On June 3, Safe Haven will partner with Planned Parenthood to discuss smart consumption of erotic media and the use of kink. The event will take place at the Multicultural Center, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Students and staff who are 18 years or older are welcome to attend the event. 

The main presentation will be led by Jay Lagunas, an employee at Planned Parenthood. Lagunas will be giving a thorough overview of what erotic media literacy and kink is, present exercises and help facilitate group discussions. Safe Haven will also provide food, fidget toys, calming lights and Squishmallows to help create a safe and comfortable environment for those attending.

Kink is the use of non-conventional sexual practices and concepts between two consenting adults while erotic media literacy is the ability to understand forms of adult media, such as pornography, and be aware of how it may potentially influence the individual consuming it. Tate Jackson, Safe Haven’s LGBTQ coordinator, says it’s a form of media literacy at its core. 

“We’re asking questions of text. So we need to approach this academically,” says Jackson, “Think, ‘who’s represented here? How are they presented? What is the director wanting the audience to think?’ It’s very different to have something that’s intentionally created as a fantasy, just like a book or a movie—it’s not real. And when you can’t separate the two, that’s when there’s an issue.”

Jackson says that the importance of being able to smartly consume pornography and use kink in relationships lies in terms of harm reduction. “When it comes to what people think kink is versus what it actually is—there’s a lot of stereotypes,” says Jackson, “Taking that away and being able to see it for what it is helps with Title XI issues, which is something that not a lot of people don’t know how to report because they don’t know when saying ‘no’ means ‘no.’ What we’re doing is providing that avenue to have the conversations, so we can stop these issues.”

Julisa Rios Chavez, Safe Haven’s assistant coordinator, says that it’s beneficial to view pornography and kinks through the lens of consent. “We think that that is the most valuable aspect of this [event]—modeling what consent looks like in these types of areas and how to navigate it on your own, essentially making good decisions that value other people.”