Tonight Harvard University will offer a course on anal sex for the very first time as part of its annual Sex Week program.
The course is officially titled “What What in the Butt: Anal Sex 101.”
The course description reads:
Come learn everything about anal sex from the experts of Good Vibrations, a sex-positive store located right in Brookline! They will dispel myths about anal sex and give you insight into why people do it and how to do it well. They will cover a wide variety of topics, including: anal anatomy and the potential for pleasure for all genders; how to talk about it with a partner; basic preparation and hygiene; lubes, anal toys, and safer sex; anal penetration for beginners, and much more! Learn the facts about this exciting yet often misunderstood form of pleasure, find out the common mistakes people make, and get all your questions answered!
At Harvard, Sex Week consists of “a week of programming that is interdisciplinary, thought-provoking, scholastic, innovative and applicable to student experiences in order to promote a holistic understanding of sex and sexuality.”
Not everyone is overjoyed with the scheduled classes. One student told The College Fix, "I do question the amount of time and resources that went into planning and funding these events, some of which are downright vulgar, at a place like Harvard."
"I can't imagine that there are not more worthwhile educational programs and initiatives to which Harvard's resources should be devoted," she concluded.
Kirin Gupta, co-president of SHEATH, defended the course:
The past two years we had Sex Week, we didn't have an anal sex event — but I think it's something that was really missing. It's part of a lot of people's sex lives, but it's something a lot of people don't want to acknowledge because it's not part of traditional heteronormative sexuality. Saying we don't need [the workshop] is like saying we don't need sex education, or should have abstinence-only education, or that people should feel ashamed for doing whatever it is that's part of their sexual practice.