The LSU Student Health Center put shame around safe sex in the grave on Friday by offering tips and resources to students.
Amid a lively Free Speech Alley, the center gave students quick facts about how to stay safe this Halloween. Students were also able to walk away with a personalized condom bouquet.
“If people are going out to have fun, we want to make sure they can do it safely,” said Jasmine Garrison, a graduate assistant at the center.
Flyers with resources and information were displayed on the table along with supplies such as condoms and lubricant. The center also provided internal condoms, which Garrison said can be self-inserted and has a barrier on the inside and outside.
Garrison said this can be a comfort to many since they wouldn’t have to worry about if their partner has a condom or whether they took the condom off during sex.
Students were also offered Blow Pops and pins with positive messages on them such as ‘All bodies are Boo-tiful’ and ‘Sex can wait. Masturbate!’
The center gave out “sex packs” which included a consent card using the acronym, FRIES, which states consent should be freely given, reversable, informed, enthusiastic and specific.
Garrison said it is important to always make sure consent is given and received in the proper way. She said it should always be an enthusiastic ‘Yes,’ and if there is any hesitation to slow down and talk about it first.
As students approached the table, Garrison pointed them to the two main infographics highlighting sexually transmitted infections and different barrier methods.
One chart showed what diseases are classified as STIs — herpes, syphilis and HIV– and which are not, such as yeast infections. It also informed students which of the diseases were curable.
The other chart clarified if a device was a barrier method and if it was protective. Garrison said condoms are a protective barrier method along with dental dams, a thin sheet of latex used during oral sex.
An example of a non-barrier method is an intrauterine device, or an IUD, which Garrison said only protects against having children but not from STIs. Lubricant is not considered a barrier method. However, Garrison said it can reduce risk of blood-borne STIs by preventing tearing.
“It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship you’re in, just make sure to use some kind of protectant,” Garrison said.
For Shannon Thross, a music freshman, the event gave her a sweet treat and new knowledge. Thross said she likes to stop by the tables when she passes through Free Speech Alley.
She said she learned about dental dams and discovered non-latex condoms. She said she did not know they existed beforehand.
After learning, students were offered to make a condom bouquet. This included three condoms of their choice and two Blow Pops tied together with a ribbon.
Students got to choose from a selection of regular, non-latex or Magnum condoms that were taped together on a popsicle stick.
Multiple students walked up in costume, including Jazmin Domingue who was dressed as Judy Hopps from the movie, “Zootopia.” For Domingue, a pre-veterinarian medicine senior, the bouquet making was just for fun.
“I actually have not had sex yet, so I just masturbate like the pin says,” Domingue said.
Domingue said she has been to other Student Health Center events and thought it looked interesting. She said she plans to give the bouquet to her friends to use.
Even though the event is over, students are still able to find resources they need. Garrison said anyone can come to the Student Health Center and grab safe sex materials with no questions asked.
She said she knows a lot of people are victimized during this time so it is important to go out with a group. Garrison pointed out the LSU Lighthouse Program, which is a part of the center that helps student-survivors of sexual assault.
“If you ever feel unsafe, there’s a lot of resources on campus and around Baton Rouge,” Garrison said.
