MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, Minn.—Hey, remember when Congress was so batshit crazy about anything having to do with sex that they actually arranged for the firing of a surgeon general just because she had the temerity to state, when asked at a UN conference on AIDS whether it would be a good idea for kids to masturbate rather than engage in more risky forms of sex, that, "I think that it is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught"?
No, seriously; it's not part of the new debt ceiling deal. It happened back in December of ’94—and sadly, Congress hasn't gotten any saner about sex since.
But fortunately, award-winning adult novelty/video/internet company Adam & Eve has, and they've even gone so far as to co-sponsor the Joycelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education, named for that fired surgeon general, at the University of Minnesota Medical School. What's more, according to the medical school, the chair is the first of its kind in the nation whose entire thrust will be on sexuality education.
Adam & Eve's money—all $50,000 of it—will be used to "create a lifelong sexual education curriculum, according to an article on the website of the local public radio outlet.
"Our program mission is clear about promoting a science-based approach to health education," said Eli Coleman, director of the med school's human sexuality program. "There are a plethora of sexual health problems that we’re facing as a country, and we’re really … trying to help people [by giving them] information to make people sexually healthy. … That’s our mission, and I think that’s what [the] company is supporting."
"We are very pleased with the support from Adam & Eve," a company press release quotes Coleman as saying. "Through this gift, the program will be able to continue its success in educating medical professionals, human sexuality research, providing clinical care, and advocating for science-based public policy."
In all, fundraising for the new chair saw more than $2 million in pledges from more than 290 individual and company donors, as well as 21 pro-sex-ed organizations in eight countries, including 24 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Of course, while Adam & Eve's philanthropy is well-known in the adult community, Coleman was a bit defensive about admitting that the university took the money.
"I think that to lump everything and make some sort of generalization is very difficult," he told the reporter for Minnesota Public Radio. "We do know that many individuals and couples enjoy erotica as part of their healthy sex relationship, and we have evidence where that can be helpful. We’re also aware some people get lost, and we treat people who have problems with internet pornography ... But this is a company that’s responsible and is law-abiding, and I think that they generally take a responsible approach to providing these products to people who are adults and find these enhancing to their lives."
