LOS ANGELES — Jessica Drake recently visited UCLA and Chapman University, where her talk on sex education, pornography and consent was reportedly met with "rousing ovations" from attendees.
Drake met with students at both universities to present information and lead several group exercises. Her engagement at local universities comes at a particularly timely moment, following last week's season premiere of "This is Life With Lisa Ling" that discussed porn addiction and education, one which Drake called "behind the times."
In her commentary, Drake referenced her visit to Chapman as an example of the much needed "on-the-ground" work the adult industry does to help educate students about topics ranging from sex-ed to consent.
“Each time I have an opportunity to interact with people in an academic setting, I am both encouraged by the openness and hunger for information, and at the same time, reminded of how much harm is done when sex education lacks information about consent, pleasure, porn, STIs, HIV and so much more," she said.
"Sex remains a marginalized subject and although it’s a joy for me to progress and normalize these discussions, it’s also imperative. We must have these conversations more often."
While visiting the Human Sexuality classes of Associate Professor of Health Psychology David Frederick at UCLA and at Chapman last month, Drake spoke about the importance of consent before continuing on to discuss pornography and its role in sex education, as well as touching on societal stigmas associated with sex work.
Aside from illuminating various stigmas faced by adult performers, Drake also helped to illustrate how students could negotiate and incorporate explicit consent into their own relationships, positioning her work in the adult industry as an example.
Using a multimedia approach that allowed students to ask questions and share their thoughts anonymously, participants asked questions ranging from how to discuss consent and boundaries with a new partner to her views on free speech and pornography.
Frederick praised Drake, calling her talk “engaging and interactive."
"Jessica is an amazing presenter," he said. "Her responses were very articulate and she thoughtfully and openly addressed all the questions and concerns students had."
He added, "At the next class period, I asked the attending students if I should invite Jessica back the next time I teach, and students enthusiastically and overwhelmingly expressed that she was a wonderful speaker and that hearing her talk was an important and unique experience.”
During her talk at Chapman University’s Crean College of Health & Behavioral Sciences on September 30, Drake opened up about her experience in the adult industry and how it shaped her relationship with her family and friends. The discussion also gave audience members a chance to discuss their views about pornography while promoting positive communication about sexuality.
An award-winning performer, and writer, director, producer and the host of the acclaimed instructional video series, “Jessica Drake’s Guide to Wicked Sex,” Drake is a noted sexual wellness speaker and educator. For more information about “Guide to Wicked Sex” titles, appearances and sex education seminar series, click here.
To inquire about booking Drake to present at your educational institution, email pr@guidetowickedsex.com.
For more information about Drake, follow her on Twitter.