Tamica Jean-Charles/Entertainment Director
A vibrant, neon pink rubber penis sat atop a sign in Vicky’s Cafe on Friday, Sept. 28, as two kink specialists talked to dozens of students about consensual pleasure.
The consent and pleasure workshop, known as Consexual, was hosted by the FIU Sexual Health Alliance Revolutionizing Positivity, along with Parametric Auvio, Stonewall Pride Alliance and the Phi Gamma. Guests learned more about respect and consent, while also indulging into the pleasure side of it.
Jocelyn Briones, president of SHARP, organized the event to educate and engage students and staff about how to explore various kinks within the lines of consent.
“We wanted to talk about consent in a more pleasured, focused manner,” said Briones. “You hear a lot of the time that consent in mandatory, and it absolutely is, sometimes for some people it’s very clear but for other people it can be more foggy and gray.”
Briones said the event was tailored more towards those who understand consent more, but did not exclude those who are not as informed or comfortable.
Communication may be key, but SHARP wanted to place an emphasis on communication in the bedroom. Setting and establishing boundaries, and learning about partner desires need to be discussed before participating in sexual acts.
“It’s more about enhancing your relationship through consent, and all the different dynamics that people don’t think about on a day to day in their relationships,” said Briones.
The event featured local performance artists and sexperts Amanda “Lady Lethe” Lae and Kerri “Vikkerious” Aultman, who also attended a SHARP kink panel back in Spring. Both artists specialize in bondage, dominance, sadism and masochim and exploring sexually through that channel.
Aultman also discussed the presence of rape culture hovering in the current sexual allegation-filled climate.
“We live in rape culture, and it’s very important for people to get educated about how to engage with each other,” said Aultman.
One of Aultman services include what she calls “Konscious Kink and Spoken Sex” classes, which teaches people about the wonders, and dangers, of everything sex.
Engagement, Aultman said, is something that is taught, but needs to be.
Lae, who is also an FIU alumna, has been involved in the fetish community for about seventeen years. She has always been interested in dressing up because of her past in theatre, making the transition into kink and fetishism an easy one. Lae thanks the progression of media for the advanced acceptance of alternative lifestyles and sexualities.
“There has become a new revolution and it’s a wonderful opportunity to teach young people, or anybody that has not really experienced it how to get a start, how to be safe about it and become empowered through it,” said Lae.
Bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism may seem like an unconventional way to reclaim one’s sexuality, but for Briones, Aultman and Lae, it can be extremely healing.
“We got more introduced into BDSM and their thought process on their world,” said Briones. “In BDSM, where a lot of people think it’s taboo or people are just doing crazy things to each other… They’re completely sane and a part of their foundations are consent and verbal communication.”
For more information on SHARP, follow them on their instagram @fiusharp.
Photo by Anna Sastre on Unsplash.
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