Northwestern Sex Toy Demo: Univ. kids get explicit lesson in human sexuality

By: Barry Leibowitz
Topics: Daily Blotter

(Credit: WBBM)

(CBS/WBBM) EVANSTON, Ill. - A recent gathering of a human sexuality class at Northwestern University wasn't merely academic - it was hands on.

More than 100 students at the suburban Chicago school watched as a naked woman was penetrated by a sex toy during an optional after-class session, according to CBS station WBBM.

Northwestern is defending the class, and the professor.

The Feb. 21 demo was part of the popular (really!) class taught by Prof. John Michael Bailey, the Sun-Times is reporting. More than 600 students take the class, which the course description says "will treat human sexuality as a subject for scientific inquiry," reports WBBM.

The woman involved in the demonstration was not a student, according to the Daily Northwestern, the school's student newspaper.

"Her boyfriend did the penetration on her," said Ken Melvoin-Berg, who narrated during the class. He operates the "Weird Chicago Red Light District Sex Tour," the station reported.

In an email, Northwestern defended the class and its professor.

"Northwestern University faculty members engage in teaching and research on a wide variety of topics, some of them controversial and at the leading edge of their respective disciplines," said spokesman Alan Cubbage. "The University supports the efforts of its faculty to further the advancement of knowledge."

Who says college students don't get their money's worth?

Bill Yarber, a researcher at Indiana University's Kinsey Institute and author of the widely used textbook "Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America," said he's never heard of a naked woman being brought to orgasm in front of a class of students.

"There's certain boundaries of things, I think, that are acceptable and that would certainly be pushing that," he said, according to WBBM.

The Daily Northwestern quoted Prof. Bailey saying, "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but watching naked people on stage doing pleasurable things will never hurt you."

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by rnr3861 March 10, 2011 4:28 PM EST: This should not have been allowed. Being a college professor there are other ways of getting your point across with out a live sex show. This has nothing to do with being closed minded about sexuality. It has everything to do with morals.; Reply to this comment


by JFoto March 6, 2011 8:27 PM EST: I think there could be an entire class based solely on the coverage of this event. It has really shown how close-minded people can be, and how afraid this country is of sexuality.
The vast majorities of prime-time television show large amounts of violence, some extremely graphic. These shows are approved for a TV-14 crowd, which is anyone over 14. They are, for the most part, not educational. As a matter of fact, the most graphic shows (such as CSI) use complete inaccuracies (fake forensics) that many viewers take as true. This is all accepted.
The opposite is true when it comes to the general view on sexuality and the naked body. There has been scandal because a 16 year old showed too much skin - her naked back above the waste. Don't forget the 1/2 second of nipple at the Superbowl. These offend because of the false pretense that nudity=sexuality. That's how messed up people are. Just because someone's naked doesn't mean they want to have sex. That would imply that everyone in a bikini wanted some heavy petting, and those in shorts and a t-shirt just want to make out a little. And now, the view is so narrow that highly intelligent adults (all over 18 at a prestigious university) are perceived as not trustworthy enough to make their own decisions and think for themselves.
Sexuality is a wonderful, natural thing. People who explore and who are open to it are far from deviant, they are being true to their human nature. They are being the people they truly are. They are not a bunch of sex offenders and perverts. They engage in consensual activities with other adults. Many studies have actually shown that a person who denies themselves and who remains conflicted about who they are, is far more likely to be a sex offender. For example, it's not openly gay teachers I read about molesting kids almost every week.
This has all also shown how the media has strayed so far from it's duty to inform, and wandered into skewing stories the way the want regardless of the truth. Facts have become an inconvenience to news, as opposed to the primary tools of the trade. Sensationalism has taken over, and none of the networks or papers seam to care about the real story anymore. I have read so many differing tellings of the event, that I am almost under the impression that these articles are talking about different events. Many of the reporters have been unbelievably disrespectful to the truth and, in turn, those involved.
The media is constantly trying to pretend they are against censorship, but they are just as guilty of it as the more blatant offenders. In fact, they are likely worse. It is better to be uninformed than to be misinformed.
Censorship is, and always has been, the enemy of education. I applaud, and so should everyone with a quest for knowledge or any respect for learning, these 5 brave people (and others like them) who put teaching ahead of everything else. They are they type of people who want to create a living future, as opposed to the narrow minded control freaks who want to keep us stagnant.; Reply to this comment


by CAASE March 4, 2011 1:28 PM EST: If you have strong opinions about what happened at Northwestern, consider your stance on pornography. Whatever harm could have been caused to those college students or the people onstage was mitigated by the fact that the audience was warned about what they were about to witness, and the couple gave their consent (in fact it was their idea. I work for the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation-we believe that pornography can be very harmful to both the people who watch it and the people being recorded. This incident could have traumatized many people, and yet we accept the widespread use of pornography as something that can't be changed. Seems contradictory. Read more on our blog: http://ow.ly/47xTt; Reply to this comment


by sikandsme March 3, 2011 12:16 PM EST: In this day and age displays of human sexualty of this nature are not necessary on our college campuses....oops, they are on our college campuses just not being led by the professor in a classroom. Prof. Bailey you're gonna have to pay for it like everyone else.; Reply to this comment