Sexpression:UK is a national, student-led charity dedicated to delivering sex education to young people in local schools, and opening up healthy discussions around a wide range of topics including relationships, bodily changes, gender identity and sexuality. One aim of this is to move away from a solely biological focus when discussing sexual health, in a manner that simply aims to tick a box on a curriculum and move on, in order to remove certain stigmas around discussions revolving around sexuality in both classrooms and wider society.
The weekend was packed with talks and workshops, all with the aim of empowering guests with this year’s theme being '(S)express Yourself'. Attendees received gift bags upon arrival, containing a mixture of sex-related goodies and informational resources. We then got to attend workshops of our choice - with an array of different events being held, it was hard to choose between some!
Sexpression:UK is a national, student-led charity dedicated to delivering sex education to young people
The workshops ranged from tote bag making for the creatively inclined to burlesque dancing for those wanting something more active. While very different activities, both had the same goal of allowing the participant to build their confidence as they expressed themselves through their preferred means.
I went to several art-based workshops, such as intersectional collaging and a (clothed) life drawing session. The collaging served as a means to reconnect with ourselves by collaging our experiences, and was hosted by Dami Fawehinmi of Navii Media. The life drawing session was more about observing the human form as we replicated it through our mediums of choice, which was lots of fun as we tried out different techniques and colours.
One of my highlights of the weekend was attending a Drag GRWM workshop, in which we watched Drag Queens get made up, all while talking us through their process and answering questions from us about their routines, what Drag means to them and how empowering it is for them, and their performances.
The weekend also contained panels and talks. I sat in on an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion panel, which hosted important conversations, regarding inclusivity in language choices, LGBTQ+ sex education and how vital it is that sex education takes place in the classroom and isn’t assumed to be taken on by parents. The keynote speaker for the second day was Eva Echo, a trans rights activist, spokesperson and writer. She spoke to us about her experience being trans, how we can act as allies to the trans community, and the beauty of trans joy.
it is rare to have a whole weekend aimed at viewing sexual health and sex in a safe, fun and positive way
I got to speak to the President of Sexpression:Newcastle, Maxime, about how she thought the conference went: “I am pleased with the conference overall (and quite relieved that the hard work paid off!) - I was very lucky to be able to invite a number of amazing speakers and workshop leaders, who work within the field of sexual health and RSE both locally and nationally. I am also so proud of my volunteers, without whom the conference could not have gone ahead - they worked hard to uphold Sexpression values, and to make everyone feel safe and happy to be there. The (S)express Yourself National Conference was a very important event, as it was based on and built around sex-positive expression and education - it is rare to have a whole weekend aimed at viewing sexual health and sex in a safe, fun and positive way. I hope the attendees will have gone away with a more positive outlook on what is unfortunately often a stigmatised topic, and lots of happy memories to look back upon. Overall, I feel very proud to have been able to host this important event at Newcastle University.”
