The Sex Positivity Workshop

AS Gender and Sexuality Center presents The Sex Positivity Workshop

CHICO, CA- the AS Gender and Sexuality Equity Center (GSEC) would like to invite you to attend the Sex Positivity Workshop, which will be held on December 3rd at 6:00 PM. The workshop is aimed at removing the stigma associated with female-bodied masturbation, orgasm and arousal, and the use of sex toys. This event will be held in the Bell Memorial Union, room 210. The GSEC would like to welcome both students and members of the community to attend.

Focusing on female bodied masturbation, the Sex Positivity Workshop will include information presented by Dr. Carol Queen and Laurie Bennett-Cook on the topics of female-bodied orgasm and arousal, sex education, and sex toy use. The event will be educating and empowering and aims to make these topics more comfortable for discussion. All attendees will have a chance to purchase raffle tickets to win a pleasure basket filled with sex toys and more.

Dr. Carol Queen is a writer, speaker, activist, and educator with a doctorate in sexology. She is known for her non-profit sexuality education center, The Center for Sex and Culture, her explicit writings which have been published in a variety of periodicals and magazines, and as a part owner of Good Vibrations, the women-owned and worked sex toy and book emporium.

Laurie Bennett-Cook is a local Chico sexologist who works within our community to empower and inform young adults and youth on sex education.

The GSEC is a student run activist organization that strives to empower students through its programs, the Women’s Program and the LGBTQ Program. They offer opportunities for leadership, personal development and referral services, and are a safe and inclusive space where the campus and community can effectively support the academic mission of the university.

Sorry ma'am, I don't agree with your lifestyle

            The extent that people go out of their way to put down another person never ceases to amaze me.  I can’t even find the words to reflect how offended I am from a picture I saw today of a restaurant receipt.  Before I continue, here’s the picture:

            It reads, “I’m sorry but I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle & how you live your life.”

            At Gallop Asian Bistro in Bridgewater, NJ, an androgynous lesbian waitress named Dayna was left with this note on the bill after she had served a $94 meal to a mother with her two children.  Upon sitting this family, the server introduced herself as Dayna. The mother quickly interjected to say, “Oh I thought you were going to say your name was Dan. You sure surprised us!”  If that isn’t bad enough, how about a highly judgmental, blindly critical, offensive, slap in the face note opting to leave no tip because of a “lifestyle choice”?  To the children of this monster mom, I am sorry that your minds are being manipulated to judge people based on their appearances without ever knowing them.  You have quite the role model to look up to.

            The fact that this woman referred to Dayna’s sexual identity as a “lifestyle”, as if Dayna had the choice, solidifies my hypothesis that people like this indeed HAVE been living under a rock their entire lives because obviously they haven’t received the “breaking news”: gay people are EVERYWHERE, and guess what else? We’re people, too! I hope the children who witnessed their mother make a public ass of herself will eventually free themselves from her offensive, sheltered grasp. 

Maddison LeRoy

Take Back the Night Poem

I had the chance to perform recently at this semester's Take Back the Night event, which I was incredibly grateful for. Below is the poem I composed and read.

I don’t want to be afraid of the dark
I don’t want to be told I can’t walk by myself
can’t drink
can’t smoke
can’t flirt
can’t wear that shirt
can’t wear that skirt
as if my clothes are the ones at fault
I don’t want to be afraid of making friends who happen to be
straight
cis
males
because I don’t know if they might hurt me some day
I don’t need to hear my 81 year old grandmother telling me to not go out at night
and I don’t want to think how she probably heard that same talk at 18, too
don’t talk to men
don’t put down your drink
don’t dress that way
don’t trust a single person you meet
I really don’t need to hear about another
god damn
stupid
steubenville
maryville
town of apologists
that victimize the attacker and
attack the victim
and for the love of all that is good
do not let me become
a number
a percentage
a statistic
meant to terrify and is all for naught

but what I want, oh what I do want
I want every person who decides that perpetuating the idea that being assaulted is something to joke about
to be smacked every hour of every day until they say I’m sorry
and they
damn well
mean it
I want my beautiful trans* brothers and sisters to know that they are loved
and that they are strong in the face of danger
and despair
I want my sisters to link arms
love one another
become a fortress of excellence and security
and let no one into that fortress if they are not wanted
I want my brothers to know
that being a man doesn’t mean
I don’t take no for an answer
but to acknowledge that they’ve fucked up
and to take some god damn responsibility
for their actions
instead of passing the blame to the innocent
I want the night to return to what it righteously belongs to
to warm blankets
tossed aside blankets
blistered heels from walking too far
good drinks
bad jokes
terrible movies
to held hands
cookies
crazy hair
loud music
soft music
music that fills the soul in an electrifying way that you can never feel from something else
and to a soft embrace
a good book
love
friendship
and finding triangles up in the stars on a clear night
but perhaps most of all
I want to tell my children that there are no monsters in their closets
or under their beds
and there are no monsters who roam the streets.


Adrianna McCain

AS Gender and Sexuality Center presents The 6th Annual LGBTQ+ Conference: True Colors

CHICO, California- the AS Gender and Sexuality Equity Center (GSEC) is hosting their 6^th Annual LGBTQ+ Conference on Sunday, November 17^th from 1:00pm to 5:00pm in the Bell Memorial Union room 210. The conference is an opportunity for all people to educate and empower themselves while building community and support within the LGBTQ+ and allied communities. The conference will have free food, a raffle, interactive activities and a variety of speakers. This event is free to all campus and community members.

Below is a schedule of the event and workshops:

·            1:00 p.m. Introductions, food is served

·            1:20 p.m. Kay Gordon from the SF LGBTQ Speakers Bureau

·            2:20 p.m. Interactive Guided Imagery held by Krystal Tonga from the Cross Cultural Leadership Center

·            2:35 p.m. Attorney Elizabeth Kristen from the Legal Aid Society about LGBTQ+ legal info and resources

·            3:35 p.m. Interactive “privilege walk” held by molly heck from the Multi-Cultural and Gender Studies department

·            4:00 p.m. A panel held by the Queer People of Color Society “QPOCS!”, a student run organization on campus. 

To register for the conference, please register online at eventbrite.com/event/8860368601 or at the GSEC in BMU 005. The first 25 people to register will receive a free button and a raffle ticket to win a GSEC t-shirt. Attendees will also have the opportunity to register at the door.

The GSEC is a student run activist organization that strives to empower students through its programs, the Women’s Program and the LGBTQ Program. They offer opportunities for leadership, personal development and referral services, and are a safe and inclusive space where the campus and community can effectively support the academic mission of the university.

Halloween 2013

            It’s that time of year again; that time that Chico is (sadly) best known for.  It’s when students drink more beer in a weekend than most people do in a month, when couches are subject to being burned in the streets like sacrificial lambs, and when you see more culturally offensive costumes than you were prepared for.

Halloween.

Chico State, for years, has been trying to emphasize caution when picking out Halloween costumes, being careful not to exploit someone’s culture as a “humorous” outfit. Yes, Halloween is about dressing up as something you’re not, but someone’s culture is not for you to be experimenting with. Wearing a poncho and sombrero, or painting your face black, is anything but humorous; it’s extremely offensive not only to the cultures you are mocking, but embarrassing to everyone who has any common decency.  If you’re considering dressing as a Native American again this Halloween, just don’t.

As I’ve been thinking about what costumes I’ll see this year, I came across an AMAZING video on Facebook the other day about women and Halloween.  Now, I’m sure we all know that Halloween is that one time of year where girls can dress up like sluts and get away with it, right? WRONG. WRONG. WRONG on so many levels.  I’m sick of hearing this statement from men and women alike.  It’s the time of year when women can dress up and get away with it? First of all, get away with what? Get away with dressing how she wants to, whether that be a skimpy nurse, a lumberjack, a fully clothed ghost, a monster?  Women can wear whatever they want, not just on Halloween, and should not have to worry about being called a slut or masculine.  Secondly, I’m tired of the notion that women are expected to over sexualize themselves by wearing minimal clothing/hyper feminized costumes.  If a woman chooses to wear a sexy fairy costume, let it be HER CHOICE, not because she feels pressured into pleasing the male eye.  Watch this video and let these beautiful women clear up any confusion you may be feeling this Halloween.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXk3uhlhAVY

Ladies, whatever you decide to be this Halloween, let it be your choice and OWN it.

Men (and women), keep your mouths shut about all the “hoes” this Halloween; it’s not only judgmental, but it makes you sound extremely ignorant. No one tells you what to wear, so please, keep your 2 cents to yourself.  And of course, please be conscious that your costumes are not exploiting any culture or race. Have a safe Halloween.

Maddison LeRoy