I decided to stage my intervention at night–I specifically chose 9:50 pm. I felt this was an appropriate time because by 9:50, all 9:30 classes have been ended, and first year students living on campus have completed their 20 minute walk to the dorms. And, to be frank, sex typically happens at night. I chose to have my intervention in the dorms because this is where a majority of my peers still live and where they have sex. I wanted to approach this as an informal teach-in. I wanted to create a space for open conversation between friends, this is largely because I learned best through these lax discussions. When a private, comfortable space is established, the barriers of privilege are dismantled.
This was most noticeable in conversations pertaining to sex education, in which LGBTQ+ folks are wrongfully excluded from accessing the information and resources they need. I was unable to see just how powerful and domineering the heterosexual narrative was until I talked to my friends about their experience with sex education. They shared stories of feeling shamed by professors and peers alike, feeling barred from asking questions or participating in class discussions, and overall, feeling wrong and left-out. When I asked how they eventually learned the information they wanted and or needed, I was enthusiastically reminded, “I figured it out myself”. The simple remark, I figured it out myself, was a pleasing and simultaneously roaring hum. All too often, teachers, parents, politicians, and even trained sex educators forget centralize the needs of the people within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. What each of these people in power tend to forget that their lack of awareness is not equal to the public’s lack of interest, and it is wrong to assume that by neglecting a vast number of people within the population, their needs will disappear.
Having this teach-in reminded me of the privileges I carry, and the work that still needs to be done in the realm of sex education. Creating an open forum for stories, tips, questions, and even rants proved to be the best option for my teach-in, by giving the participants, my friends, the same level of power as me, the instructor. It encouraged me to further my education of both sexual health and social justice, and listen to unheard voices.
