by Anneliese Hucal

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Anneliese and I am a storyteller. I specifically like to tell stories about sexuality, which is both the lifeblood and the bane of my existence.

People are rather funny about sex. While it touches all lives in some way (I mean, that is where we all come from, right?), most people will turn red when it’s mentioned in conversation.

It’s OK for distant figures in television and music to be sexual, but someone within our own sphere of existence must never talk about it.

In school, we are taught about that girl that got syphilis or the guy who was drunk at a party and raped someone, but we never allow our examples to have humanity because we are protecting ourselves from the truth: people of all ages, orientations, races, religions, disabilities and body types are getting it on.

The problem is that people have a tendency to think in an “us” versus “them” kind of way. People discriminate without truly understanding the context in which things are presented.

This is all rooted in a need for control and comfort. The question seems to
be, “How much control of the world around me do I need to have in order to be comfortable?”

If telling someone that they can’t take a hearty look at a piece of newsprint that you find to be “too pornographic” is what you need to feel comfortable and in control, you might need to loosen up. While I respect the effort

to determine what is and isn’t in the best interest of students in regard to this publication, I would also point out that disregarding the need for a sexual dialogue among students is unhealthy if not entirely disrespectful to their maturity. Like it or not, our campus is crawling with wild things.

You can witness remnants of sexual exploits and plans everywhere you look: the smeared makeup, the condom wrappers, the steamy handprints on the walls of the elevator during finals week. Hell, I’ve even walked in on (and taken part in) a few bathroom hookups at everyone’s favorite student bar.

I write these “terrible” columns because our students do not want scientific explanations or graphs and charts about sex, but relatable real life experiences. These pieces are popular among the students because they allow them to find sexual commonalities and seek help without facing judgment.

While my own way of telling the tale of getting tail is only one aspect of the human sexuality puzzle, it does get students talking, which is the point
of my writing. Facilitating a healthy dialogue about the human sexual experience is my main goal and much of it must be done through collaboration.

Telling me “you’re doing it wrong,” or “your articles are wildly inappropriate,” is easy, but shaming one of the few outlets for an open and honest sex talk for the students of our university simply avoids an important, relevant issue. Well fine, show me how it should be done. If you can think of a more effective way of sexual communication than what I have presented in these columns, come talk to me. I’ll be waiting.

Anneliese Hucal studies public relations and prelaw. She can be reached at dcoffey@unr.edu.