Sex guru to speak at CWRU

Anne Nickoloff, Staff Reporter

Dan Savage brings a lot to the table.

His rise to fame sprang from a sex advice column titled “Savage Love.” He currently holds the editorial director position of popular Seattle alternative weekly newspaper The Stranger. He fights against bullying through an award-winning program he founded, the “It Gets Better” project.
Savage is well-known internationally for his vocal LGBT rights activism. Additionally, Savage earned an impressive array of awards, including the American Humanist Association’s 2013 Humanist of the Year and the PEN West Award for Creative Nonfiction in 2000 for his book “The Kid: What Happened After My Boyfriend and I Decided to Go Get Pregnant.”

It’s no surprise that Case Western Reserve University, with its high ranking as one of the top 25 LGBT-friendly schools in the U.S., would find a way to bring such an avid member of the LGBT rights movement to campus for a speaker event.

“Because we are working closely with the LGBT Center, this event will affirm positive views about the LGBT community already held by a majority of our campus,” said Daniel Mason, co-chair of UPB’s Arts and Entertainment Committee. “[Savage] is an informative and interesting speaker about LGBT issues, but this event is meant to be entertaining and engaging above all else.”

When debating on which individual to choose to speak at this event, the UPB Arts and Entertainment Committee also considered Tony Hawk and Bill Nye (“the Science Guy”), but Savage’s controversial background and opinions were more intriguing than other options.

“I believe that the event will draw a lot of CWRU students, because many of Case’s students are familiar with the It Gets Better Project, and Dan Savage has a well-known advice column about sex and love that can appeal to all kinds of people. We are trying to draw more than just LGBT people to this event, as it is an event that can entertain everyone and make them think,” said Mason.

Past talks have included a variety of speakers with different backgrounds. These speakers include Sue Johanson, sex educator and talk show host, animal expert Jack Hannah and Frank Warren, creator of PostSecret.

Savage will be a welcomed addition to this collection of UPB’s speakers. His show at CWRU, “Savage Love Live!” will talk about sex, LGBT issues and other items of Savage’s fancy. Mason made sure to note that “bringing Dan Savage to campus does not mean that CWRU or UPB agrees with every one of his views.”

“Savage Love Live!” will take place in Strosacker Auditorium on Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m. The event is free to CWRU students.