‘Queer Women’s Sex in the Dark’ event provides sex ed for LGBTQ+ students

In the majority of institutions in the United States, and indeed in the world, sex education is limited. Particularly for members of the LGBTQ+ community, sex ed is rarely inclusive and tends to be mostly irrelevant.

That is why Georgia Institute of Technology’s LGBTQIA Resource Center held a special sex ed workshop this week to discuss issues and concerns surrounding sex and relationships in a manner that is relevant to the community.

The workshop titled “Queer Women’s Sex in the Dark” was led by trained student facilitators and was available exclusively for members of the community who identify as a lesbian, bisexual, queer, questioning, pansexual, trans, or asexual woman. The invitation also extended to any student who identifies as a woman who is thinking about having sex with women.

The decision to exclude “straight cisgender” students from the event stemmed from the fact the most sex education targets them.

“Navigating sex and relationships as a queer woman can be challenging when so much sexual health information is aimed at straight cisgender folks,” the event listing said.

The event was “a fun and frank conversation about queer women’s sexual health.”

It taught students how to prevent STIs by using barrier methods, where to access queer sexual health resources, and to understand the “risk factors associated with different kinds of sexual activity.”

It also helped students understand and identify factors to consider before engaging in sexual activity. These included consent and verbal and nonverbal communication.

The hour-and-a-half long event posed questions such as: “Is oral sex safe? What kinds of sexual healthcare do queer women need? How can you effectively communicate with your partner?”

When It Comes To Sexual Health, Young Queer People Shouldn't Be Left In The Dark https://t.co/cGkoBvRXyp

— BuzzFeed LGBTQIA+ (@BuzzFeedLGBTQ) July 29, 2017

The organizers hoped to create “a comfortable environment” in which students could ask questions anonymously if they so wished.

The group have a number of events planned for the future including “Queer Self Care: A Workshop for LGBTQIA Students,” “Let’s Talk About Sex: Queer Men’s Edition,” and “Love x 3: A Healthy Relationship Workshop for Queer Women.”

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