Last week, I joined Her Campus for Emmanuel’s annual Sex In The Dark event. This event was a Q&A session run by sexual wellness experts (dubbed sexperts), on a mission to “provide students with a safe, interactive and informed space.”
The event took place in the Eisner Admin Building’s Auditorium. Save for a few glow sticks or light-up accessories, the room was entirely dark. Loud music played as people came in, making it feel more like a party scene at first.
The event’s first hour was a club tabling! Her Campus at Emmanuel was one such table, and we offered a QR code roulette — laying out numerous QR codes that, when scanned, would lead people to sex-positive articles former members have written.
The second half of the event was the Q&A panel. As the room was almost entirely pitch black, it was impossible to see the faces of the panelists for the audience, which allowed for anonymity. The panel’s main topic mostly revolved around consent and respecting boundaries. The panelists emphasized that before you can enter a sexual relationship, there must be a lot of discussion between you and your partner regarding the boundaries and limits you both have.
The importance of recognizing that your body belongs to you and you have control over how much you share and what you share was highlighted very heavily. As the panelists expressed, “You have the autonomy to say no, recognize when you’re allowing yourself to be open to something or not.”
The panelists also discussed how important it was to not let being on a relationship control your life, and to give yourself space from one that isn’t doing you well — in their words, “A relationship that doesn’t lift you up and respect your boundaries isn’t worth keeping, and you can recognize your value and be happy without being in one.”
This was overall a very valuable experience, and something that I feel is important to have on college campuses.