I would love to live to see America’s youth talking freely about sex, sexuality, gender, race, socioeconomics, etc. My hope is that the stigma attached to discussing these things will dissipate, allowing people to think, act, and love both responsibly and freely.

Leanne is a member of the campus organizing team.

Prior to entering college, I was mostly ignorant to the challenges facing sexual health and rights both in the US and around the world. I became aware of many of these challenges when I took a Feminist Theology course during my sophomore year, which exposed me to the sexism and heterosexism that shapes much of Western society’s thinking and living. Since then, gender and sexuality have been the lenses through which I view the world, prompting me to be hyper aware, critical, and passionate about women’s rights, access to reproductive healthcare, and sexual rights.

Individuals who identify as women around the world are plagued by patriarchal philosophies that are so embedded in social institutions that they are often perceived to be “natural” or “just.” In other words, oppression occurs without much opposition. One area in which this has occurred in our country and internationally is sexual rights and reproductive health. Therefore, it is imperative that our generation works to educate people about sexual health, to remove the stigma associated with reproductive health, and to facilitate dialogue regarding sex, gender, sexuality, and reproduction. Issues of gender, sexuality, and sex are inherently intertwined, along with race, class, age, etc. Just as racism, classism, sexism, and heterosexism are morally wrong and intellectually illogical, restricting people from access to sexual health education and reproductive options only reaps negative consequences, most notably for people who identify as women but also for society as a whole.

I would love to live to see America’s youth talking freely about sex, sexuality, gender, race, socioeconomics, etc. My hope is that the stigma attached to discussing these things will dissipate, allowing people to think, act, and love both responsibly and freely. Fighting to achieve this vision is one of the most necessary social movements of my lifetime, and I am excited to be as involved as possible.