On February 11, 2009 in the Grand Ball Room of Stamp Student Union, syndicated columnist Dan Savage, spoke to our campus through the combined efforts of SEE campus entertainment, Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy (CCSL) and the Pride Alliance. The event was well attended and the Diamondback covered the story; the journalist gave a favorable review of Savage’s talk, and of the levels of participation from the audience. Though most were pleased with Mr. Savage’s self-styled “Q&A” some attendees wanted more. He was funny but there were some instances where what he said may have benefited from a deeper thoughtfulness.

One of the questions posed to Mr. Savage caught my attention. Someone asked the following: How did you become a sex expert? Mr. Savage looked into the audience, shrugged his shoulders and said: I have no idea. He more fully answered the question by going on to state that he had an article that was syndicated early in his career and one thing led to another. I found his answer unsatisfying. It suggests, amongst other things, that all one has to do to be an expert on sex, sexuality, or sexually related issues is to be able to say sexually provocative things publicly and with a straight (sic) face....