Sex educator Jay Friedman came to SNHU to deliver an informative and interactive lecture on sex education. On Wednesday, February 15, the Wellness Center collaborated with six other clubs, organizations and offices on campus to bring truth to many misconceptions of sex that stem from poor sex education.
Titled, “Sexy Feast: What Our Favorite Foods Teach Us About Sex,” Friedman named food for each letter of the alphabet and related it to sex. For example, ‘A is for apple.’ The common saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” can be associated with sex, according to Friedman. Women on birth control should remember to take their pills every day to prevent pregnancy.
Another example is ‘D is for donuts.’ Donuts are all different; they come in many types and flavors, “you can guess, but you can’t tell by looking,” Friedman said. People are the same way. Some people are heterosexual, others are bisexual, gay, asexual, etc. It’s hard to tell just by the way they look.
“I think it’s a good way to be exposed to new ideas and to spark a conversation with friends and partners,” Assistant Director of Health Services Deborah Perkins said. Perkins organized this event.
Friedman, who has 32 years of experience as a sex educator, believes the sex education in America, which is already poor in comparison to many other countries, especially those in Europe, will only get worse under the new administration. “Strongly I fear the clocks will go back on all of us,” Friedman said. Other countries that lack sexphobia tend to have lower teenage pregnancies and sexual assault rates.
The office of Residence Life, the Student Government Association, the Coordinators of Activities and Programming Events (CAPE), the Deborah L. Coffin Women’s Center, Generation Equality and the Office of Diversity Programs joined Wellness in the Hospitality Salons from 7-9 p.m. along with other attendees.
“It’s not every day you find a good sex talk,“ CAPE Late Night Chair Justin Terlisner, junior, said. “He made a lot of funny analogies. It was entertaining and informative.”
“I is for information,” Friedman said. “We don’t get enough information.” Friedman pointed out that there are plenty of resources on campuses to get more information on sexual education, including through Health Services.
The three lessons he wanted SNHU students to take away from his lecture were to advocate for sexual rights, communicate about sex and to celebrate sex. For more information on Friedman’s lessons, visit his website, jaytalk. com.
