I think my favorite speaker may have been Dr. Helen Fisher. She's absolutely brilliant and has made so many significant strides in terms of the study of sexuality. But she's also spent so much time researching how people interact romantically that when she impersonates the most effective methods of flirtation in front of an audience, you know she has it perfected and could make anyone in the house melt.

Dealing with pornographic material at an academic institution will always be controversial. The screening of Vivid's materials could have been done in a more constructive manner in which we really analyzed how these graphic images affected sexuality in our society. Lots of students weren't happy to have pornographers on campus and some were offended by our decision to view X-Rated material.

The Great Porn Debate with Ron Jeremy and Monique Alexander arguing the pros and Craig Gross of XXXChurch.com and Donnie Pauling arguing the con side may have been the most eye opening. Craig and Donnie were able to illuminate many of the dark sides of the porn industry that really challenged a lot of students' common conception of the "glamorous" business of adult entertainment. Ron and Monique were able to make some interesting points about a woman's choice to work in porn, and porn's ability to provide an element of fantasy for healthy couples. 

But working first hand this past week with porn stars has swayed me towards the anti-porn side of XXX-Church.com. Steven Hirsch, co-founder of Vivid entertainment, is one of the most impressive businessmen I've had a chance to meet; it just sucks his business involves the degradation of young women. Most of us on the team are pretty disillusioned with the adult entertainment industry. They come off as normal people but the more you work with them the more you get an eerie sense of turpitude. Besides, who needs porn when Craig Gross is your pastor and is that hot?

Stevie Jay is a performance artist who uses a lot of humor in his work and deals directly with issues of gender and sexuality and spirituality. His "Multi Chakra Extravaganza" is a bit of a journey. He'll hook you with a few sincere laughs and then thrust you well beyond your comfort zone when he discusses intimacy and masculinity and his home-spun philosophy on being a sexual being in the universe today. He spent a few minutes humping a chair right before he took his shirt off and complained about the social constraints on masculinity. Did that take us past our comfort zone or was it his mini skirt and tube top fairy godmother conversation he had with himself? Oh, no, I'm sorry, I think it was when he decided to sit in a student's lap in the front row. Stevie Jay's slogan, "I Love you, you can't stop me" is 100% on point. You Can't Stop him.

Dr. Ruth is usually everyone's favorite--she's just so little. If anyone has even half the spirit this woman has at age 40 he or she is blessed. She has strong affiliations with Yale University and is currently teaching a seminar on the Jewish Family. People were crowded at the doors to stand on tip-toes and get a glimpse of this legendary figure. She spent a long time pushing the limits of how we talk about sex, and what amazed us when she did was that she looked like our grandma. But at this point I actually think of her more as an actual grandma. She's very much about sex within long-term relationships, and has a sort of whatever-floats-your-boat answer for most questions.