For students looking for more “ethical” ways to cheat on their partners, the University of North Florida appears to have a solution: a workshop on polyamory.
It’s all part of the school’s annual “Sex Week,” which also advertised sessions on kink and BDSM.
Per Campus Reform, the “Polyamory vs. Cheating: Lessons from a Former Serial Monogamist” workshop is being sponsored by the Relationship Equality Foundation, a group that claims to provide support for people seeking non-traditional relationships. The workshop is open for “poly-curious” students and those “looking for “ethical non-monogamy as an alternative to cheating.”
Curiously, since Campus Reform reported on the school’s “Sex Week” curriculum, two of the racier workshops (including the one on Polyamory) have been renamed. “Coming Out Kinky” was changed to “Coming Out” and “Polyamory vs. Cheating” was renamed “Healthy Relationships.” The description for the latter workshop now says: “A conversation focused on healthy relationships and identity. Stay tuned for more information soon!”
Meanwhile, a session on sex toys titled “A (Grownup) Toy Story” has been removed from the listings altogether.
While the earlier titles and descriptions have been wiped from the website, a trace of them can still be found in the search engine as well as through Google Cache (Archive).
With the changes to the titles and descriptions, it’s unclear whether the curriculum itself will be any different. The speakers are unchanged.
UNF’s BDSM workshop, formerly called “Coming Out Kinky,” was described this way:
I’ve watched “50 Shades of Grey”, is that really what BDSM is about? What is BDSM exactly? What is considered kinky? This lecture based class is an introduction to what it means to be “kinky.” Born out of the popularity of the “50 Shades” series, girl leira adapted this class in her sophomore year at Stetson University and first taught to a student body of over 200 participants. This lecture allows participants to get a clear picture of what BDSM actually is and what are considered safe and practical behaviors. This is an introductory lecture that goes over the fundamental basics of T.H.I.R.D. (trust, honesty, integrity, respect, and dominance), along with R.A.C.K. (Risk, Aware, Consensual Kink) as well as S.S.C. (Safe, Sane, Consensual) .
Sex Week is being run by the college’s LGBT Resource Center, with panels on campus safety, sexual communication and consent. One of the panels, “Anti-Oppression,” aims to educate participants with terminology on racism and “internalized oppression,” and provide an overview of the “dynamics of oppression” through role-playing and drama.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
