There is a difference between a “good hookup,” a “bad hookup” and rape.
The Bradley H.E.A.T. (Help, Empower and Teach) took the time to define those terms on Oct. 7 by presenting Catharsis Productions’ “The Hookup” over Zoom. Catharsis Productions is a company that gives presentations to schools and organizations about topics including sex, alcohol use and mental health.
According to the presentation, “good hookups” are consensual where all parties enjoy themselves and are comfortable; “bad hookups” are still consensual, but there is an identifiable level of uncomfortableness; rape and sexual assault are non-consensual and forced.
The topic of hookups during a pandemic may seem a little out of place, but Bradley H.E.A.T. still had a reason to bring this presentation to campus.
“Regardless whether there is a pandemic going on or not, sexual assault is still happening, [and] those things are still happening, so it’s still important to learn how to protect people, whether it’s now, whether it’s later, whatever the situation may be,” said Matthew Gibson, Bradley H.E.A.T. coordinator and senior math and computer science double major.
The interactive presentation also surveyed the audiences’ knowledge of derogatory terms and analyzed how language referring to sexually active women is less positive than sexually active men.
These terms for men, while congratulatory, can negatively reinforce the stereotype that all men should be sexually active all the time. If they are not, their masculinity and sexuality are questioned.
Gibson said that “The Hookup” focused on all individuals by including the differences between men, women and non-gender-conforming people, making the presentation inclusive.
Additionally, starting from this semester and on, the Bradley H.E.A.T. will not give its
sex education talk, instead replacing it with a mental health talk.
“I think that the mental health presentation is definitely, especially nowadays, a more apparent topic,” Gibson said. “A lot of people are struggling with their mental health, especially during this time of quarantine.”
Gibson said that most high schools have a course on sex education and not one on mental health, so the Bradley H.E.A.T. decided it would be more beneficial to talk about mental health.
“I still think giving the sex-ed presentation is very important, to help people protect themselves
and others against sexual assault,” Gibson said. “That’s still a very important topic on campus to talk about, so I still want the Bradley H.E.A.T. to get that message across to campus, but I think switching our mandatory presentations to mental health, especially right now, is a good decision.”
More information and support with either sex education, sexual assault or mental health can be found at the Bradley H.E.A.T. Instagram, the wellness office, counseling services and through Anne Hollis, Bradley’s Title IX coordinator, at her email, ahollis@bradley.edu.
