Last year, the Student University Activities Board shook up our campus with their first “Sex in the Dark” event. It was a hit with students and provided a safe space for them to discuss topics like gender and sexual health. Now, “Sex in the Dark” is back, but in a virtual setting.
Jasmine Wilson, a senior Psychology and Multimedia Journalism student, is the Speaker’s Chair for the Student University Activities Board, and the director behind the event. Her role is to “bring impactful lecturers and speakers to engage the campus community” (SUAB Constitution). Wilson says that the entire event will be in a “webinar format.”
“There will be two sexperts as hosts and students will be able to submit questions anonymously about anything regarding sex.” This is similar to last year’s event, as students anonymously asked questions by writing them down on notecards and passing them up to the sexperts.
“I brought this event back because I think it’s so important for college students to be educated on sex outside of just a health and contraceptive context,” said Wilson. “Most college students are having sex for pleasure, and there should be spaces where we can ask questions about that.”
Students can look forward to gaining insight on a number of topics, including identity, sexual orientation, self-pleasure, and much more.
Wilson is even more excited about creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ students to have their questions answered. “I know sometimes the LGBTQ community is overlooked during programming on our campus,” she said. “It was really important for me to have an event that is inclusive.”
Something that thrilled students from last year’s Sex in the Dark was that the entire event took place in the Student Center Ballroom with the lights off. Glowing balloons and LED lights helped create a suspenseful ambiance while keeping it dark enough to barely see people’s faces. This also helped students feel more comfortable when asking questions.
To keep that same theme, the Student University Activities Board will be passing out glow sticks and safe sex kits, courtesy of the Student Health Center, to spread the word about the event.
Several students expressed their excitement for this event’s virtual comeback. “I really enjoyed last year’s event, so I’m excited to see how it’ll play out,” said Taylor Moore, an Honors Pre-Law student, and Resident Assistant.
Other students were proud of the safe space being provided by Jasmine Wilson. Carlos Williams, a senior Electrical Engineering student, said “I commend her for making sure there was an event where LGBTQ students can be transparent.”
“It can sometimes seem taboo to talk about different aspects of sex, so it’s important that they can be comfortable doing so,” Williams said.
Sex in the Dark will take place virtually on February 8th at 7 PM. Students interested in attending can do so using the link here, or visiting SUAB’s 1891Connect page.
Students interested in keeping up with SUAB events can follow their Instagram and Twitter @ncatsuab or opt-in for reminders by texting @6h6d2h to 81010.
