Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Dan Savage, syndicated sex columnist and radio host, holds cards collected from audience at Woodruff Auditorium of Kansas Union Tuesday evening. Savage answered the questions about sex issues on the cards.
The only question he wouldn’t answer was about his kinkiest sex hobby.
Dan Savage, a sex columnist and radio talk show host, spoke in a nearly full Woodruff Auditorium about sex, love and anal beads for Pride Week.
“I come here and talk about politics, and you want to talk about three-ways and anal beads,” Savage said. “You knew what you wanted to ask before I even got to Kansas.”
Savage kept the audience rolling throughout the evening with a question-and-answer session about sex and sexuality.
He first compared sex education in U.S. schools to driver’s ed.
“They taught you all about how internal combustion works; they did not teach you how to drive,” Savage said. “If I drove after that, I think the first thing I would do is kill somebody.”
After the laughter died down, Savage approached the issue seriously. Savage said sex education wasn’t teaching people what they needed to know, like what consent really was. As a columnist, Savage said he got never-ending letters from readers asking things that they should know but don’t because sex education doesn’t talk about real sexual issues or interests.
The sex columnist came to Lawrence not only to support Pride Week as a publicly gay male for 27 years, but to advocate pride for all sexual lifestyles.
“We need a straight pride parade,” Savage said. “We problematize heterosexuality. It’s lacking in our culture.”
Savage said in any relationship there must be open communication about sex to maintain healthy bonds.
The audience laughed most of the evening as Savage answered question after question about three-ways, how to effectively use anal beads, and the Grafenburg Spot, or G-spot.
pullquote
I’ve been reading Dan Savage’s column in The Pitch for three years religiously. He’s hilarious and brilliant and intelligent.
-Emily Battenberg, Shawnee freshman
Emily Battenberg, Shawnee freshman, said she thoroughly enjoyed Savage.
“I’ve been reading Dan Savage’s column in The Pitch for three years religiously,” Battenberg said. “He’s hilarious and brilliant and intelligent.”
Hank Dawson, a freshman at Baker University, traveled from Baldwin City to see Savage. Dawson said he read the column with his mom, and that Savage was fantastic in person.
Jonathan Pryor, Columbus senior and president of Queers and Allies, said he was also pleased that Savage could come to Lawrence for Pride Week.
“He has a pretty good following here,” Pryor said. “People recognize him, both gay and straight, which I thought was important because Pride Week isn’t just about LGBT people, it’s for our allies too.”
Savage closed out the evening by quoting Queen Elizabeth II by saying, “Grief is the price we pay for love.” Savage said everyone should understand and celebrate his or her sexuality instead of making it taboo.
His final advice for the night went to a 27-year-old single male, wanting to know what he should do. Savage gave him one simple answer.
“Date.”
Kansan staff writer Katy Blair can be contacted at kblair@kansan.com.
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Comments
Savage speaks as part of Pride Week
The LGBT community wants us to think they don't engage in promiscuity, then they bring in a guy like Savage. Hmm.
Savage speaks as part of Pride Week
"The LGBT community wants us to think they don't engage in promiscuity, then they bring in a guy like Savage."
Maybe you should do a little research into Mr. Savage before you try to draw conclusions about the LGBT community. Idiot.
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