You’ve seen the yaks, you may have thrown the shade, you may not even know what’s going on- either way let’s get some facts going.
This past year, myself and other members of DSG have worked tirelessly to create the Peer Advocacy for Sexual Health (PASH) center. This peer run Sexual Health Resource Center will be piloting in the Fall, and is modeled around Stanford’s. Contacts have been made at Stanford, their center has been visited and this extensively researched project has been a long time coming.
This semester, under direct guidance of Maralis Mercado, the Sexual Health Coordinator of the Duke University Wellness Center, and in collaboration with Student Health, Title IX, CSGD, the Women’s Center and CAPS, I co-created a curriculum. Through this curriculum, we have trained 15 peer educators who will volunteer the time to staff the center beginning in the fall.
So why are we talking about free dildos? On Wednesday, DSG passed a budgetary statute to fund the PASH center. Among the money was a $15,000 earmark to go towards a subsidy for all students to purchase a variety of sexual health products at discounted prices that the center will have stocked.
This includes products that are for birth control prevention, STI prevention and pleasure. These products will be for both male bodied and female-bodied individuals. The details are to be determined, but in essence, every student gets a $3 credit per semester as to incentivize students to come in and use the center.
With this $3 they can buy subsidized sexual health products in a variety of brands that Wellness doesn’t otherwise provide at highly discounted prices. However, a student will still be required to cover any remaining costs if the product they are trying to purchase is more than their $3 subsidy.
For many—including DSG’s own—the idea of providing free sexual health products, including those used for pleasure, can be uncomfortable.
When you walk into the center and see a product for sexual pleasure, the initial reaction for some may be to giggle and joke or to get uncomfortable and be in shock. But after, when you see trained peer educators maturely able to talk about sexual health, you too will understand that this sex positive environment is one in which you should feel comfortable to get any question you have asked. No one will judge you. No one will giggle at you or shame you if you ask a question about a product. Only expect open, honest communication with a peer who will listen to you and provide you with resources to reach professional staff on campus.
PASH could be your link to greater sexual health discussion and resources on campus, or PASH could simply be a place to get condoms after centers on campus close, without paying through the vending machine.
The comments on Yik Yak are clear. There needs to be a better way to openly discuss sexual health and sexual relations on this campus. We need a culture shift. As a Duke community, if we can’t even talk about consensual intercourse maturely, how can we even begin to truly tackle issues such as rape and forced intercourse?
This is a proactive approach towards tackling a toxic hook up culture. Let’s show college students the possible perks of consensual intercourse. Let’s encourage communication between peers. Let’s stop judging each other and let’s prioritize our sexual health.
This center is months from opening, and already starting conversation. And I am all for it, ask me questions at dukepash@gmail.com. And if you need to make jokes, and you only have Yik Yak to share it. Fine, share it. Just know, when you walk into that center this toxic culture won’t be perpetuated. Expect honest conversation, but sadly don’t expect free dildos.
Sophomore Riyanka Ganguly is the DSG vice president-elect for equity and outreach.
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