If this past week’s protest surrounding the ‘Fornication 101’ lecture have shown us anything, it’s that society is narrow minded and doesn’t use facts to back up arguments.
‘Fornication 101: The Study of Sex College Tour’ leaves a lot of question marks in the mind of observers, near and far. While some people are taking the title as a laughing matter and brushing it off as just another lecture, others are taking extreme offense to the presentation and what it could entail. The lecture was postponed due to weather this past week, which allowed the bickering to continue.
This country was built on the foundation that we can challenge authority and that we have a right to know where our money is headed. There is something noble, in fact, when a taxpayer actually does their due diligence and has solid facts to support their argument. However, when their squawking is taken to the public, it’d better leave no room for more research.
In response to many emails and quibbling blog posts, the Marketing and Communications Department issued a press release backing the speaker, Megan Andelloux. In saying that the uproar was caused by misconceptions, it only enhances the view this office has.
Most of the individuals and sects who had problems with this lecturer were basing it upon the fact that they believed their tax dollars were paying the measly $600 for Andelloux to appear. The money for this came from a group of private donors to the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center.
This office doesn’t ever discourage the partaking in argument or even disdain for a particular event, but in saying that, we will only support this when it is not just slanderous activity. The fact that Andelloux received hate emails and the university was cast into a bad light for featuring a one hour lecture is appalling.
The other overall issue that objectors had with this event was its overall subject: Sex. The problem with their argument was that they were assuming it would be only covering the topic of sexuality, and it would not be an educational program on sex. They were wrong. Just as students in grade school learn what the ‘birds and bees’ are all about, we were getting a refresher with an emphasis on how the unprotected, non-safe forms of sex aren’t the way to go.
It’s almost too simplistically comical that the same people who are ranting about a sexual education lecture, which isn’t coming out of their wallets, have no problem with the seemingly mandatory lessons in the grade school level. If college is supposed to be the last stepping stone into the real world from your education, then we should be able to handle a simple talk about sex. It’s insulting when a group of elders who think they know best try to tell us what we can and can’t apprehend or manage. Besides, attendance isn’t mandatory. Any student who is uncomfortable with the material or against the lecture can choose to not attend.
This also isn’t the first time that we’ve seen a lecture on a sexual topic. When Ron Jeremy came to this campus to advocate for the rights of pornography and porn stars, there wasn’t a campus-wide orgy following the panel. We can handle it.
The difference between this lecture and copies of the same sexual education books which have been passed down through generations is that this one is trying to break the mold, not conform to it. Andelloux tries to connect with her audience by putting it in terms that they will actually understand. Considering that the tactics of teaching birth control and preventing the spread of disease aren’t making considerable bounds, she should be commended for trying something new. It’s highly unlikely that this lecture will unravel any sparse sense of control that has been shoved down our throats since elementary school and turn us into lustful primates.
It’s time for those who are too concerned with where private donations are being used on sexual education lectures to step down and be quiet. When the lecture happens in March you can bet that the following day there will be no local news stations following the coverage of a CCSU-sanctioned orgy. If there is, those of you who had objections to this can say ‘I told you so’, but until then, put your faith in the fact that we can handle it.