In case you missed it: Indiana U defends, then cancels, 'Sex Fest' featuring BDSM demos, 'kink' and 'sex toys'

UPDATE: IU announced after publication of this article that it canceled the final day of its “Sex Fest.”

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New video and photos out of Indiana University show an individual being publicly whipped as part of a university-sponsored “sex fest.”

The Indiana University Health Center’s three-day 4th annual sex fest includes booths showcasing various sex toys and flogging mechanisms, complete with diagrams showing students how to use them. Some of the exhibits include free cupcakes and contraceptives, as well as free HIV testing, according to the Indiana Daily Student. Attendees also receive t-shirts that say “I love sex.”

On Tuesday, Debbie Herbenick hosted Lexx Brown James, a licensed marriage and family therapist, on a panel titled “Kick-off to Kink.”

Wednesday’s events included a “Kink Workshop” and educational booths demonstrating the “safe use of different sex toys.” Students were also invited to a workshop on “contract development and boundaries.” 

Student congressman Matt Ahmann (@realMattAhmann) tweeted a video of part of the event, which included a man whipping a woman while she was tied up. Ahmann shared the video with Campus Reform. 

Campus Reform obtained exclusive photos of other parts of the event from Wednesday night, showing tables at the event full of whips, paddles dildos, and other sexual objects.  One table contained a flyer that listed different types of “nipple toys” which included a “clothespin,” “nipple pump,” “nipple lasso,” “magnetic clamp,” “adjustable clamp,” “clover clamp,” “nipple tweezer,” and “hand.”

Another flyer asked attendees to “circle things you know you want” and to “cross out things you know you don’t want.” 

Among the options to either circle or cross out in the “bondage” category were “rope,” “leather/cuffs,” “cages,” “collar/lead.” In the “sensation play” category, “electricity,” “hair pulling,” “scratching,” “mind fucks,” and “exhibitionism” were among the options. 

One category inquired about “marks,” giving participants the option of “none,” “for the day,” “for the week,” or “for the year.” 

[RELATED: Scholar: ‘Kinky people’ should be a protected class]

On Thursday, the university is hosting a panel about the “personal stories of people who practice BDSM.”

The event is sponsored by the student-run Sexual Health Advocacy Group, the Community Capacity for Prevention and Education, the Residence Hall Association and the IU Health Center.

“One of the topics most requested by students was how to practice BDSM safety,” Indiana University spokesperson Chuck Carney told Campus Reform. “Our public health researchers have found some evidence to suggest that people are engaging in a broader range of sexual activities and as a result, it is the IU Health Center’s mission to make sure they practice it safely, following the BDSM community’s principal tenets of ‘safe, sane, and consensual.’”

[RELATED: Wash. U. students learn about kink, make crafts from contraceptives at Sex Week]

Students who attend this event will be required to sign a BDSM Safety Panel Contract where they will agree to not use any recording devices, maintain the confidentiality of the panelists, and to be respectful of all participants.

The event is being funded by the university, according to Mr. Carney. “...the money comes largely from grants and research funding, but also two student organizations.”

Indiana University student congressman Matt Ahmann found the event objectionable, telling Campus Reform, “I find it very disappointing the Indiana University is sponsoring such a weird event.”

”I’m beyond disgusted that this a university-sponsored event...” he wrote in a tweet, adding that UI “is morally bankrupting my generation.”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @realblairnelson