Monday, December 2Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Tag: Sex

Too Little Too Late?
Opinion

Too Little Too Late?

The Students' Union's campaign, Let’s Talk About Sex, replaced the much loved Sexual Health Advice and Guidance (SHAG) Week that we have seen run previously. Vice President Welfare and Diversity, Willow Wong’s, new initiative was meant to make our sexual awareness weeks more inclusive of all orientations on our campus. Whilst the week was certainly more applicable to a wider range of sexual preferences, it failed to adequately deal with the elephant in the room – our closed sexual health clinic. In the summer of last year, our sexual health clinic closed due to a restructuring and privatisation of the branch of the NHS that served our campus. Subsequently, students requiring STI and HIV testing or post assault support now must travel miles off campus for such services. The college have ...
Three Girls. Two Bottles of Wine. One Candid Conversation.
Lifestyle

Three Girls. Two Bottles of Wine. One Candid Conversation.

                        Ever wondered what three drunk girls have to say about sex, love and relationships? No, us neither. But we did it anyway for your amusement.  Presenting: The Orbital Guide to Looser Sex and February Frolicking. On one night stands: E - I enjoy a good one night stand but nothing beats familiar sex. T - I have never had one but with my dry spell I will take a one stop shop anytime. B - I’ve only ever had one and I ended up kicking him out because it was boring. On sex with parents around: E - For the love of god lock the door. T - Minimal movement positions are key here, think lazy morning sex. B - Just don’t do it. On sex in a single bed: ...
ROHOROSCOPES: The Sex Edition
Lifestyle

ROHOROSCOPES: The Sex Edition

Aquarius 20 January  - 18 February Sidesaddle: Save a horse, ride a cowboy.  Aquariuses are original and not above breaking a rule or two. So, break the common rule of sitting sex by riding sidesaddle instead. Use this position to get easy access to their front and their back, with a great view to keep you going too. Pisces 19 February - 20 March Spooning Sex: A Pisces is usually tired, both physically and emotionally. Having sex while spooning is more intimate than usual and can give the gentle Pisces good but loving stimulation. Plus, it’s a good chance to stimulate other more neglected areas - see breasts. Aries 21 March - 19 April Reverse Cowgirl: An Aries would be a good army general: they like calling the shots. Sitting on top and having your partner ‘at your ...
Lifestyle

Afternoon Delight, anyone?

Elizabeth Rosenberg discusses a method that will relieve all of your stress.   When you tell someone you’re stressed, here’s what your housemate/family/the internet will tell you to do: go for a walk, meditate, eat a pizza, change your perspective, have a cuppa (or a pint), do some yoga, learn better coping strategies. Being in my third year, I have tried most of these and let me tell you – you won’t want to exercise, instead you will want to wallow in your bed; the pizza will make you feel bloated so you’ll feel fat and stressed; the “learn better coping strategies” plan (albeit completely correct) isn’t really a short term fix. Luckily, I’ve come up with a stress relief tactic that works nearly 100% of the time and means 1. You won’t have to leave your bedroom. 2. It makes ...
The Decriminalisation of Sex Workers
Lifestyle

The Decriminalisation of Sex Workers

Catherine Stephens, an activist with the International Union of Sex Workers is also a member of the GMB trades union’s branch for people who work in the sex industry. She loves her job and came to tell Royal Holloway students why the stigma around what she does should be diminished, as part of the SU’s SHAG week. However, I question if Stephens has really grasped the enormities of what she does and advocates. One in twenty students go into sex work in the UK to pay for fees, and being close to London we are in proximity of the diversity and mass policing that such an industry involves. Since 1999 it has been estimated that there are 80,000 people in the UK working in the sex industry. Stephens argues that the government’s definition of what constitutes sex work is too broad and contends...
Harvard University bans sexual relations between students and teachers
News

Harvard University bans sexual relations between students and teachers

Harvard University have banned sexual relations between students and their teachers. This new policy covers sexual or romantic relations between academics and students even with no teaching link between them. Harvard have finally followed the suit of other universities in America, where 94 universities in the country are under investigation for sexual assault policy. A spokesperson for the university outlined that the existing policies "on relationships of unequal status did not explicitly reflect the faculty’s expectations of what constituted an appropriate relationship between undergraduate students and faculty members". Yale University released their ban in 2010; since they have seen several faculties disciplined already. The University of Connecticut believes that their ban prohibit...
60% of University Students Use Porn To Improve Sex Knowledge
News

60% of University Students Use Porn To Improve Sex Knowledge

A recent survey of more than 2500 students found that more than 60% of university students have used porn to attempt to fill in the gaps in their knowledge about sex and two thirds of students reported that they received no information about consent in their sex and relationship (SRE) lessons at school. The National Union of Students is calling for adequate SRE lessons to be a legal requirement, suggesting that the current provision is 'failing millions'. The survey, conducted by the NUS, also revealed that current sex education in school almost completely ignores LGBT relationships in its curriculum. Of the 60% of the students who attempted to improve their knowledge of sex through porn, 75% admitted it gave them unrealistic expectations. Damian, a first year psychology student at R...