Keene State College’s Feminist Collective (FemCo)held its third annual Sex Toy Bingo with a “Love Island” theme.
“Love Island” is a dating game reality show where contestants live in a beach house to try and find romance. Sex Toy Bingo was held in the Mabel Brown Room on Friday, April 19 instead of the beach. FemCo did, however, promote the event on their Instagram with a beach theme and edited swimwear onto images of the available prizes.
Feminist Collective holds weekly meetings to discuss current events and intersectional feminism. They also distribute free pregnancy tests and Plan B to students.
“This is…to help promote sexual positivity on campus and have people be aware of resources available to them,” said senior Alexandra Soucy, president of FemCo.
Soucy also commented on student reactions to the event.
“I’ve seen a couple things on YikYak where people call it…a ‘degenerative event’,” continued Soucy. “This is our third really good turnout, so…nothing to our faces.”
Despite those occasional negative reactions, students at the event had a positive outlook and an expectation to have fun.
“I heard about it because they [FemCo] did a sex toy raffle in the fall and I actually won something from there.,” said junior Demi Terry. “And so then they were like…not a lot of people enter these, but once Sex Toy Bingo happens, everyone’s there. So I have been planning on coming since then.”
Some students have been coming to Sex Toy Bingo since the first one.
“I’ve gone, I think, every year,” said junior Chloe March. “They’re usually really fun. It’s entertaining.”
When asked if she would attend a fourth Sex Toy Bingo, junior Ashley Prince said “Yeah, I think it’s tradition.”
Many first-time participants were excited to come to the event, despite the stigma around using sex toys and open sexuality.
“I never thought the school would be this open with stuff, but it’s kind of cool because they’re promoting safe sex and allowing people to experiment with their sexuality, but do it in a safe way,” said sophomore Erin, who declined to share her surname.
Sex Toy Bingo is held to promote positivity about sexuality and to offer helpful resources for sexual wellness. Pamphlets on safe sex and lube packets were available to all attendants. Attendants would also be able to enter a raffle for a chance to win a prize basket. The event ran like a typical game of bingo. There were several rounds where participants needed to connect five numbers in a row on their cards or complete a different pattern.
Some of the prizes available included a bondage set, a Rose Toy brand vibrator, and a strap-on dildo.
Orion Corbin can be contacted at
ocorbin@kscequinox.com
