Nationally recognized feminist writer and activist Jaclyn Friedman will speak on campus Wednesday in a discussion titled, “Sex in America: Beyond Prudes, Sluts and Players.”
The talk, hosted by the Women’s Resource Center, aims to give women the tools to decipher the modern world’s confusing, hyper-sexualized and sometimes dangerous landscape so they can define their own sexual identity, according to the event page.
Women’s Resource Center Coordinator Jessica Nare said the event will cover affirmative consent and what comes afterward.
“We want people to be having consensual sexual relationships, but how do you really make those intimate encounters to be positive, healthy and to be thoughtful?” she said. “(Friedman) is really going to bring that conversation to the next level.”
The event will also discuss messages we get from the media and pop culture about relationships, Nare said.
“We have a lot of problematic ideas about sexuality in our culture, and so I think before you can move to a place of of healthy sexuality you have to really debunk some of those stereotypes and some of those myths about sexuality,” she said.
Friedman is also the editor of a book called “Yes means Yes!: Visions of Female Power and a World Without Rape.” The book’s influence helped inspire the affirmative consent law of the same name, according to Nare.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed California’s “Yes means Yes” affirmative consent law on Sept. 28. It was the first bill of its kind in the country.
Nare hopes the events gives both students and the community knowledge and information about sexual violence issues.
“We’ve seen sexual violence is not a new issue, but it’s become really important on college campuses across the U.S. in the last couple of years, not just SDSU,” Nare said. “I think it shows that we still need to be having conversations about sex and healthy relationships and gender-based violence.”
Anyone is welcome to attend the free event, Nare said.
“We want all types of students at this event, and so we hope to get a really diverse audience,” she said.
The talk will take place on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in Montezuma Hall.
