Dan Savage talks sex, love and clear communication

There are people who think any discussion of sex should be taboo, shunned in public discourse except when absolutely necessary. Dan Savage is irrefutably, irreverently and irrepressibly not one of those people. And, as he demonstrated at Wednesday's (Dec. 7) on-campus taping of his MTV series “Savage U,” he doesn't have too high an opinion of those people.

Savage, renowned for his sharp-tongued, syndicated sex and love column, “Savage Love,” proved himself to be an advocate of three pillars of healthy sexual relationships — strong communication and consent, mutual respect, and no-judgment acceptance of yourself and others. He believes sex is defined by open, clear-eyed dialogue between participants.

“Communication is key, even for straight couples,” the openly gay Savage reminded the crowd. “Don't jump to assumptions after 'yes.' Discuss beforehand the boundaries each of you is comfortable with, so no one ends up feeling violated.”

Savage gave a scathing appraisal of many American schools' refusal to move sex education beyond basic biology and toward giving teens the tools to stay emotionally and physically safe while negotiating a sexual landscape.

“It's as if drivers' education consisted of teaching you how the internal combustion engine worked — with none of this nonsense about red hexagons — and then tossing you the keys and telling you to hit the road!”

What is the biggest stumbling block to healthy sex for this college generation? The “hookup” culture, he says.

“You all have come to this agreement that people you hook somehow aren't fit for dating or being in a relationship with or falling in love with. It's not only hypocritical but disrespectful of each other ... and leads to people not treating each other very well.”

“Savage U” is based on Savage's responses to questions posed by college students. Tulane is among 12 universities chosen for the program's first season.

Cody Wild is a sophomore who is studying English and political economy.