Content warning: This story contains mentions of sexual assault.
Sex is not talked about in a society from a pleasure-based perspective, said Chicago-based filmmaker Zanah Thirus. It is often seen as something done to an individual, as opposed to a mutually shared, pleasurable experience.
Northwestern’s Center for Awareness, Response and Education and Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators hosted a virtual screening of Thirus’s documentary, “Unlearning Sex,” on Tuesday to kick off Black History Month.
“Unlearning Sex” explores Thirus’s six-month journey navigating sexual trauma therapy and healing, as well as her conversations with therapists, sex educators and activists. The screening was followed by a Q&A and discussion facilitated by Saed Hill, assistant director of prevention and masculine engagement at CARE, who was featured in the documentary as a sex educator.