The Female Orgasm brings candid sex discussion to campus

Hallways all over Eastern's campus have displayed some pretty unusual posters for the past few weeks. They heralded the arrival of "The Female Orgasm," which was held on Monday by the Student Activities Council. A packed Posey Auditorium came to hear sex educators Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller give this popular program. The pair allows students to open up and learn more about their bodies, relate to fellow students' experiences, and gives the audience a few laughs in between.

"I know most speakers will ask you to turn your cell phones off, but all we ask is that you turn them on vibrate," Solot said.

Solot and Miller let students listen to their own personal stories about sex, love, and the "elusive" female orgasm. Solot told students about how her first information about orgasms came from her former college dean, who gave a lecture on masturbation. With the lecture, she received a list of books about sexual health.

"I took the list to our college bookstore, and only found one of the titles. So I bought it," Solot said. "It's the best $5.99 I've ever spent."

After sharing their own experiences, Solot and Miller split the crowd into groups of males and females, which allowed students to tell their own stories in a more comfortable setting. The reasoning for why the groups split up had nearly the entire crowd laughing.

"When I first gave these lectures, it was only for females. When we were discussing, guys would knock on the doors, asking to just listen in," Solot said. "One guy knocked on the door, and when I said he couldn't come in, he said he really needed to hear this stuff."

Along with the lighthearted talk about sex, Solot discussed good body image can have a serious impact on women's health.

"Being comfortable with my body may have saved my life," said Solot.

Solot told her personal story of how a simple touch to her body informed her of a serious issue.

"I was just running my hand slowly down my body, and I felt a lump in one of my breasts," she said.

Solot went to the doctor and had it checked out, and it turned out to be breast cancer. She was diagnosed at the age of 26.

"If I hadn't been so comfortable with my body, I never would have known," Solot said.

Solot is now cancer-free.

Solot and Miller show their dedication to the fight against breast cancer in more ways than simply giving lectures. A portion of the proceeds from their T-shirt sales at each lecture and through their Web site, www.ilovefemaleorgasm.com, go to Breast Cancer Action, a national campaign for breast cancer awareness.

For those who missed the program, Solot and Miller published a book titled I Love Female Orgasm: An Extraordinary Guide, including all the information they present at college programs and much more.

For more information about the Female Orgasm college sex education program, visit www.ilovefemaleorgasm.com.

To learn more about breast cancer awareness, visit Breast Cancer Action's website at www.bcaction.org.