SHAPE shares resources for sexual health, centers pleasure for Sex Week
Daily file illustration by Lily Ogburn
The Sexual Health Talk is a part of NU Sex Week, which is organized by NU College Feminists.
May 9, 2023
Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators hosted a Sexual Health Talk as part of Northwestern Sex Week on Tuesday. In its presentation, two SHAPE educators centered sexual pleasure and provided information on contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted infections and more.
To begin the presentation, McCormick junior David Botana, one of the educators, read aloud NU’s definition of consent: knowing, active, voluntary, and present and ongoing.
“The first aspect of sexual health is consent,” Botana said. “An important aspect is that consent is freely given. There’s no coercion. There’s no uneven power dynamics.”
SHAPE educator and Weinberg sophomore Ethan Roe said young people disproportionately acquire STIs. According to Stanford Medicine, about 50% of new STIs happen in people ages 15-24. Roe pointed to resources such as the Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service located in Searle Hall, where students can test for STIs, covered under NU Student Health Insurance.
“Different activities carry different risks, but pretty much all sexual activity has some risk, including oral sex — which some people often forget,” Roe said.
Some people avoid testing due to the stigma surrounding STIs, Roe said. SHAPE aims to “break down” the stigma in events like Tuesday’s talk, Roe added, so students can feel more comfortable accessing resources.
Botana shared strategies for building conversations around safe sex. For example, students can ask their sexual partner when they were last tested. But, Botana said, students should avoid asking if someone is “clean,” which can increase the stigma surrounding STIs.
If someone has an STI, partners can develop a safer sex plan together through discussing barrier methods, testing and treatment, Botana said.
Weinberg junior Andie Tipton, incoming president of NU College Feminists, attended the talk. Tipton said the event taught her about ella — an emergency contraceptive that prevents pregnancy up to five days after unprotected sex.
“There were a lot more types of contraception that I had been taught about,” Tipton said. “It’s interesting to know that there’s more than just condoms and the pill.”
Roe said there are barriers to accessing resources for sexual health, especially for people with marginalized backgrounds. People may not be aware what resources are available, or they may avoid discussing sexual health for cultural reasons, they said.
“There may be mistrust,” Roe said. “People may be hesitant to go to the medical system, because it has not always been great to them.”
Botana busted myths related to sex, including “Two condoms are better than one” and “Never use flavored condoms for penetrative sex.”
Another myth Botana mentioned is that nobody uses dental dams, which reduce the risk of STIs during oral sex. He welcomed the audience to share other myths for the educators to bust.
“While it’s true that oral sex does carry a somewhat lower risk of transmission than other forms of sex, it still does carry a risk and should be accompanied by a barrier,” Botana said.
Roe said pleasure is central to conversations about sex. To make sex pleasurable for everyone, students can explore and ask about what their partner or partners are looking for, they said.
Masturbation is a way to explore personal pleasure, Roe said. Other ways to add sexual pleasure include using lubricant and sex toys. Roe added that lube reduces friction by preserving condom integrity, decreasing the chances of STI transmission.
“A large part of sex is pleasure. That’s why a lot of people have sex,” Roe said. “There’s no harm in trying things out.”
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Twitter: @JessicaMa2025
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