As a newspaper, we are thrilled that Student Love, or our “sex issue,” is so well-received on campus. We love the creativity and humor that comes along with it, from the naked club photos to scandalous sex stories. The fun and silliness of Student Love are undoubtedly part of the issue’s purpose, but they are not its primary focus.

Student Love is made to spark conversations about sex beyond the articles. We hope to make space for conversations about all of the joys and complexities of sex and relationships, including the serious ones.

The more we talk about sex and relationships, the more vocabulary and understanding we build around our own sexual experiences, preferences, and current or future relationships. We often only talk about sex in a binary — either centering sex positivity or sexual violence — dismissing the nuances of sex and relationships. Even these two phrases come with their own ambiguity.

Talking about sex and relationships is not easy for many people; we each grew up with various levels of comfort and education about these topics. The ambiguity of labels like “hookup,” “situationship,” or “exclusive” can make it hard to define sexual and romantic relationships and boundaries, especially for those who have less knowledge about sex. Moving beyond these labels through conversations about our feelings and experiences helps us define what we need for a healthy and enjoyable relationship.

Society pushes a narrative that sexual violence is a black-and-white situation, when in reality, most people’s experiences are the gray in between. Talking and listening in both serious and more lighthearted discussions about sex supports survivors in processing and sharing their experiences. In these conversations, we validate and learn about our own and others’ boundaries, preventing future sexual violence.

It is not only our responsibility to normalize conversations about sex and relationships, but also the WashU administration’s to facilitate these conversations for students. Our campus has strong resources for sexual violence survivors, including the RSVP Center and the S.A.R.A.H. hotline. Still, current sexual health programming, including The Date and Beyond Sex Ed, has received criticisms from many students, including survivors, for presenting limited visions of what sexual violence is and how it can be avoided.

WashU should strengthen these programs by consulting student survivors and the greater student body, but educational programs still cannot cover every sexual encounter or experience. These limitations make it all the more important for students with diverse viewpoints and experiences to discuss sex. While we hope students will facilitate these conversations on their own, the University should also integrate time for discussion into its programming.

Student Love is grounded in the importance of open and honest sexual conversations. When sex is a taboo subject, we foreclose necessary dialogue about the complexity of sex and romance, including its potential for joy, pleasure, or harm. Sexual violence is exacerbated when people lack comprehensive understandings of sexual health and communication and when survivors do not feel comfortable or validated in talking about their experiences.

Our sex issue is the first step towards opening these conversations, and now it is up to you to continue them.  

Staff editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of our editorial board members. The editorial board operates independently of our newsroom and includes members of the senior staff.

Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor

Sylvie Richards | Managing Forum Editor

River Alsalihi | Senior Forum Editor

Lyn Wilkins | Junior Forum Editor

David Ciorba | Senior Forum Editor

Amelia Raden | Senior Forum Editor

Kate Theerman Rodriguez | Senior Forum Editor

Sydney Tran | Editor-in-Chief

Riley Herron | Editor-in-Chief

Mason Sutton | Special Issues Editor

Mac Motz | Photo Editor

Ella Giere | Photo Editor

Isabella Diaz-Mira | Photo Editor

Will Rosenblum | Managing Scene Editor

Elizabeth Grieve | Senior Scene Editor

Hannah La Porte | Junior Scene Editor

Sophie Schwartz | Senior Scene Editor

Laurel Wang | Senior Scene Editor

Sophia Hellman  | Senior Scene Editor

Bea Augustine | Managing Design Editor

Matt Eisner | Managing Sports Editor

Anna  Crook | Junior Sports Editor

Ian Heft | Senior Sports Editor

The Sexual Assault and Rape Anonymous Helpline (SARAH) provides confidential and anonymous support and can be reached at 314-935-8080 from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m during the fall and spring academic semesters.

There are counselors at the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention (RSVP) Center, located in Seigle Hall, Suite 435, available confidentially to any University student. The office can be reached at 314-935-3445 or by email at [email protected].

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 or via online chat at https://hotline.rainn.org/online 24/7.