Dozens of students flocked to IC Square last week to win uterus-shaped cookie cutters, place condoms on bananas and eat penis-shaped snacks.
SexFest, which took place on Nov. 15, is Ithaca College’s annual sexual education fair where students educate themselves on sex-related topics and on the sexual-health-related resources available in Ithaca.
Cate Tauriello is a sophomore at the college and the director of events for the Residence Hall Association, an organization that plans on-campus student events and hosts the annual sexual education fair. As it was Tauriello’s first year planning the event, she decided to add more entertainment, such as raffles, performances and games in order to keep the environment fun while still being educational.
“It’s a chance for students to show up, ask all of the questions they have and get a lot of free condoms,” Tauriello said.
IC organizations such as Spectrum and Active Minds participated in the two-hour sexual education fair. While Spectrum, a discussion-based LGBTQ organization, taught students about dental dams and general issues surrounding LGBTQ access to sexual health, Active Minds, a group dedicated to changing the conversation about mental health, spoke about other sexual health and counseling resources students can use on campus.
Other off-campus organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the Advocacy Center, which provides support, advocacy and education for survivors of domestic violence, attended the event, giving out pamphlets and information to students interested in their services.
Other than learning about sexual health, students had the chance to compete in sex-related games such as “sexpardy” and the “banana contest.” While sexpardy was a sex-themed jeopardy game, the banana contest challenged competitors to put a condom on a banana in the fastest and most correct way possible.
Jaleel Green, sophomore at the college and winner of the banana contest, said he finds SexFest a helpful and entertaining way for students to participate in sexual education.
“People are really interested, they want the free condoms, which is good, and they are learning about the different resources that they can use,” Green said.
SexFest also contained performances by the spoken word poetry club on campus IC Spit That, female acapella group Premium Blend and IC Comedy Club. The Residence Hall Association will be hosting two more events in the upcoming semester: Winter Blast, a winter social for students, and an Earth Day celebration.