BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Sexually transmitted diseases and infections are on the rise.
According to a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 2.5 million cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis reported in the United States in 2022. Syphilis is at its highest levels since the 1950s.
To make sure that students are in the know when it comes to safe sex, BU Student Health Services Wellness & Prevention is bringing back its annual Sex in the Dark event on Monday, April 1, at 6:30 pm, at the School of Law Alumni Auditorium.
The live event returns after a four-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lights in the auditorium will not be on, but before the event, students can pick up glow-in-the-dark swag to light their way.
Once students sit down, they’ll be invited to anonymously write out their questions about sex—including consent and communication, sexual identity, contraception, STDs, and more—and submit them to the evening’s panel of experts.
The panelists will answer as many questions as possible during the 90-minute event. The goal of the evening is to create a safe place to talk about safe sex, which is why it will be held in the dark.
The event is cosponsored by BU’s Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP), Society for Queers and Allies (GSDM), BU School of Public Health Reproductive Justice Student Alliance, Women’s Health Society, PERIOD, Outlaw, Greek Life Sexual Assault Prevention Committee, It’s On Us Boston University, BU LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, and BU Committee on Sexual Assault & Harassment Prevention.
The experts on this year’s panel are Stephanie Orozco, a sexual health educator; Goddess Cecilia, a pleasure educator and advocate at Mer-Made for Pleasure; Nathan Brewer, director of SARP, and Hannah Landsberg (Sargent’12, SPH’13), SHS associate director …
