year,鈥� jonath said. 鈥淚t was really nice to see that come to fruition and see people be so positively impacted by it,鈥� they added.
Sander Moffitt 鈥�24, another coordinator, emphasized the workshop鈥檚 focus on diversity. The presentation included a discussion of trans bodies and 鈥渕ade a really concerted effort to include all types of bodies even though the topic we鈥檙e covering is typically focused on one very specific type of body,鈥� Moffitt said.
Moffitt added that several students expressed appreciation for the presentation鈥檚 inclusion of 鈥渄ifferent types of trans bodies.鈥�
Riki Doumbia 鈥�26, another SHAG coordinator, said that hearing from workshop participants 鈥渁bout what the workshop meant to them, or how they鈥檝e learned so much,鈥� is her favorite part of sex week. 鈥淚t鈥檚 then that you really get to see the impact of what you鈥檝e done,鈥� she said.
鈥淪ex week is definitely one of my favorite weeks of the year,鈥� jonath said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a joy to see people have access to vulnerable conversations and to feel so safe in them.鈥�
jonath joined SHAG during their first semester at Brown and became a coordinator soon after that, making this spring their seventh and final semester as a coordinator. 鈥淪HAG (was) my first love at Brown,鈥� jonath joked.
鈥淪ex Week is typically the first event that new members can do, which is quite a big leap from 鈥業鈥檝e never done this work before鈥� to 鈥楴ow we are running the week of the year,鈥欌�� jonath said, speaking to their admiration of new SHAG members.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to foster welcoming spaces for people to talk about sex, especially on a college campus where some (students) previously might not have had access to these spaces,鈥� new SHAG Peer Educator Anson Nguyen 鈥�27 told The Herald.
Nguyen said that while SHAG works year-round, 鈥淪ex Week is our time to go all out with programming.鈥�
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really effective for increasing our visibility across campus,鈥� he added.
Naomi Ninneman, staff advisor to SHAG, who has served in the role for 14 years, said that SHAG and sex-week are driven by students鈥� voices and 鈥渨hat students want to be offering to their peers.鈥�
SHAG also partners with other Brown groups to host workshops. This year, they worked with the LGBTQ Center and the Disability Justice Initiative to put on a two-part event about sex toys and the accessibility of pleasure.
Part one of the event included a group discussion of 鈥渁ll the different ways sex, disability and bodies interact,鈥� Moffitt said.
The second part of the event was a guided tour through an adult shop that 鈥渇ocused on queer-owned, locally made objects and how they can be used in accessible ways,鈥� Moffitt added.
jonath highlighted that while even peer educators have gaps in their knowledge and limits on what they鈥檙e comfortable discussing, 鈥渓etting people know it鈥檚 normal to feel how they feel, to experience sex or mental health or their bodies as they do and watching that tension go away鈥� is one of my favorite things.鈥�
鈥淲hether you鈥檙e having it or not, sex is a very important and impactful part of life,鈥� jonath said, adding that practicing healthy communication about sex can translate to improved communication in other aspects of one鈥檚 life.
Doumbia said that destigmatizing conversations about sex 鈥渃reates a space where people feel compelled to be themselves,鈥� and feel comfortable to 鈥渋dentify however they want to.鈥�
Talia LeVine is a photographer for The Herald and a University News Senior Staff Writer focusing on Admissions & Financial aid. She is a first-year from Seattle, WA studying Political Science with an emphasis on human rights.
Cate Latimer is a senior staff writer covering faculty and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
