The LSU Library in conjunction with the LSU Student Health Center had their yearly Sex-tember Trivia Night on Sept. 19..
The room was packed full of students, filling in the first floor of the library only a minute after the event started. Swaths of groups came to participate and challenge their knowledge, with only the earliest getting their shot to compete.
Friends, partners and strangers alike sat at different tables preparing to compete with other tables for goodie bags and gold crowns. Sandwiches and Jeremiah’s Italian Ice were handed out to attendees while everyone found their groups.
Though the event hit capacity quickly, students passing through were welcomed to the resources offered by the Health Center. One of the more utilized offerings was the “condom buffet,” full of condoms and other kinds of contraception. Informative flyers and booklets were also given out discussing the Health Center and safe sex practices.
The Trivia highlighted the topics of consent, safe sex and relationships, all while engaging attendees with its lighthearted presentation.
Challenging people’s knowledge, giving out resources and providing important information about sex and relationships were the focus of the night. Carli Dilorenzo, a wellness coordinator with the Health Center, was running the show.
“Sexual health is very important for students, and it’s something I am super passionate about for the students to learn, but also in a fun way,” Dilorenzo said. “You guys are in lectures all day, every day, so we really wanted to do an event where you can learn and have fun.”
Levels of sexual education vary greatly across the country, as different states, local governments and high schools all set their own standards for educating their students. It’s a divide that events like Sex-tember Trivia are trying to bridge.
“A lot of students when they come here, it’s their first time away from home, and we don’t know what kind of sex education they have been given. We don’t know if they have access to resources, so we wanted to have a place for them to get resources. Instead of coming to the Student Health Center, we bring it to them,” Dilorenzo said. Her goal was that everybody left with one new fact
Different games during the night included guessing “green flags and red flags” in a relationship and Dilorenzo’s favorite: “Guess that Contraceptive!” Inspired by clips of the tv show “Pokémon,” she created a line of questions where students had to guess the contraceptive based on its silhouette.
Available throughout the night and on the way out were the informative flyers.
One side of the flyer had the phrase, “I love fries,” with the explanation of the abbreviation: “Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific.” All the parts that come with giving sexual consent.
The other focused on how to stay safe from sexually transmitted infections, and how people can protect themselves from contracting diseases and getting pregnant. Coincidently, Baton Rouge Metro Health was on campus offering free STI testing.
According to a 2021 study by the CDC, Louisiana is ranked 3rd in gonorrhea, primary and secondary syphilis and chlamydia cases, and 11th in congenital syphilis cases.
There were also cards for the Lighthouse Program at LSU. The card talked about tips for “Navigating the Red Zone,” a time near the beginning of the fall semester on college campuses when sexual assaults are most likely to happen.
The library holds the sex-trivia event every year, with the same goal of reminding students about safe sex, all while having fun.
“Sexual health, most people don’t think of it when it comes to their wellbeing. [Sexual health] is absolutely a part of [wellness]. It does not need to be stigmatized,” Dilorenzo said. “It’s okay to talk about it. The more we talk about it, the better access to resources people are going to have.”
