Ellen Wang ’25 and Belén Yudess ’25
Editor-in-Chief Emeritus and Copy Editor
Scripps Advocates hosted their second annual Sex Week from April 6-11 to celebrate sex positivity and affirm the importance of sex education and building healthy relationships.
In a provided statement from Advocates, they explained the origins and intended purpose of Sex Week.
“We began Sex Week as a way to bring more sexual wellness and sex positive events to Scripps’ campus,” they said. “We were very inspired by CMC’s Sex Week that they have been hosting for years, but wanted to modify it to reflect the interests of the Scripps community as well as add a survivor-centered element to some of the events we host.”
Events ranged from campy and creative sessions such as the fan-favorite “Oral Skills for Vulvas” workshop or the “Build Your Own Vulva Trinket Tray,” to facilitated conversations regarding identifying relationship red and green flags. Sex Week aims to penetrate the silence surrounding the pleasures and challenges of sex and intimacy.
“Our events were a mix of highly attended events from last year’s sex week, events inspired by other organizations on campus, and important conversations we felt were missing from campus dialogue,” the statement said. “We tried to holistically represent our organization through all of our events by covering a variety of topics like safe sex practices, navigating intimacy after assault, and education on vulva anatomy.”
Hadley Iselin ’25, one of the hosts of a sex trivia event, explained how her previous work at Planned Parenthood introduced her to the value of peer-to-peer sex ed.
“It was a really wonderful experience, especially being able to give information on sexual health to schools that didn’t necessarily have the resources or time to have full sex ed classes or hire educators,” she said. “I also think the environment was so much better when teaching sex ed peer-to-peer. It’s less pressure to be serious and levels the playing field for people teaching and those learning. Everyone is coming from similar places and it doesn’t feel as much of a lecture on morality that it might feel coming from a gym teacher, per se.”
Iselin elaborated how sex trivia makes conversations around sex feel more approachable and fun. “It’s always kinda silly to talk about sex, especially fun and obscure facts,” she said.
Adina Veloz-Remis ’27, who serves as the Community Engagement Chair at The Motley, touched upon the uplifting environment fostered by sex trivia.
“I think that it’s really important for our community to have these events that are so sex positive, especially as a queer space,” she said. “And last year, I remember attending this event as well and just thinking it was such a great space, especially seeing the whole community really come out and learn together. I think that’s really special [about being at a] historically women’s college.”
The impressive event attendance rates illustrated the impact of creating sex positive spaces. Naomi Fireman Schiavoni ’27, who attended the “Oral Skills for Vulvas” talk, explained how everybody’s willingness to engage with the topic empowered her to learn about aspects of sex that are often less prioritized or discussed.
“I thought it was more than sufficient and definitely was beyond my expectations,” she said. “I really liked the presenter and how she would have us do jazz hands when we were excited about something; it made the environment really chill and fun. I don’t think we’re used to having those types of conversations, so it’s kind of hard to know how to approach that situation … I like that there was an emphasis on pleasure. I feel like that’s really missing from a lot of sex education.”
Iselin commented on the role of Sex Week in fostering a more transparent and encouraging culture around sex. “Scripps and The Claremont Colleges are very open when it comes to talking about sex, as are many other college campuses, but I know for many, getting comfortable talking about sex didn’t happen until college,” she said. “It’s just so important to encourage open dialogue about sex and sexual health for everyone’s health and safety.”
Sex Week is just one of several initiatives organized by Advocates that promotes safe sex practices and overall sexual wellbeing. Advocates emphasized their hope that students continue to support and spread awareness about their efforts.
“We have multiple ongoing efforts that support our goal around a healthy culture around sex. First and foremost, our free condoms/dental dams available in all the residence halls as well our more recent initiative providing free Plan B to students in need. We are also very close to piloting the wellness vending machine in the student union in collaboration with SAS! We also try to regularly hold events that empower all types of students to explore sex in a way that is meaningful to them.”
