The Issues

URGE believes that everyone deserves the right to a happy, healthy sex life (and that includes talking about it!) As a society, we aren’t so great about talking about sex in positive ways. And we get even more negative and less productive when faced with the idea of and the lived realities of younger people engaged in anything other than abstinence.

URGE chapters have their hands full combating negative messages about sex and sexuality on campus. These messages are damaging in and of themselves, but they also lead to harmful consequences and effects. Sex shaming can lead to judgmental and inadequate sexual services at the student health center. Victim-blaming is often a tactic to excuse campus administrations from being aggressive about preventing and responding to sexual assault on campus.

Of course, these narratives and their negative effects aren’t confined to campus life. Harmful judgments and biases permeate so much of our culture, our institutions, and our laws. Our answer to that, is not only to defend against negative images and narratives but to identify, create and share powerful messages about sex and sexuality that celebrate agency, consent, respect and joy!

Slowly, things are starting to change - URGE activists are doing their best to speed this progress up.