It’s been long and hard

This is a bittersweet issue of Sexposure; it’s the last one I’ll be writing. I’m about to graduate and be flung into that big, scary “real world” thing, so I’ll be saying goodbye to Guelph, the Ontarion and this column.
In this last issue I wanted to thank all those wonderful people who helped me along the way and reflect on the whole process. Pardon me this one last indulgence to cap off a truly indulgent column: I have been so lucky to be able to write to you all about my passion, sexuality, week after week.
My first thanks need to go to the Ontarion. To be given space in such a widely distributed publication to pontificate was an incredible opportunity. Thanks to all the staff, volunteers and editors who turned my simple word documents into real newspaper articles.
I would also like to thank all the members of NAKED at the Wellness Centre. Without the camaraderie and support of these amazing, passionate individuals this column would not exist. Thank you for reminding me that there are sex-positive, motivated people in this world who want just as badly as I do to make it a safer, more pleasurable place to be. Thanks Wren, Jamie, Rebecca, Sonja, Walker, Jordan, Brittney and Charlotte! And special thanks to Natalie, my former co-author, who helped get this whole thing out of our heads and off the ground.
The Wellness Centre has been a great research resource for me this past semester, and the work they do on campus is invaluable. You remember those condoms your RA had in first year? That’s where they come from! Shameless plug: please go visit the Centre, second floor of the JT Powell building (above student health services). We’d love to see you all!
I also need to thank professor Robin Milhausen for her fantastic sexuality courses here at U of G. I was a wide-eyed freshman when I first had the pleasure of being her student, and her absolutely boundless enthusiasm for all things sexuality has definitely rubbed off on me. Thanks Robin, for granting me space within my education to discuss sexuality with other interested people, and for widening the horizons of my mind.
Another big thanks goes to all of my friends, family and classmates who have patiently listened to me rant indigently about my favourite sexuality pet peeves. You have all been gracious enough to listen to me and bold enough to challenge me, which has forced me to really and truly defend my opinions and examine why I think the way I do. Yet more thanks to all of those who sought out my advice on sexuality. It’s a real honour to be let in on someone’s sexual self, and I hope dearly that I have helped.
I’d finally like to thank you (yes you!) for reading. Nothing warms the cockles of my heart the way seeing someone reading my column does. Better still is to hear people talking about the issues I discuss every other week. I’ve harped on at length about how important communication is when it comes to sexuality, but simply talking about sex and sexual health is the vital first step.
Getting people talking and (hopefully) starting a lively, informed dialogue about sexual issues was my humble goal in writing this column. It may not have changed the world, but I want to believe that Sexposure has had a positive influence on the Guelph community.
Just because this column is ending doesn’t mean that the discussions it has fostered have to. Talk about sex with your friends, roommates, even parents! While great strides have been made in making the world a more sex-positive place, it’s only when people are talking about sex freely that it will be realized that sex isn’t anything to be ashamed of but in fact has the potential to be a beautiful, life-affirming thing.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you on the other side,

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