On March 27, Salt Lake Community College held a first-of-its-kind event promoting modern sex education.
Titled “Consent & Contraception: The Power of Protection,” the Student Event Center at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus hosted the open-to-all gathering. It was organized by the Center for Health and Counseling (CHC), in collaboration with the Thayne Center and the equity and diversity board of SLCC’s student association (SLCCSA).
Representatives from Planned Parenthood of Utah were also present, operating a table filled with informational brochures, free condoms and various complementary pickings.
Roughly 30 students attended, all of them interested in learning more about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), contraceptive methods and the intricacies of consent in intimate relationships.
“There’s more information now than back when I was in high school,” said pre-med student Beatrice Gomez. “In high school, they didn’t teach us about sexual intercourse or STIs, but I do remember a lot about women and menstrual cycles. I don’t think, even in high school, I knew what an STI was.”
STIs and contraception
Speaking to the audience, Whitney Ockey, health promotion manager for the CHC, lamented the term sexually transmitted disease, or STD. Ockey said that term should be shelved in favor of STI, as the first suggests illness or death with the word “disease,” therefore attracting more stigma.
Ockey went on to say that STIs are not a trivial issue. “STIs are at an all-time high” in the United States, she noted. Chlamydia, the most prominent STI in Utah, has seen a 19% increase in reported cases since 2014.
“Many [STIs] … don’t really carry symptoms. You can carry one of these without knowing it,” said Ockey, who stressed the importance of getting tested when one has a new partner or multiple partners at once. The CHC offers STI testing to all students for $15.
Unfortunately, Ockey continued, many students are fearful or embarrassed of getting tested.
“People shouldn’t be afraid of treatment. Don’t feed into the stigma – talk to your doctor about it, even if it’s just a normal check-up.”
One can reduce the likelihood of contracting STIs with the use of condoms. Other barrier contraceptives, such as diaphragms and dental dams, are not effective at preventing STIs, according to Katherine Testa, health promotion coordinator for the CHC.
However, a greater range of contraceptive methods work to prevent pregnancy. Testa outlined physical barriers, implants – which include IUDs and vaginal rings – oral birth-control pills, hormonal injections, sterilization and abstinence.
The Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive research and policy agency, lists birth control pills and male condoms as the two most common forms of birth control in the U.S. after female permanent contraception. Pills have been shown to be 91% effective at preventing pregnancy, while condoms hold an 87% efficacy rating.
Consent
Whether finding new partners or maintaining a relationship with a current one, Testa said it’s also important to be aware of the process of consent, adding that young adults often misunderstand the concept – especially those who weren’t taught about the fluidity of its nature.
“Consent is a constant choice,” Testa said. “One can change their mind throughout any point in the process.”
To illustrate the process, two student members from the equity and diversity board of SLCCSA put together a skit where a handshake served as an allegory for consent. While holding hands, one student suddenly withdrew from the handshake.
“I just didn’t feel like it anymore,” they said for the audience.
Their counterpart politely accepted this change, demonstrating a few key concepts. Firstly, Testa said, consent is not a right – it’s a privilege, and it can be revoked.
The option to halt is always okay, Testa continued, and because consent is a two-way street, both parties involved must respect such wishes. Speakers also touched on the concept of the “enthusiastic yes,” a type of consent-giving that leaves no room for extra interpretation.
“Consent can mean saying ‘yes’ to going in the bedroom to make out,” Ockey said. In this scenario, the ‘enthusiastic yes’ would clarify that kissing is the only act being consented to. An asking of consent for intercourse would require a separate dialogue.
When someone says ‘no,’ Testa pointed out that they don’t need to elaborate.
“‘No’ is a complete sentence,” she said.
Utah is not a “proactive” state when it comes to educating youth about these issues. According to Utah.gov, students in Utah public schools, grades K-12, are taught an “abstinence-based” curriculum of sexual education.
Testa said abstinence-based sex education tends to omit important information about STIs, contraception and consent, and that such omissions serve to increase stigma around the subjects.
“I think every student [needs] information about safe sex and consent … there is a large gap we have to fill because there are a lot of things we can’t say at the K-12 level,” she said.
To keep up with future events from the CHC, visit slcc.edu/chc or follow them on Instagram.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include additional information about STIs and contraception.
