Gaining knowledge about sexual health education plays an important part in an individual’s college experience, and the employees at the University of Idaho know that.
In order to give students the opportunity to ask questions and have an open conversation on sexual health, Vandal Health Education will host the Sexplanations Live keynote from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Vandal Ballroom. The event is open to anyone and admission is free.
“It’s meant to be a safe place for people to be able to come and ask their sexual-health-related questions,” said Emily Tuschhoff, program coordinator for Vandal Health Education.
The main purpose of the event is to allow individuals the opportunity to have healthy conversations about sexuality, Tuschhoff said.
The keynote address will be presented by Lindsey Doe, a clinical sexologist and avid YouTube user who will talk about the importance of sexual health.
Doe plans to be completely flexible when it comes to what goes on during the event, Tuschhoff said. The event will most likely take place in the form of a Q&A session.
“We just wanted to bring in a speaker who is sex positive, who … has a very sound foundation in all things sexology … sex education, sexuality, relationships and Dr. Doe fits that bill perfectly,” said assistant professor Erin Chapman.
With a YouTube channel focusing on sexuality called “Sexplanations,” Chapman said Doe is dynamic and will engage students while continuing to stay knowledgeable.
“We wanted (Sexplanations Live) to be educational, and inclusive and sex-positive,” Chapman said.
Sexplanations Live is taking place during Safe & Sexy Week at UI, Tuschhoff said. The week is driven by peer educators with Vandal Health Education to help share sexual health resources and healthy relationship resources.
It’s a week to raise awareness around sexual health issues and how to be safe, Chapman said.
Tuschhoff said activities will take place throughout the week, including tabling events and more, with Sexplanations Live acting as the keynote.
Getting individuals to talk about these topics and making the conversation more comfortable when talking about sex and sexuality is the goal of the event, Chapman said. She said another goal is to break down some of the myths and misconceptions related to sex.
“It’s OK to have questions, it’s OK to ask questions, it’s OK to have these conversations,” Chapman said.
Tuschhoff said the hope is that the event will provide individuals with the chance to know where to find answers about sex-related questions. She said she wants students to leave feeling more confident when talking about their sexuality.
“I think students can expect to be entertained, they can expect to learn a lot,” Tuschhoff said. “They can expect to get their questions answered if they have them.”
Savannah Cardon can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @savannahlcardon