2008 Woodie Awards
Sex fair draws crowd, though administrators forbid 'consent tent'
Emily Iorg
Issue date: 2/27/06 Section: News
The Feminists United sex fair went on last Wednesday without the consent tent. Administrators canceled the activity after complaints and a subsequent examination by the University of Missouri System legal counsel. At the fair, posters in the tent's place explained its original purpose and read "Consent Tent: rest in peace."
"The consent tent was not approved based on liability concerns," was the official statement from the administration.
The "consent tent" activity would have involved a couple signing an agreement that each is 18 or older and consents to do something inside the tent for 90 seconds. Victoria Pickering said the idea was to show people what a tangible process consent is, especially with sexual assault at an all-time high.
Mel Tyler, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs, approached Feminists United last week after the administration received complaints from students, faculty, staff and community members.
The student group was asked to stop selling chocolates in the mold of a vagina for Valentine's Day; also, Tyler said the consent tent activity planned for the sex fair was on hold until administrators heard back from UM legal counsel regarding possible liability issues.
By Feb. 15, Feminists United could again sell the chocolates - which were a fundraiser for the sex fair - but the consent tent was not approved. Tyler talked with Feminists United and explained that based on liability concerns the consent tent was not an option.
"Legal Counsel said there was no way we could do it," said Pickering. "We were told that we could not have it."
Feminists United did not receive a written explanation regarding the liabilities of having the consent tent.
"In that short amount of time it's not really logical for legal counsel to get us a write-up on why we couldn't have the tent," Pickering said.
She said the event was successful despite the tent's absence, and that the buzz over the consent tent probably helped publicize the fair.
"It did have an effect, but at the same time the fair was fantastic. I think it was a huge success. Despite the controversy, I'm really happy with the way things turned out. We were still able to talk about consent and send the message we were trying to say. We just had to do it in a new way," said Pickering.
She said over 600 people attended the sex fair, which featured sex toys, workshops with local sex educators, and information on the proper use of condoms.
For more coverage of the sex fair, see this week's culture section.
eiorg@unews.com
"The consent tent was not approved based on liability concerns," was the official statement from the administration.
The "consent tent" activity would have involved a couple signing an agreement that each is 18 or older and consents to do something inside the tent for 90 seconds. Victoria Pickering said the idea was to show people what a tangible process consent is, especially with sexual assault at an all-time high.
Mel Tyler, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs, approached Feminists United last week after the administration received complaints from students, faculty, staff and community members.
The student group was asked to stop selling chocolates in the mold of a vagina for Valentine's Day; also, Tyler said the consent tent activity planned for the sex fair was on hold until administrators heard back from UM legal counsel regarding possible liability issues.
By Feb. 15, Feminists United could again sell the chocolates - which were a fundraiser for the sex fair - but the consent tent was not approved. Tyler talked with Feminists United and explained that based on liability concerns the consent tent was not an option.
"Legal Counsel said there was no way we could do it," said Pickering. "We were told that we could not have it."
Feminists United did not receive a written explanation regarding the liabilities of having the consent tent.
"In that short amount of time it's not really logical for legal counsel to get us a write-up on why we couldn't have the tent," Pickering said.
She said the event was successful despite the tent's absence, and that the buzz over the consent tent probably helped publicize the fair.
"It did have an effect, but at the same time the fair was fantastic. I think it was a huge success. Despite the controversy, I'm really happy with the way things turned out. We were still able to talk about consent and send the message we were trying to say. We just had to do it in a new way," said Pickering.
She said over 600 people attended the sex fair, which featured sex toys, workshops with local sex educators, and information on the proper use of condoms.
For more coverage of the sex fair, see this week's culture section.
eiorg@unews.com
