<sday, September 20 Carleton’s Gender and Sexuality Center hosted Heather Corinna, self-acclaimed queer writer, artist, educator, activist, peacful warrior, professional rabblerousser, former musician, internet publisher and community organizer. Corinna is the author of “S.E.X,” a book which addresses a range of sex-related topics for young adults. Corinna is also the executive director of Scarleteen, a website focused on feminist sexual education which attracts approximately three quarters of a million viewers per month.
Corinna, who gave two talks during her stay at Carleton, addressed her first discussion to unpacking the term ‘Feminist Sex Education to which she has dedicated her life’s work. Corinna described the discourse of feminist sex education as inclusive of all forms of sexual identity, desire and activity. Reading from the definitions provided on her website, Corinna stated that feminist sex education “operates under the given that all people have an inalienable, inarguable right to the complete, inarguable ownership of their own, individual bodies and desires, and that sexuality and sexual pleasure is a positive and valuable experience in its own right, not merely or only a side effect of reproduction, health, biology or romance, nor a means for material exchange.”
The incorporation of pleasure as a necessary subject of sexual education served as the core of Corinna’s critique of predominant sexual education systems. Corinna explained that although sexual education has been incorporated in schools for a century now, curriculums continue to be limited to topics of puberty, reproduction and risk. In Carinna’s words, “these are not the chief reasons we have sex.”
Moreover, Corinna articulated that feminist sexual education implies a de-emphasis on virginity or the need to distinguish between who has and who hasn’t “had sex.” Sex as defined by Corinna is anything we do when we are motivated to express our sexuality openly. A more inclusive definition of sex as endorsed by Corinna “presents partnered sex broadly, acknowledging the wide array of sexual activities which may be “real” partnered sex, not merely heterosexual activities.”
Corinna explained a more holistic approach to sex is necessary in order to address the diversity of sexual choices available to individuals and the reciprocal range of health risks associated with various sexual activities. For example, Corinna referred to the typical practice of doctors asking patients if they are ‘having sex.’ Many teens assume they can answer no if they are not participating directly in vaginal intercourse. However, Corinna points out this limited definition of sex neglects a wide range of sexual activities that may threaten a patient’s health.
Corinna’s second address, titled “Sex Ed for the Real World: Putting Pleasure Back on the Map,” took place in the Great Hall at 8:00 p.m. Designed to include more audience input and questions, Corinna began the discussion by asking students to describe their experience of sexual education. Most students described the prominence of learning how to say ‘no’ and many reported a total absence of information regarding contraception within abstinence-based curriculums.
Corrina proposed that focusing solely on how to reject sex instead of how to communicate about it is not “reflective of people’s real life experiences.” Corinna suggests that applying a lens that includes pleasure in our approach to sex education provides more tools to communicate about safe sex. For example, Corinna listed readiness for sex as encompassing “emotional, physical, social” elements, most of which cannot be addressed if “we are only talking about how to say no.”
Both of Corinna’s talks were well-attended. However, many students expressed disappointment in Corinna’s public speaking abilities. One audience member reflected, “I think she has some great things to say, but it was clear she does most of her work on the internet because it was really hard to keep track of exactly what she was talking about.”
Students expressed further disappointment that Corinna did not spend much time actually expanding on the practical application of feminist sexual education.One viewer lamented, “I went to her talk on ‘Putting Pleasure Back on the Map’ in hopes of talking about pleasure but instead I ended up learning a lot about why it’s important to acknowldege pleasure but not really discussing pleasure itself.” In her defense however,Corinna’s main mode of promoting her principles of feminist sexual education is through answering questions posted to her website and not through public speaking. Perhaps it is in the online venue that her philosophy is most meaningful.