The Survivor Advocacy and Feminist Education Center hosted the third annual Sweet Shop on Tuesday, providing students with valuable insights and resources on a wide range of sexual wellness topics.

The event aimed to inform and empower students as they explored their sexual identities. Some of the topics included ethical porn consumption, masturbation, sexual trauma, asexuality and aromanticism, sex and disabilities, body inclusivity and relationship safety.

“We feel like having access to information about healthy relationships and sex positivity (is important), so learning about sex and about safe sex is violence prevention,” said SAFE Center Director Victoria Benjamin. “It’s very important, and it adds to self-esteem.”

The Sweet Shop, hosted at Braiden Hall, featured information tables on which students could pick up pamphlets, play games and participate in activities. The Associated Students of Colorado State University hosted a table that provided drink covers, condoms, STI tests, pregnancy tests and emergency contraceptives, which were supplied by the social enterprise organization SIRUM in collaboration with the CSU Health Network.

“Being here and, like, being that resource for students is so empowering for me as someone who works in student government,” said Lauren Johnson, chair of the Women’s and Social Justice Caucus.

SAFE partnered with various other campus and community organizations, including several Cultural Resource Centers, CREWS Peer Education, the Student Disability Center, Planned Parenthood, Rams Against Hunger and the Pride Resource Center, among others.

“It’s just growing every year,” said Assistant Director of Victim Services Kristin Middlesworth. “More people come, so they want to invest in it more and, like, reach out to more folks. And I think it’s really important to do that, bridging between campus resources and community resources because we need all of it.”

Meg Enright, a student at the Sweet Shop, said this is the second year in a row she has gone.

“I think when you come to college, sometimes you’re exposed to a lot of things you’re not sure of, like, maybe you didn’t have sex-ed in high school,” Enright said.

Erica Ross, the SAFE assistant director for educational programming, said the event is designed to encourage students to learn about different types of sexual intimacy in a safe and consensual way.

“Sex doesn’t look the same for everybody, and that’s also really important in conversations of consent because we don’t want to assume that we all like it the same,” Ross said.

One of the new tables at the event was the sex and disability and sex at every size table, which was hosted by the SDC. Xan Owens, program coordinator for SAFE, sat behind an array of adaptive sex toys and devices for people with larger bodies and disabilities.

“I think a lot of the time, fat people and disabled people are not thought of as sexual,” Owens said. “It’s just really important for people to have (an) education that helps them express their sexuality in ways that are healthy, rather than not knowing what they’re doing and potentially, you know, causing harm.”

Another new table focused on people who identify as asexual or aromantic. Amber Thibeault, a student peer leader, facilitated discussions about nonsexual identities by playing two truths and a lie and passing out candy to winners.

“Having discussions and having opportunities like this is very important not only for students to learn but for students to think critically about themselves and how they engage with others,” Thibeault said.

One major objective in promoting sex positivity is violence prevention, which was explored at the feminist porn and smut table. Mainstream porn can perpetuate sexual violence and is sometimes obtained through sex-trafficking or coercion, according to Alexa Roldan Espinoza, a SAFE coordinator.

“We hope that students are being mindful of, like, what the depictions of sex they are engaging with,” Roldan Espinoza said. “We want to make sure that we’re prioritizing consent first and foremost with everything. And also to empower them to, like, have autonomy over their own intimacy.”

The Sweet Shop also accommodated students looking to reclaim their sexuality after experiencing sexual violence. The toys after trauma table featured different sex toys and encouraged students to explore masturbation as a safe way to gain confidence in intimacy.

Students seeking support can visit the SAFE center in the Lory Student Center on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. or call the 24-hour hotline at 970-492-4242. There is also a chat feature available during business hours that can be reached at the name phone number. Students in need of emergency contraceptives, pregnancy tests, condoms, or other safe sex tools can visit the CSU Health and Medical Center or ASCSU.

“All of those pieces are important for self-esteem, for adult development and violence prevention,” Benjamin said.

Reach Chloe Waskey at news@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.