Let’s (Finally) Talk About Sex

A recent wildly popular Crimson news article on alternative sexualities at Harvard—deemed “The Kinkiest Student Newspaper Article Ever” by one blog—belies the fact that frank and open conversations about sex and sexuality do not, in fact, occur very often on Harvard’s campus. Sex is a topic so ubiquitous and so integral to our social worlds that the dearth of open discourse on sexuality at our otherwise intellectually vibrant university can be downright baffling. Fortunately, “munch,” an informal collective of Harvard students interested in kinky sex, and Harvard’s inaugural Sex Week, scheduled for March 25-31, promises to reverse that trend and arouse a much-needed dialogue on sex and sexuality on our campus.

Munch, a budding student organization, marks the first time in recent memory that a Harvard student group has been founded to provide a safe and accepting environment for students with sexual interests outside of the mainstream. Founded just last semester, munch has already successfully reached out to students with unconventional sexual preferences and has begun to fill its role as a supportive space for students who have felt alone amid Harvard’s patently silent sexual culture. Facilitating open dialogue on sexuality is essential in de-stigmatizing unconventional interests and practices, and munch has certainly done just that. Munch’s efforts to lift the stigma from kinky sex are particularly laudable on a campus so frequently divisive as our own. In this spirit, we unequivocally support munch in its effort to become an officially recognized student organization.

Along with munch, Harvard’s first annual Sex Week represents what we hope will become a permanent campus trend. Frank and objective conversation on sexuality is fundamental not only to accepting students with alternative sexual preferences, but also to promoting healthy sexuality among all students. The importance of talking about sex cannot be overstated, particularly on a college campus, where many experience independence and explore their sexuality for the first time. Students who are aware of issues surrounding sex like the availability of contraception and other forms of protection, the tremendous variation in sexual preferences, and the dangers of sexual violence, are far more likely to access their sexuality in a healthy way and be honest with themselves and their partners about their desires.

Sexual literacy can also play a role in diminishing the frequency of sexual violence. A United States Department of Justice report states that “sexual assault is widely considered to be the most underreported violent crime in America,” and a dialogue on healthy sexuality has the potential to empower victims to report sexual assault and lift the stigma from reporting sex crimes.  Additionally, students who are aware of what does and does not constitute acceptable sexual behavior will become students who intervene when their peers exhibit sexual aggression and citizens who reject the victim-blaming rhetoric that so often allows sexual assailants to commit crimes with impunity.

Though munch represents the sexual interests of a minority of Harvard students, the spirit that it and Harvard’s upcoming Sex Week embody—one of open and candid conversation about sexuality—is relevant in some capacity to all of us. We encourage students to take part in the conversation that munch and the organizers of Sex Week have begun. Whether we are having it or not, all of us can be talking about sex.