Did a Northwestern University human sexuality professor go too far when he held an optional live-sex presentation on campus grounds?
On Feb. 21, Prof. John Michael Bailey, a psychology professor known for pushing the envelope, invited students from his human sexuality class to observe a non-student naked woman being stimulated with a motorized sex toy on stage.
About 120 students attended the demonstration, which was curated by Chicago sex tour guide Ken Melvoin-Berg, according to the Northwestern Daily student newspaper.
The University declined to answer questions about the demonstration from NBCChicago and referred our editors to Bailey, who was unavailable.
The session was billed as a question-and-answer session about fetishes with a demonstration at the end, said Pratik Shah, a senior math and economics student. Students were warned of the nature of the class several times, and some walked out before the demonstration.
"Then, just out of nowhere, the girl just takes her pants off, takes her shirt off, takes her underwear off," Shah said.
Shah didn't stay the whole time, because he was with some people who were uncomfortable and wanted to leave. But he says he can see both sides of the story.
"As long as there's been proper warning, the people that stay shouldn't feel offended," Shah said. "They're choosing to see what they're seeing."
Bailey's class is a popular one at Northwestern, attracting 622 students this semester. After-class panels such as the one last Monday are offered as educational addendums to the class.
To see an image of what the device might look like, check out Gawker.
Update: Prof. Bailey's full statement:
