Vulva Cupcakes, BDSM Lessons and Pole Dancing: Inside “Sex Week” at Stanford

This week was “Sex Week” at Stanford. This was not a traditional sex-ed class; indeed, very little, if any, of sex week focused on consent or contraception. Instead, students were offered displays on “kink training,” “BDSM lessons,” and “supported safe sex work.” Stanford students pole danced to sold-out audiences, drag troupes hosted sex and BDSM trivia, and Stanford-sponsored nipple clamps, butt plugs, strap-on harnesses, 7-inch dildos, and bondage kits were distributed to students.

The week was organized and run by the Sexual Health Peer Resource Center (SHPRC), which receives $50,000 from the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU). To put that number in context, that is 2.5 times more than is given to the Catholic Community, twice as much as is given to the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, and nearly 5 times what is allocated to the Stanford University Mathematics Organization.

SHPRC receives not only funds from the Stanford-backed student association but also directly from the university through Cardinal Commitment and the Haas Center for Public Service.