PASADENA, Calif.—Wicked Pictures contract performer/director Jessica Drake follows the "controversial" guest lecture appearance of James Deen in Dr. Hugo Schwyzer's "Navigating Pornography" class at Pasadena City College with her own address to the class March 20.
"I'm so excited to welcome Jessica Drake to Pasadena City College," Dr. Schwyzer said. "Jessica isn't just an industry superstar, she's a veteran activist and an articulate and important advocate for pleasure, for common sense, and an end to sexual shame. On screen and off, she's an incandescent personality and, I have to believe, a tremendous role model for my students. I'm so glad that they'll have an opportunity to hear from her."
Deen's appearance caused an uproar on and off campus, as Pasadena City College restricted admittance to enrolled students and certain approved press, and the debate as to the suitability of a college seminar inviting a porn star—even to a class titled "Navigating Pornography"—filled newspapers and airwaves nationwide.
Recently, Drake was a guest lecturer at Chapman University for the Crean School of Health and Life Sciences class Psychology 340: Human Sexuality, taught by Assistant Professor David Frederick.
"Jessica Drake was an exceptional speaker," Dr. Frederick said. "She not only shared her views on the pornography industry, but more broadly spoke to students about sexual health. She communicated to students ways of learning to become comfortable with one's own body and learning how to communicate their desires to their partners. She emphasized the importance of understanding and respecting one's own limits when it comes to sex, and accepting that different people have very different preferences. Jessica was a true pleasure to have in class, and the students learned a great deal from her presentation. I would highly recommend her as a speaker for any class related to media issues, gender or sexuality."
To read Drake’s recap of her visit to Chapman University, click here.
To help advance her sex education agenda, Drake writes, produces and directs the video series Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex, which has received positive reviews from adult industry authorities including AVN and Fleshbot.com. The production Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex: Fellatio received the AVN Award for Best Educational Release in 2012.
"Guide to Wicked Sex resulted from my appearances at adult stores," Drake said. "As more women came to meet me, they became more comfortable with asking questions about sex and sexuality. I realized there was a real interest in straightforward information about sex. Speaking at universities gives me a great opportunity to have an intelligent conversation with students, share my experiences, and let them draw their own conclusions."
The "Navigating Pornography" course is part of Dr. Schwyzer's academic interest in history and gender studies. He has taught at Pasadena City College since 1993, in courses that have dealt with women’s history, men and masculinity, and gay and lesbian history. In the late 1990s, he developed the college’s first interdisciplinary course focusing on “Beauty and the Body," which is still offered at the college and focuses on the historical roots of contemporary eating disorders and distorted body image.
Scheduled for March 20 at 1:30 pm, Jessica Drake’s lecture at Dr. Schwyzer’s "Navigating Pornography" course is open to enrolled students and invited media only.
Drake will also appear at sexuality conference CatalystCon East March 15-17 in Arlington, Virginia, where she will host sessions on Measure B and slut shaming, as well as speak at the Opening Keynote Plenary Address. For more information, visit CatalystCon.com.
For more information about Jessica Drake’s appearances and sex education seminar series, click here.
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