Vagina workshop promotes sexual independence

Forget those chalky candy hearts. In an effort to sweeten up every girl’s Valentine’s Day, the Mary Lou Williams Center will throw open its doors tonight for “The Vagina Workshop,” a multi-faceted program raising awareness about female sexuality.

Co-sponsored by the Women’s Center, the Duke Educational Leaders in Sexual Health and Tatiana from Temptation’s Pleasure, the presentations for the evening will include a display of sex toys and props, as well as small-group discussions and speeches. Shannon Johnson, the programming coordinator at the Women’s Center, said the focus will be on sexual independence, whether through masturbation or increased inter-partner communication.

Residence Coordinators Tegwin Millard and Stephanie Carter are responsible for bringing the workshop to fruition. The two noticed an ad for a sex toy party in a local newspaper, and with the help of DELISH and the Women’s Center, they tried to make the concept translatable to student programming.

“The more we talked to students, the more it seemed that pleasure isn’t always a two-way ‘sex street’ here at Duke,” Millard said. Both she and Carter described a recent discussion they had with students about being ‘sexiled.’

“They were arguing, saying they had never sexiled their roommates for more than five minutes. I know what goes on in just five minutes. And for women, that’s disturbing,” Millard said.

Part of Tatiana’s toy presentation, Carter elaborated, will be Duke-specific. Though the overarching theme is sexual self-confidence for all women, presenters have been given background information on what sex lives are like at Duke.

Both Millard and Johnson claim they have not experienced a backlash from the unenthusiastic or morally outraged.

“We’re not saying that abstinence isn’t a viable option. Part of masturbation is abstinence—if that’s how you want to get down,” Millard said. “But if you’re having sex, it should be good sex.”