CHICAGO — Sexual wellness authority and Wicked contract star Jessica Drake is scheduled as a featured guest speaker at University of Chicago’s 2014 Sex Week kicking off Feb. 8.at the university’s Logan Center for the Arts.
On Saturday, Drake will co-lead “The Piracy of Sex” at 2:30 p.m. in conjunction with anti-piracy expert Nate Glass, an Illinois native. Together they will discuss the effects of adult content piracy and how independent content producers can fight back and protect their copyrighted product.
Nate Glass’ company, Takedown Piracy, reports to actively track at least nine different ways content may be pirated, offering protection for cyberlocker sites like rapidshare, torrent sites, tube sites, auctioned or unauthorized DVD resellers, search engines and more.
In her 4 p.m. seminar “jessica drake – From Porn to Sex Ed,” Drake will share her experiences from the adult industry and how it helped her see the need and demand for modern sex education.
“I’m honored to be invited to speak to students at University of Chicago about the adult industry and its relationship with the general public,” Drake said. “Porn in the new millennium means content piracy, increased questions about safe sex and the discussion of sexual taboos and acceptance. Producing the 'Guide to Wicked Sex' series has allowed me to extend modern sex education to an international audience, both on campuses and beyond.
"I absolutely love when I can speak with people, especially students, face to face. Learning what people are actually curious about allows us to all grow sexually, and I am looking forward to meeting everyone at University of Chicago’s Sex Week.”
Drake added that her approach is “modern day and pleasure based”, and favors instruction grounded in practical concerns.
UChicago Sex Week co-Founder and two-time co-Director Stephanie Grach explained the university’s approach to Sex week, an event that has been adopted and adapted at schools around the country over the last few years, “With Sex Week at UChicago, we like to look at sex from every angle — arts and literature, philosophy, religious / secular, mass media, politics, abstinence, logistics and safety and stereotypes / definitions. We like this to be an exploration and discussion of a usually taboo subject, thinking about the terms and images we use, how we express ourselves, and interactions with others, as well as our own personal sexual preferences and choices.”
Sex Week at UChicago is a mix of seminar, social/discussion and workshops. Attending students and other community members are invited to hear the background and accepted perceptions of a variety of groups, and to explore them “artistically, intellectually and with an open-mind.” Through Sex Week at UChicago, the co-Founders say that they hope attendees develop an appreciation and understanding for the blurred boundaries and politics surrounding the topic of sex.
Grach added, “We are thrilled to have jessica drake come speak with us, especially on our first full day of Sex Week. The fact Jessica emphasized her interests in both proper sex education and diversity in the industry, presented a blend of sex with intellectualism and economics to us — basically, a perfect fit for the University of Chicago.”
Wicked Pictures is a sponsor of University of Chicago’s 2014 Sex Week. Throughout the week, UChicago students and campus visitors will receive promotional materials and participate in Wicked Pictures movie giveaways. The Wicked Sensual Care Collection, including its sensual lubricants, will also be given away to Sex Week participants.
“Reaching out to students on college campuses on an educational level is absolutely fantastic,” Wicked Pictures President Steve Orenstein said. “Jessica is the best choice to represent Wicked in sharing this information on sex-ed and piracy, and she is sure to be well-received by the University of Chicago student body. Thank you UChicago for allowing us this opportunity to educate your community on both technology, consumer ethics and positive sexual health.”
For more information about University of Chicago’s Sex Week, visit SexWeekUChicago.com. Additional information can be found on Sex Week’s Facebook page.
