Oftentimes, sex can be a touchy subject many are wary of. In an effort to create a safe space for women on campus to learn and speak about sex and sexual health, the ALANAM Sisterhood Circle hosted an event Friday evening to initiate the dialogue.
Co-sponsored by Elon University’s Zeta Phi Beta and Chi Upsilon Sigma sororities, the hosts aimed to bring different types of women together and promote an open discussion regarding sexual health. According to senior Toyya Jenkins, a member of Zeta Phi Beta, the goal of the event was to provide a secure space for that discussion to take place.
“We wanted to provide that space for women who may not have sisters such as we do,” Jenkins said.
Becca Bishopric Patterson, coordinator for health promotion, joined the circle to educate attendees on contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and Students Promoting Awareness, Responsibility, Knowledge, and Success's (SPARKS) role in helping Elon students make healthy sexual decisions.
Patterson reminded everyone consent is a mutual agreement made between partners and that sexual choices are personal and up to the individual making them. As both protection and contraception are important aspects of making healthy decisions, she shared resources with the group.
“You can get safer sex supplies through SPARKS for free, but you can also get prescriptions for female condoms because they’re rather expensive,” Patterson said. “If you get a prescription for it, you can get it for free at the drug store.”
When speaking about STIs, Patterson pointed out that awareness is key.
“[The most serious STI] is one you don’t know about and you aren’t getting treated or cured,” Patterson said. “It’s much more about do you know your status and are you getting it taken care of and protecting yourself and protecting your partners if you have one.”
Before opening the conversation to everyone, the ladies set some general ground rules for keeping an open mind and being respectful of everyone’s thoughts and opinions. The women were able to share stories of their experiences and gain support from everyone in attendance.
“I think that it empowers women in such a way that you know that there’s another woman, a sister of yours, who has the exact same question that you do or they’re going through the same thing that you’re going through.” Jenkins said. “There’s power in knowing that you’re not alone.”
That sentiment was true for sophomore Cierra Seawright, student coordinator for the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education (CREDE). Seawright said hearing other women speak made her feel less alienated on the topic of sex.
“It was liberating just to hear different people’s experiences and know that they’re not that different from yours,” Seawright said.
Junior Jennifer Sigua, vice president of Chi Upsilon Sigma, said she hopes the event shows people how open the women at the Sisterhood Circle are even when talking about sensitive topics.
“We’re not here to judge anybody,” Sigua said. “We want to put those topics out there to get minds rolling.”
Free STI testing is offered on Wednesdays at Student Health Services.