When I entered the “Sex, on a Deadline” panel by Dan Reimold at the Associated Collegiate Press conference (ACP), I had no idea how tough it was to write a sex column. It is no Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City; that’s garbage. From what this panel was saying, writing about sex on a college campus is the real deal.
From Reimold’s findings about university sex columns, it is no easy job writing about sex. College sex columnists nationwide have all received some kind of heat for their writings. Whether it is opposition for their latest article about new sex positions or anonymous messages to meet in the library at two o’clock in the morning, these columnists all have a story to say.
Most importantly, Reimold states that these columnists have to fight just to talk about sex. Not everyone on a college campus is willing to talk about sex, and it is because of these columnists that these “scary” topics are being discussed. Reimold encourages college newspapers to talk more about various sexual experiences.
What made the panel entertaining was the various title examples for college sex columns, like “Below the Fold” by The Hartford Informer, “The Dirty Bird” by The Daily Cardinal, and “Hump Day” by The Badger Herald. Because it is already not easy to discuss this “touchy” subject, these pun titles help give comic appeal that will captivate an audience.
After looking at the different examples of sex column covers, I notice a pattern: a heterosexual, white couple. There is more than just heterosexual white couples. What about couples of different ethnicities and sexuality? What can we do, as journalists, to help break this trend? These are the questions that we need to start asking and answering more frequently.
Personally, I am not one to talk about my sexual experience. I tend to be more reserved. After hearing this panel, I applaud any sex columnist on a newspaper publication. It is not easy to talk about this taboo topic. The ability to open up about someone’s sexual experiences is bold and fearless. It is their voice that allows topics like this to even get discussed in the first place.
