Students

Brown University Queer Alliance Cancels 'Sex Power God' Party This Year for Fear of Safety

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The Queer Alliance (QA) at Brown University has decided to cancel this fall's "Sex Power God" (SPG) party for becoming unsafe for attendees.

According to the Huffington Post, the annual party is intended to be a social gathering that allows partygoers to express their gender identity freely. The party has become increasingly mired in controversy since Jesse Watters, a correspondent for Fox News, attended in 2005 and filmed the event without permission.

"Our decision takes into account the organizational objectives of the Queer Alliance, the original aims of the party, and ultimately the safety of students on campus," the QA said in a statement. "A future board may choose to reinstate the party based on their own judgment. Currently, no other student group may use the name or planning strategies to plan an alternative to SPG."

The SPG party originated at the Providence, R.I. Ivy League school 28 years ago as "just a dance," as Rebecca Hensler, one of its original organizers, described it in a recent open letter posted to Facebook. The current QA said they felt the party has "continuously deviated from its goals of safe sexual expression" over the last decade.

"The decision [to cancel] was made by students for the safety of students," Lorin Smith, head chair of the QA, told the HP. "The QA recognized that SPG was no longer serving as [an] affirming space for queer students."

The Brown QA is not alone in calling off parties that have generated bad reputations due to controversial events. Iowa State University ended the VEISHEA party, an annual event in April nearly 100 years old. Temple University cancelled its Spring Fling due to the death of a visiting student. UMass - Amherst cancelled an EDM concert because of concern over MDMA ("molly") consumption.

"The intended goals of Sex Power God were to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students to express their sexuality in an affirming and positive environment. SPG was meant to be a celebration of the diversity of sexualities and bodies at Brown," the QA said in its statement. "It was meant to affirm queer/LGBTQ+ students who feel excluded or shamed by hetero-patriarchal norms by creating a space in honor of them. SPG was intended to be a glitter filled rejection of limiting narratives that claim that there is a 'right' or 'acceptable' way to perform sexuality."

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