Dear Editor-
The AU Threesome's new sex column, "Sex-perimentation," is cause for concern. First, it vividly describes a scene in which a female student is engaged in painful intercourse in a "drunken haze." However, if she is too drunk to remember the events of a party, she is probably unable to consent to sex. This is called rape. The Office of Campus Life has sexual assault resources available at www.american.edu/sexualassault, and the DC Rape Crisis center can be reached 24/7 at (202) 333-7273.
Not only does the column normalize sexual assault as a drunken hook-up that happens to everyone, but it places the responsibility of stopping sexual assault on women by telling them to "slow the guy down." Better advice would be that students are responsible for their own conduct, and must respect their partner's boundaries and wishes. Finally, the column condemns sexually active heterosexual women and, although reminding readers they can get condoms (and, I'll add, dental dams) from the GLBTA Resource center, it completely ignores the LGBT community at AU.
I look forward to reading future columns, and I have faith that they will not make light of issues of sexual assault and will be truly sex positive.
Sarah Brown Director of Women's Initiative, AU Student Government
