May, 2017: As almost every SLU student actively avoided the impending doom of final exams, two students worked tirelessly, constructing a plan to create an organization for SLU students while remaining independent of SLU sponsorship. Their movement was largely in response to the Administrative veto of a recent bill passed by SLU’s Student Government Association to allow access to contraceptives on SLU’s campus. Students Amanda Buechele and Callie Calamia drafted the beginnings of Healthy is Hot, an off-campus group striving to achieve reproductive justice in the St. Louis area.
“Almost all Jesuit schools have a group like us. Georgetown has had theirs for like 30 years, some other groups have had theirs for about ten–we are on the later end. So, we really want this to be sustainable… We are working to become and remain a SLU staple.” -Buechele
With help from local organizations, Healthy is Hot has garnered a fan base of dedicated representatives willing to advocate for the cause through t-shirts, stickers, and condoms. “We get messages everyday asking how people can help and that’s the driving force,” says Calamia. Buechele comments, “It’s a lot but it’s really fun, it doesn’t even feel like work.” The 25+ hours a week each Buechele and Calamia dedicate to Healthy is Hot are centered on expansion of the organization’s four pillars: Education, Visibility, Access, Unity.
SLU’s campus, as holding a Catholic Jesuit title, cannot allow the sale or distribution of birth control or other contraceptives on campus. However, SLU’s campus houses and educates individuals of many faith-based beliefs. In 2017, St. Louis once again has the highest STD prevalence in the country. Knowing the dangerous public health situation young folks are living in in the St. Louis area, the protection and education of students who are engaging in sexual activity is of utmost importance to the Healthy is Hot team and their supporters. In reaching SLU students, Buechele spoke of the organization’s strategic plan for reaching a target population; “We want our group to be inclusive. If you’re Catholic we want you to be able to identify with our group. We also want to reach the large number of people who are having sex. So that’s a very broad target population.” Healthy is Hot acknowledges that there are certain subjects not covered and specific ones that are highlighted more to best include students of various belief systems.
With students in mind, resources for STI/STD testing are listed by beliefs and affiliations on the Healthy is Hot website, allowing students of all backgrounds to find a healthcare facility coinciding with their life outside of sex and sexual health. Calamia comments, saying, “Our mission from the start has been to respond to students of all opinions and think about how to be more inclusive to that group…we know there is a population we will never reach or agree with and that’s okay too… We always stand by the fact that we respect everyone’s values and belief systems, affiliations, and ultimately decisions surrounding [their] sexual wellness because it’s [theirs] not anyone else’s”.
Lately using the Grand crosswalk as the main pathway to reaching SLU students, Healthy is Hot offers free condom and safe-sex packet distribution every few weeks, as well as discrete delivery through MSC #’s and personal deliveries to surrounding apartment buildings. Not only increasing visibility, these distributions greatly increase the access to safe-sex among the 71% of SLU students who replied to a May 2017 survey as having been sexually active in the last six months. Positive feedback and uncomfortable laughter from students taking condoms on Grand continue to fuel the movement, but present opposition to the effort remains. Calamia shares of struggles with harsh feedback and words against their plan of action. “The biggest misconception among groups of students is that we are encouraging people to have sex and that’s absolutely not what’s happening. I mean, sure, if you want to, but it’s your personal choice,” says Buechele.
Though it may be a risk for some of the core team to reach out into the community, the fight for reproductive justice is something many hold as a serious part of their identity and an important aspect to share with the entirety of campus. Providing services ranging from information on healthcare providers to the availability of confidential STI and STD screenings to free condoms, Healthy is Hot is driven to be a resource and guide for all SLU students and the greater St. Louis community. Though the dialogue has not flowed as easily between the organization and the more conservative Catholic representatives on campus, Buechele and Calamia are not discouraged. “We are not going to agree, but we believe there is a common ground” states Buechele. Finding common ground is crucial for any organization working to reach the minds of various demographics; even those who may appear to have fundamental disagreements.
Buechele and Calamia assure that Healthy is Hot will continue to work tirelessly to provide SLU students with necessary protection, education, and resources so they are able to live healthy lives. In addition to their physical public health efforts, the umbrella of subjects that are addressed by this new organization include sexuality, gender identity, sexual assault, and STD prevention.
Though St. Louis still has the highest STD rates in the country, leaders Calamia and Buechele are working to actively combat this epidemic; one condom at a time.
Contact Healthy is Hot to get involved or learn more at:
www.healthyishotstl.wixsite.com/website
Instagram: @healthyishotstl
Email: healthyishot.stl@gmail.com
Source:
(n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2017, from https://healthyishotstl.wixsite.com/website/the-numbers