SEXtember – UNSW’s Festival About Sex
Image: Image: UNSW
By Isabella Lee
As the days start to get warmer, there is also another reason to have a skip in your step, as the sunnier days signal the beginning of SEXtember – a 2-week-long festival all about sex.
Celebrated annually, it is the University of New South Wales sexual health festival which goes beyond talking about just the birds and the bees and doesn’t shy away from the awkward conversations.
De-stigmatising conversations around sex and sexual health have never been more important. There has been a significant rise in the amount of sexually active young people today with 61% of year 12 students reporting being sexually active in 2021, compared to 41% in 1992.
With the internet and female friends being the top two sources of sexual health information for young people – it matters that the conversations we have are open, real and inclusive! Not to mention that if we can’t talk about sex openly, how do we create a culture of consent and ensure that each sexual partner wants what they are getting!
Our Sex Lives
For many international students, this may well be their first open forum for conversations around sexual well-being. Sex-ed, if provided at all, is often a biology lesson, lacking the nuance needed to understand pleasure, intimacy or desire.
And if your sexual needs are anything other than vanilla, it’s almost certain that these won’t have been discussed within the walls of an institution. This is all before even talking about the sex lives of queer, intersex or trans individuals which are often made to be non-existent.
Sex is more than the act. It truly impacts all aspects of health and the way relationships are formed. This is why it is so important to actively educate and encourage individuals to seek out a healthy and empowering sex life – whatever that looks like to them.
Established in 2019, SEXtember organises a range of events designed to start the conversation around sex and normalise STI testing. This year, the manifesto places emphasis on empowerment, healthy relationships and meaningful intimacy that drives this year’s festival.
One of the flagship events this year is the Sex, Health and Society conference, which brings together a range of academics to speak about the growing role of technology in our sexual lives. There will also be a series of events for the LGBTQI+ community to openly talk about queer sex and help create a safe and inclusive environment to get an education they never got in school.
