As political tensions rise and the debate over women’s reproductive rights rages on, there has been one steady force through it all: Planned Parenthood. A loud voice in our current political climate, Planned Parenthood is fighting to be understood for all that it has to offer.
Cammy Viola and PPGA (Planned Parenthood: Generation Action) want to show people all that Planned Parenthood has to offer. “It is such a crucial and fundamental resource inaccessible healthcare,” Viola (a junior and the vice president of Ithaca PPGA) says.
“The big idea is that abortion is all that Planned Parenthood does. Planned Parenthood does so much. Just this weekend I got Plan B from Planned Parenthood. I had unsafe sex and I was freaking out. Honestly, it was super great and super fun and I enjoyed it. I got tested at Planned Parenthood and they were excellent. And, Planned Parenthood is an educational service. It’s such a great resource for queer people.”
PPGA is the college chapter of Planned Parenthood that has the same desire of the main organization: education. This upcoming weekend, Ithaca College’s chapter of PPGA will be hosting a Let’s Talk About Sex Party, a fun experience as well as an educational experience that discusses what high school sex ed classes did and did not cover.
“We’ve been wanting to have a conversation about how sex education has really failed us; and our dialogue about sex, and sex-positivity, and the fact that sex isn’t a bad thing. So, providing this forum and this space where we can talk about sex, and laugh about it, and fun with it, that’s very empowering,” Viola says.
The party will have a wide range of activities: sex-ed themed Kahoot, a station giving out condom roses, a table to decorate panties and boxers, and so much more. If you’re on Ithaca’s campus this weekend, make sure to stop by the Clark Lounge in Campus Center between 5-7:30 PM on Friday, October 4, to get in on the fun. There’s always something new to learn, and you won’t find a more accepting and fun environment anywhere else.