Unite for Reproductive Gender Equality and the Black Student Union hosted a poetry slam Oct. 10th at the Center for Student Involvement to celebrate sex positivity and similar themes for the month of “Sextober.” This corresponded with National Coming Out Day, which is part of LGBTQIA+ awareness.

“I just think that having forms outside of school to present work and to appreciate art in different mediums is important,” said Kayla Gilmore, president of BSU and junior political science major.

This was the first time the groups held a poetry slam of this type.

“I think it had a pretty good show up for the first time that we’ve had it,” said Ana Perez-Lebron, URGE secretary and junior biology major.

BSU and URGE members encouraged readers to come up and read their poetry as they felt ready to during the time of the event. They also had a television set up in order to play some slam poetry from other slam poets.

“It’s going to be a little bit of organization, a little bit of spontaneity,” said Chloe Soetaert, social media chair of URGE and senior graphic design major.

Throughout the event guests and group members took the chance to read poetry on sex positivity. However, readers were encouraged to read poetry on other similar themes as well.

“It was a collective effort,” Gilmore said. “(BSU and URGE) meet, we have the same advisor as well and so we sit down with our advisor and we try to plan events to collaborate and support each other.”

According to Perez-Lebron the idea behind the poetry slam was to destigmatize some of these issues by talking about them.

“As a group that’s focused on social justice, a big part of social justice I think can also be self-expression, particularly for people of marginalized groups,” Soetaert said. “For this one we’re trying to kind of have a sex positive angle so it’s a nice way to mix activism with expression in art.”