c/o Anabel Goode
As part of the University’s first-ever Sex Week program, students celebrated Valentine’s Day at the third annual Sex Carnival, sponsored by WesWell. From 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., over 200 students, faculty, and staff walked through the event, which included representatives from both University groups and outside organizations ranging from Adolescent Sexual Health Awareness Group (ASHA) to the local Planned Parenthood. Presenters organized 29 tables with educational games, free sexual health tools, information on sexual health, and more. They spoke about sexual education, reproductive health, pleasure, and sexual violence prevention.
At the entrance of Beckham Hall, attendees were given WesWell tote bags to hold sex-related merchandise such as menstrual products, student-made zines, and contraceptives, including free boxes of emergency contraceptive Plan B. Bags of cotton candy were also available for attendees to enjoy as they made their way around the carnival.
This year’s event featured a new raffle that students could enter by participating in activities at the various tables around the carnival, from lube taste testing to condom application racing to anatomy poster labeling. Winners chose from 10 raffle prizes including sex toys and books about sexual health.
The Sex Carnival was conceived out of an effort by WesWell to provide students with inclusive sex education and access to safe sex tools. Currently, there is no national standard for sexual education in U.S. schools.
“High school sex education in the United States is not mandatory and, unfortunately, it is not even required to be medically accurate,” Director of Health Education September Dibble wrote in an email to The Argus. “Our goal is to provide comprehensive sex education to campus while also making sure that our work and the information we share is pleasure-positive and inclusive of all.”
Students tabling the event also appreciated the ability to frankly discuss sex with peers.
“The Sex Carnival is an amazing opportunity,” Wesleyan Reproductive Advocacy and Legislation Coordinator Ellie Collins ’26 said. “For the longest time, sex was such a silent thing in my life. Being on campus and having open communication about sex makes me feel much safer in my sexual experiences.”
Sex Week began with National Condom Day celebrations in Usdan on Monday, Feb. 10, where students could pick up condoms and make condom stress balls.
WesWell also organized the new Sex Week in part for students who wanted more intimate events and environments to discuss sex and sexual health. Aside from the Sex Carnival and National Condom Day celebration, WesWell hosted workshops on Asexuality and Aromanticism on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Queer Sex Ed on Thursday, Feb. 12, and Kink & BDSM for Beginners on Friday, Feb. 14.
“Mainstream sex ed probably hasn’t answered the questions you have about sex as a queer (or questioning) person, but that’s all [changed] in this workshop,” WesWell wrote in an email to the student body about the Queer Sex Ed workshop.
The goal of the Sex Carnival and the broader Sex Week is to break the stigma around discussions of sex and sexual health.
“Sex is, unfortunately, something that is still heavily stigmatized in our society,” Dibble wrote. “Whether you’re having sex, abstaining or sex isn’t something you are interested in, looking to seek out specific resources, or are just browsing, WesWell hopes Sex Week provided folks with knowledge, resources, and support to make decisions that feel right for you – now and in the future.”
Despite Sex Week coming to a close, WesWell will continue to host events to help inform students about sexual wellness. On Thursday, March 27, WesWell is hosting Choose Your Own Adventure: Finding the Birth Control Option That’s Right for You from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm in PAC 003 as a part of Women’s History Month. In April, WesWell will host HIV Testing and a sex toy raffle in WesWell from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Anabel Goode can be reached at agoode@wesleyan.edu.