The conversation about people with disabilities and sex is rarely had. Many people think of people with disabilities as asexual or uninterested in sex, but the reality is that even though a person may have a visual disability, they are just as curious and needy as any other human would be. Often, wheelchair users will need assistance when it comes to sexual acts because their disability hinders them to move as freely as non-wheelchair users.
Read MoreG-Spot: The down-low on going down
Fellatio, cunnilingus, going down––the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior has collected data that shows that more than half of women from the ages of 18-39 had given or received oral sex in the 90 days prior to the survey. More than half of men aged 18-39 had also received and given oral sex in the 90 days previous to the survey.
Read MoreVolunteers organize Rochester Children’s Book Festival
I attended the 18th annual Rochester Children’s Book Festival at Monroe Community College on Saturday Nov. 15. There were about 50 children’s authors and illustrators there–– mostly from the Greater Rochester area––including Fancy Nancy series author Jane O’Connor. About 4,000 people showed up this year, which, according to festival coordinator and children’s author Elizabeth Falk, is usually how many people attend the festival, Falk is also a wonderful and loving professor in Geneseo’s own Ella Shear Cline School of Education who teaches CURR 313: Classroom Reading and Literature Programs and SPED 234: Instructional Strategies and Inquiry in Special Education. Falk has been involved in the festival since 2006 when her first book came out and started coordinating the festival in 2008 with children’s author Kathleen Blasi.
When I found out about the opportunity to volunteer at the festival, I was so excited. I love working with kids and was able to meet authors that I have known since I was a child. I walked in to the room at MCC and was overwhelmed with joy. There were dozens of tables with even more books on each table. The ballroom was so colorful and inviting––a perfect place for any kid and their enthusiastic parents.
I was lucky enough to be assigned to volunteer in the “Busy Bookworm” room, which was a room for crafts, crafts and more crafts. I chose to be at the table with Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow, making monkeys out of Popsicle sticks and a bed out of different colored card-stock. The looks on the kids’ faces were priceless––the joy that they felt from just making a few crafts was truly incredible. I must have made at least 300 monkeys with 75 kids.
Other students from Geneseo’s School of Education in the “Busy Bookworm” room were assigned to do crafts such as face painting, making pirate hats, glitter balloons and other book-related arts. Some volunteers were assigned to be an author’s personal assistant.
“Being able to give kids the opportunity to meet and chat with their favorite authors is just magical,” Falk said. “When their faces light up after meeting an author who has written a book that they love, it makes all the hard work pay off.”
Falk does not get any financial compensation for being the coordinator of the festival; she does it because she is passionate about making children happy. She donates her time for a whole year to put the festival together. In fact, none of the workers or volunteers are paid and Monroe Community College actually donates their space every year for the event. The place is filled with people who truly love and are inspired by children, which makes it all the more special.
Every year, Falk and Blasi say, “This is our last year doing this,” but every year, they decide that the happiness of the kids is more important than anything else they would be doing with their time.
In my eyes, there are very few things more important than teaching kids to be excited about reading, writing and self-expression. I will definitely be volunteering again next year and anyone who has the same passion for children should definitely consider it as well.
G-Spot: The Lamron staff debates anal sex
We’ve all thought about butt stuff at one point or another. Maybe you like it, maybe you hate it, but everyone has an opinion on the matter. No one is “indifferent” about anal sex. According to Kinsey Confidential, only about 10 percent of heterosexual couples have had anal sex in the past year. So why do people feel so pressured to perform anal? To me, butt sex is something strange and mysterious. The best way I can describe my fears is by relating it to a champagne bottle––the penis being the cork and the bottle being the anus. The champagne is, well, feces. There is so much pressure built up and when you open a bottle of champagne, or take your penis out of the anus … well I’m sure you can imagine. There is also the chance that your anus can prolapse if the sex is too rough.
My boyfriend has three reasons why he wants to have anal sex. He said, “I hear from my friends and other ‘non-credible’ sources about how totally dope and great it feels.” Then he goes into his second reason: being that anal is a fairly taboo topic, it makes it dirtier and more mysterious. He therefore has more of a desire to obtain and explore the option. His third reason is simply because he wants to be able to say he has had anal sex.
Members of The Lamron staff shared their feelings as well. The girls mostly agreed that anal sex is something that doesn’t need to be done. The general sentiment was: You’re so close to a perfectly good vagina. It’s right there. Just use that.
“For some reason, in heterosexual relationships, guys seem to be obsessed with trying anal sex,” said arts & entertainment editor junior Allyson Pereyra.
The boys had other ideas. “I believe Robert Frost was talking about anal sex when he wrote, ‘Two roads diverged in a wood and I––I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference,’” managing editor junior Kevin Frankel said. “Just have fun and be safe with it.”
“Much of the stigma surrounding anal sex stems from the fetishization of women as objects that can be exposed, used and treated however their male partner wishes,” associate photo editor senior Sean Russell explained. “Personally, I think it comes down to individual preference and responsibility.”
Sports editor junior Taylor Frank added, “For me, anal sex seems like something to knock off a sexual bucket list. The issues that come up with butt stuff far outweigh the guarantee of no pregnancy.”
Staff photographer senior Kenneth Santos shared a more existential point of view. “Who cares where you put your dick, we’re all going to die anyway,” he said. “Anal sex is just a social construct. It’s all just sex.”
Anal sex is definitely something to be talked about with your partner, heterosexual or otherwise. I suggest talking through the act before just diving into something that you think is an expectation from your partner. Much like having vaginal sex for the first time, it is special and different.
The Inquiring Photographer: "How tall is your dad?"
"How tall is your dad?"
Gannon Andrews
Junior
Business administration
“6-foot-1. That’s an educated guess. I know he’s taller than me and I’m 5-foot-11.”
Leah Collazo
Sophomore
Communication
“6-foot-3.”
Jeremey Kreps
Senior
Political science
“6-foot.”
Vanessa Ngai
Junior
Business administration
“5-foot-7, he’s short for a dad.”
Long Distance Relationships: Getting in touch with yourself
Being miles away from your significant other during college years can be a truly agonizing experience. Whether you’re studying abroad for a semester or you’re at a different university than your boyfriend/girlfriend, the miles aren’t what matter––it’s the physical and emotional distance. So what do you do? Do you give up your relationship for a one-night stand with someone you met at The Statesmen or do you just enjoy the time with yourself? According to research from the June 2013 Journal of Communication, up to 75 percent of college students have engaged in a long-distance relationship at some point. That means that up to 75 percent of students have possibly been masturbating in lieu of not having their significant other around.
The longing for physical connectedness when you know you are already committed to another person can be very tricky, especially when masturbation is a “hush-hush” topic. Sexuality educator Charlie Glickman expressed that masturbation “lets you take control of your satisfaction,” and “it also gives you room to try new things without stressing about a partner’s expectations.”
Masturbation is a known stress-reliever as well as a natural sleeping pill. So when you’re pleasuring yourself, you’re actually doing something good for your body, not to mention your mind.
You may ask yourself, “How will I ever feel the same sensation without another person?” First off, you have to get yourself into the right mind set. A good place to start is to put on some mood music––try John Mayer’s “Your Body Is a Wonderland” or maybe even some Beethoven; whatever turns you on. You can also make yourself feel sexy by putting on your favorite pair of undergarments and lighting some candles. As Aziz Ansari would say, “Treat yo self.”
Remember that touching yourself is all about you and gives you the freedom of not having to worry about pleasuring your partner. With that being said, imagine a seductive scene with whatever and whomever your fantasy involves. Let the scene fully develop. I remind you again, no one is watching or reading your mind—this is all for you. If pornography aids you in this journey of finding a sexy fantasy, feel free. Sex actors are paid for a reason.
Massage yourself in places you normally wouldn’t. Foreplay is just as important while touching yourself as it is when you are about to “do the dirty.” Don’t just stay in one position either. How often during sex do you change positions? Variety is key. Oftentimes, women will stop masturbating before they have reached a climax because of the monotony of the action.
So when you find yourself alone at home or in a dorm room, use that time to get in touch with your inner sexpot. If you can’t turn yourself on, who can? And if you don’t know what makes you go crazy, how is anyone else supposed to find out? Get creative with it. Take a night to stay in instead of going to that party where that cute guy or girl that sometimes flirts with you is going to be. The mistake of sleeping with someone that is not your significant other can ruin your long-distance trust and relationship.