Oklahoma State University - Redskin Yearbook (Stillwater, OK)

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GOOD SEX Dr. Ruth's visit stirs up statewide controversy As students milled about in the Stu- dent Union ballroom, waiting for Dr. Ruth Westheimer to take the podium, the atmosphere was self-conscious and tense. State Rep. Bill Graves, R — Okla- homa City, had lashed out at Westheimer s appearance at OSU, say- ing, that gal advocates anal inter- course... that's what's causing AIDS. Eight-hundred applauding spectators leapt to their feet when the self-styled sex therapist appeared. Many had seen her frequent visits to the David Letter- man Show or listened to her radio pro- gram. Westheimer told OSU students it is important to be a sexually literate society, and that she intended to dispel certain myths. In her famous Euro- clinical accent, she said education was the first step toward curing sexual dysfunction. It is so important to talk about these things, she said. Sexual activity is and ought to remain a private thing; however, it helps to talk about it. ' ' Unwanted pregnancies, Westheimer said, are caused by myths. Girls come to me and say, I thought I couldn't get pregnant the first time,' We have got to dispel some of these things. Masturbation is a subject area sur- rounded with myths, Westheimer said. A security official escorts Rev. Billy Joe Clegg from tlie Student Union ballroom stage at Dr. Rutli Westheimer's lecture to OSU students (above.) Let us bury the myths that masturba- tion creates insanity, blindness or that it will grow hair on your palms. I see all of you looking at your palms now. The legality of abortion was another issue Westheimer said she endorsed. The abortion law must remain legal. Before 1970, women with money could obtain abortions in Mexico and Europe. I certainly don't advocate it as a con- traceptive, but if there is a contraceptive failure, it must remain legal. This statement met with audience applause. During Westheimer's question-and- answer session, trouble came in the form of Billy Joe Clegg, a 1986 guber- natorial candidate. Clegg asked Westheimer if she had accepted Jesus Christ as her personal lord and savior. Clegg was booed by the audience. Shouts of Sit down! and She's Jew- ish! filled the air. When Westheimer ended her pres- entation Clegg leapt onstage and ac- costed her, saying he was placing her under citizens arrest. Security police quickly apprehended Clegg and dragged him twisting and flailing from the stage. Students certainly had their fill of ex- citement at Westheimer's lecture. And hopefully many left the auditorium with a renewed sense of sexual literacy. campus life 19

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