Yale Students Begin Fifth Sex Week on Campus

Yale University and its students don't shy away from tough issues and controversy. Not that the upcoming Sex Week, a student-run awareness program, is necessarily controversial, but it certainly is an interesting week of events for the Yale community to handle. 

The fifth biennial Yale Sex Week kicks off today at the Ivy League school, the Yale Daily News reports. And while the event has run into trouble in the past—at the last Sex Week, a film director who was a guest speaker showed clips from his porn film that depicted sadomasochism—this year's version will focus on sex, love, and relationships, event organizers say.

The idea behind the program, which will fittingly run through Valentine's Day, is to promote sexual health awareness and sexuality. Programs range from speed dating to tea with a transsexual porn star. 

"We want to make sure students can discuss love, relationships, and sex in a conversational way," one event coordinator tells the Daily News, "and that they've had a chance to interact with leaders in those fields as well." 

It's not exactly the most popular event on campus, according to the Daily News. Sex Week gets mixed reactions from students, with some criticizing the corporate involvement in the event, which is sponsored by Pure Romance, a company that sells sex toys. One student tells the Daily News that having sponsors run some of the events dilutes the message. 

"[Sex Week of 2008] was very corporate," the student says. "Their goal seemed to be, if anything, to make money and advertise products." 

Either way, it promises to be an interesting nine days in New Haven, Conn. 

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