Dan Savage took the stage of UAlbany’s Campus Ballroom on Tuesday night to a packed out auditorium filled with students and professors. After going through a bunch of anonymous question cards, the young openly homosexual sex columnist read, “Does a vagina get loose?” The audience echoed with laughter.
This set the tone for Dan Savage’s sex seminar, which went over well with attendees of all ages. Stephen Cella, a 20 year old Junior at UAlbany said, “I had to go to see Dan for class, so I wasn’t too excited about it. Within the first five minutes he really caught my attention.”
Savage is better known for writing Savage Love, which is a humurous and often controversial commentary on sexuality. Savage, an open homosexual, describes growing up in a ”loud, argumentative, very catholic family.” The journalist has appeared on The Colbert Report, HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, and is now the Editorial Director of “The Stranger” –a Seattle based weekly newspaper.
Savage came to headline UAlbany’s Sexuality Week, which provides students with educational activities that bring up many topics of interest correlating to sex. According to UAlbany’s website, the issues brought up include “gender issues, HIV/AIDS, relationships, identity, and reproductive health.” Other events going on this week include “European Approaches to Sex Education, presented by Carol Strenger” and “Danger Zones: Locating Gender in Hot Spots of Race and Sexuality.” Sexuality week is coordinated by The Middle Earth Peer Assistance program.
me and fellow student Brianna at the seminar.
Savage was very open to the audience, but kept his personal life out of it. “I don’t talk about my sexuality, at all. If you do you take away the value of it.”
His lengthy speech lasted more then an hour, and was concluded with a book signing/meet and greet. J.D. Nedvin, a 21 year old Senior at UAlbany was pleased and suprised. “Had a great time. Totally didn’t expect that.”
Savage, however, assured the audience in concluding his speech that sex isn’t all he is about. “I don’t have friends that talk about sex all the time…it gets boring.” Well Dan, according to your audience, you are not boring.
More information about Savage, click here .
More information on UAlbany’s Sexuality Week, click here.
