Sex not taboo subject
By John Caldwell
Special to the Daily Forty-Niner
Student Health Services at Cal State Long
Beach is offering a workshop that goes beyond teaching students ways to
cure the common cold.
A sexual health awareness workshop is held
every Wednesday at the center and offers information related to having
a healthy sex life.
Female students must attend the sex-health
workshop to acquire birth control from the center.
"We get people who do not have very much
experience, and we get people who have been on the [birth control] pill
for 10 years," said Holly Ellison, office supervisor at Health Services.
"It's a chance for those with experience
to share with those who don't have any."
The workshop replaces an older class known
as "Family Planning Orientation."
Ellison, who conducts the presentation,
said the new class addresses more than just family planning.
"We want all students to feel free to come."
Ellison said. "Slowly, but surely, we're getting a few more males."
Some CSULB sexuality classes require the
workshop because it covers diverse issues and various sex-health procedures.
Last Wednesday, Ellison covered the specifics
of getting a gynecological exam, the importance of self-examinations and
how to perform them and birth control choices and usage.
The class included a video on breast examination
for women and a discussion on male examination issues.
Abstinence as a form of birth control was
stressed, and sexually transmitted diseases were discussed in detail.
Becky, a CSULB graduate student who did
not disclose her last name, came to the class in order to get birth control
pills.
She said she learned a lot during the contraception
portion of the workshop.
"There were some things I didn't know about,"
she said.
Ellison said she hopes any student who
is interested in learning more about sex-health issues will come to the
center.
"One student decided not to start having
sex," Ellison said.
"This class helped her decide she wasn't
ready yet."
Ellison also said that a wide range of
people have been attending.
"We encourage people to ask questions,"
Ellison said.
"The person right next to them may be going
through the same thing."
In addition to the workshop, the newest
division of Health Services, the Sex Health Resource Center, also provides
students with a variety of services and informational materials such as
books on sex and health. |
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