The Well for Health Promotion hosted its third annual “Sex Week” March 13-17, bringing a week of educational and interactive sexual health events to Tulane University. The Well partnered with Queer Student Alliance, Tulane’s branch of the National One Love Foundation and other campus groups to spread queer-inclusive and sex-positive information.

Campus organizations tabled on McAlister Drive all week, distributing free barrier contraceptives and sex toys and hosting games like trivia and raffles.

Junior Madeline Smith is the president of One Love, a national foundation aimed at promoting healthy relationships.

“Our ultimate goal is to end relationship abuse,” Smith said. Yeardley Love’s family founded the organization after Love, a senior lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Her family intends One Love to be a way to promote healthy relationships and educate people about the signs of unhealthy relationships. “We’re here on college campuses to engage in those sorts of conversations. Everybody’s in relationships. You want to know when you’re in an unhealthy relationship versus an unhealthy one, not just for yourself but also for your friends.” 

Overwhelmingly, students expressed support for Sex Week. 

“I like how open we are to talking about things past abstinence and stuff like that,” sophomore Aryanna Baytop said. “I love how Tulane embraces not just sex education, but sensuality and exploring different ways that we can explore sexuality.”

Sex Week also held discussions and workshops, featuring guest speakers and organizations such as Tulane’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Response, who led a session on Wednesday covering healthy sex and relationships on college campuses.

“I personally love the free sex toys, and I love the posters,” Baytop said. “I think all the organizations do a great job of picking very well informed and engaging speakers and facilitators.” 

Freshman Ella Robinett said she values the widespread sexual education.

“I personally am very pro-Sex Week,” Robinett, who is from Alabama, said. “My high school health textbook had two full units on abstinence, nothing on safe practices. I think that it’s super important, especially sexual intelligence and sexual literacy and educating students on that.”

Sex Week’s focus is to normalize conversations surrounding sexual identity, pleasure and sexual health.

“I think Sex Week is awesome,” Smith said. “It’s a way to promote sex positivity here on campus. One Love specifically wanted to engage in Sex Week because I feel like there’s an emphasis on focusing on the unhealthy sides of relationships, especially here at Tulane. We are really here to promote healthy relationships and talk about that for not just for yourself, but for your friends and all sorts of relationships.”