The Black Women of Western hosted a discussion on the topic of sex education on Wednesday, Oct. 6 in DSU, in partnership with Why Knot Us?, a Black Male Initiative organization.

This discussion is one of the many events the Black Women of Western host throughout the semester. They have conversations about important topics similar to this one, as well as social events for members of the community.

“

The issue with school sex ed is that everyone looks at sex as a bad thing. Instead of just giving you the tools you need, I feel like it was always [a] more ‘look at sex as bad’ viewpoint.

— Trenton Peyton

“It’s not being talked about enough, and we want to bring up awareness of sex education, especially in black communities,” Caitlyn Green, a junior communication studies major and vice president of Black Women of Western said about the event.

The BWOW officers led the discussion, beginning with the question “what does sex education mean to all of you?”, asked by Jada Rodgers, a senior healthcare administration major and social media chair for BWOW.

Crowd participation was encouraged and the officer team stressed that it was a safe space to share thoughts. Other questions addressed why sex education is considered taboo, breaking the stigma surrounding STDs and the use of sexual protection.

“The issue with school sex ed is that everyone looks at sex as a bad thing,” Trenton Peyton, a second year graduate student in the recreation and sport program said. “Instead of just giving you the tools you need, I feel like it was always [a] more ‘look at sex as bad’ viewpoint.”

Not only did this discussion cover basic sex education like using protection, it also covered topics like choosing a healthy sexual partner, consent and taking care of your own mental and physical health when it comes to sex.

“Sex can take up a big part of your life, and it can also turn addictive,” Stephon Dillard, a sophomore, said. “So it’s important to have sex education and have these conversations about being in control of your body.”

News reporter Alexandria Anderson can be reached at [email protected].