On Tuesday, Oregon State University students and community members gathered at the Pride Center to work with various craft supplies, with a bit of a twist; the craft was sex toys.

As a Cultural Resource Center, OSU’s Pride Center is known by many students as a place to go for resources centered in the LGBTQ+ community.

As a part of Pride Week, the Rainbow Continuum, a student organization for LGBTQ+ students, and the Pride Center staff hosted the Make Your Own Sex Toy event, an event that invited students to come into the Pride Center and make sex toys, according to the event’s web page.

According to PJ Harris, a peer facilitator at the Pride Center, the Make Your Own Sex Toy event has gained notoriety amongst the OSU and Corvallis communities.

“It’s one of the favorites of the recurring events,” Harris said.

Make Your Own Sex Toy serves multiple purposes, Harris said. The event brings attention to the often expensive prices of sex toys as well as the lack of availability of sex toys for people of different shapes, sizes and identities, Harris said.

Harris also noted that the event also gives attendees a sense of community, which is a large part of what Pride Week is about.

Around 15 OSU students and community members came to the Pride Center to participate in Make Your Own Sex Toy with one attendee who came from Washington.

“That’s why Pride Week exists,” Harris said, “it’s not just visibility, it’s about creating a sense of joy.”

The event was also designed to tackle stereo- types centered around sex toys and sexuality, Harris said.

“One of the direct educational purposes is encouraging sexuality and deconstructing the stigma and the fear of it,” Harris said.

The Pride Center provided all of the necessary supplies for the Make Your Own Sex Toy event including Play- Doh, glitter, sequins, ribbons and more.

Pride Center staff members also put safe sex sup-

plies such as condoms and lubricant on the table for attendees to take with them after the event.

The Rainbow Continuum has been planning the event in addition to all other events for Pride Week, Rainbow Continuum Assistant Director Keyawna Williams said.

According to Williams, who has been working with the Rainbow Continuum since the beginning of fall term, events such as the Make Your Own Sex Toy event require months of planning—Rainbow Continuum has been planning the event since the beginning of February.

“With an event like this, you have to reserve the space, make sure you have enough volunteers, make sure you have enough advertising so people actually come and lastly, buy the supplies,” Williams said.

Many students, including freshman pre-computer science major Tamera Satchell and freshman women gender and sexuality studies major Hailey Brooks came to the event out of curiosity.

“I was too curious not to see what it was about,” Brooks said.

Pride Week events will continue for the remainder of the week, and will include the Blind Condom Challenge in the MU Quad on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday, there will be a panel discussion on the experiences of non-binary people, “My Pronouns Aren’t Preferred” in the Native American Longhouse at 4 p.m. There will also be a movie night in the MU Horizon Room from 7 to 11 p.m.

On Friday, there will be a drag closet in the MU Quad from1to3p.m.

The OSU Spring Drag Show will be on Saturday, May 7 at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. at the LaSells Stewart Alumni Center. Admission is free for OSU students with valid IDs and $5 for non-students.

On Tuesday, Oregon State University students and community members gathered at the Pride Center to work with various craft supplies, with a bit of a twist; the craft was sex toys.

As a Cultural Resource Center, OSU’s Pride Center is known by many students as a place to go for resources centered in the LGBTQ+ community.

As a part of Pride Week, the Rainbow Continuum, a student organization for LGBTQ+ students, and the Pride Center staff hosted the Make Your Own Sex Toy event, an event that invited students to come into the Pride Center and make sex toys, according to the event’s web page.

According to PJ Harris, a peer facilitator at the Pride Center, the Make Your Own Sex Toy event has gained notoriety amongst the OSU and Corvallis communities.

“It’s one of the favorites of the recurring events,” Harris said.

Make Your Own Sex Toy serves multiple purposes, Harris said. The event solves for the often expensive prices of sex toys as well as the lack of availability of sex toys for people of different shapes, sizes and identities, Harris said.

Harris also noted that the event also gives attendees a sense of community, which is a large part of what Pride Week is about.

Around 15 OSU students and community members came to the Pride Center to participate in Make Your Own Sex Toy with one attendee who came from Washington.

“That’s why Pride Week exists,” Harris said, “it’s not just visibility, it’s about creating a sense of joy.”

The event was also designed to tackle stereotypes centered around sex toys and sexuality, Harris said.

“One of the direct educational purposes is encouraging sexuality and deconstructing the stigma and the fear of it,” Harris said.

The Pride Center provided all of the necessary supplies for the Make Your Own Sex Toy event including Play-Doh, glitter, sequins, ribbons and more.

Pride Center staff members also put safe sex supplies such as condoms and lubricant on the table for attendees to take with them after the event.

The Rainbow Continuum has been planning the event in addition to all other events for Pride Week, Rainbow Continuum Assistant Director Keyawna Williams said.

According to Williams, who has been working with the Rainbow Continuum since the beginning of fall term, events such as the Make Your Own Sex Toy event require months of planning—Rainbow Continuum has been planning the event since the beginning of February.

“With an event like this, you have to reserve the space, make sure you have enough volunteers, make sure you have enough advertising so people actually come and lastly, buy the supplies,” Williams said.

Many students, including freshman pre-computer science major Tamera Satchell and freshman women gender and sexuality studies major Hailey Brooks came to the event out of curiosity.

“I was too curious not to see what it was about,” Brooks said.

Pride Week events will continue for the remainder of the week, and will include the Blind Condom Challenge in the MU Quad on Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday, there will be a panel discussion on the experiences of non-binary people, “My Pronouns Aren’t Prefered” in the Native American Longhouse at 4:00 p.m. There will also be a movie night in the MU Horizon Room from 7 to 11 p.m.

On Friday, there will be a drag closet in the MU Quad from 1 to 3 p.m.

The OSU Spring Drag Show will be on Saturday, May 7 at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m. at the LaSells Stewart Alumni Center. Admission is free for OSU students with valid IDs and $5 for non-students.

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