After publicity sparked by a WND story, a university canceled a student group's "National Outdoor Intercourse Day" and related "Pornfest" this year.

Ad for Western Washington University campus event that was canceled this year.

One year ago, Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., held its 11th annual "celebration" with offerings such as condom hunts, a masturbation information table and "Pornfest," a showing of award-winning pornographic films along with discussion sessions. Brochures were distributed to inform students of the "repercussions of sex outdoors," and a guest lecturer from a "sex-positive" community center in Seattle spoke on dispelling the "myths" surrounding polyamory – having sexual relationships with more than one person at a time.

The student-run Sexual Awareness Center, funded by student fees, sponsored the events.

This May, however, the campus newspaper reported, "For the first time in 12 years the center did not celebrate National Outdoor Intercourse Day on May 8 because of controversy because of the events of '03."

"There were a lot of different kinds of controversies going around, and they all blended together," said Kevin Majkut, Western associate director of activities and adviser to center coordinators.

"I talked to a lot of concerned citizens about this," he told the Western Front newspaper. "What I found was that we knew there was a separation between the events, but to many students, it was just a blend of pornography, sexual awareness and other sexually-related issues."

The Sexual Awareness Center's coordinator, Hanako Lombardi, said last year's celebration drew more controversy than expected.

Regarding the cancellation, she told the paper: "We're kind of confused about why it happened. Last year, we followed the blueprints from previous years."

But the Western Front noted the university "was in the spotlight for weeks after the event, from radio shows in Canada to an appearance on the Fox News Channel's 'The O'Reilly Factor' by Paul Nicholas Carlson, former Western Front editor in chief" – developments that followed WND's May 10, 2003, story.

"I kept my phone off the hook for a week," Lombardi told the Western Front. "We were seeing repercussions till the end of the school year. It all could have been cleared up if the people [with misconceptions] would have come to us with their concerns."

Lombardi said nothing was different about last year's events, insisting it was because of "misinterpretations" it attracted more negative publicity than expected.

The paper stated: "Many people mistook the learning experience of pornfest for a big group of people watching porn together."

In an interview with WND last year, Lombardi said Pornfest's purpose is not to promote pornography.

"It's providing a safe space for students to come and view films and debates about porn," she said. "We want them to decide for themselves what they believe porn is – where the line is drawn between porn and erotic art."

Lombardi told WND the center showed the porn film "Urban Friction," which she described as a "romance."

Earlier this month, Lombardi told the Western Front she was surprised at the ruckus on campus, because people who expressed the most concern already were familiar with the events, having observed them in previous years.

"Last year, everything got blown out of proportion," she said. "It was weird to see people who have been part of the Western community suddenly get shocked."

Lombardi claimed Majkut, her staff adviser, never explained why this year's events were canceled. But the student said she knew it was related to the controversy.

"There has never been very good communication between campus authority and our office," Lombardi said. "There were severed communications somewhere along the line."

But Majkut said, according to the campus paper, the future of National Outdoor Intercourse Day at Western is up for discussion and under review. He and the Associated Students board of directors are in the process of deciding what activities to include for the center next year.

Kevin Stock, Associated Students vice president of business and operations, said it's not the job of his board to "micro-manage organizations like the Sexual Awareness Center – that's what the coordinators are there for."

This past year, he said, administrators expressed concerns to the Sexual Awareness Center coordinators, "but there wasn't any official action by the board" to cancel National Outdoor Intercourse Day.

Stock said those involved in the process of deciding what to do next year must find a balance between restricting speech and not offending students.

Last November, Western Washington University students lobbied to make their pornography club a sponsored campus organization. The Club for Persons of Randy Nature, or P.O.R.N., met every Tuesday in a dorm room to watch free pornographic films while enjoying popcorn and soda..

An Associated Student leader, citing the school's bad publicity surrounding the "Pornfest," said she didn't think it would be worth risking cutbacks in funding and injuring the school's reputation.

Last month, Harvard University celebrated "Gaypril" with "a day of silence to raise awareness about the prevalence of homophobia, and a panel of sadomasochism experts." Hosted by the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters Alliance on campus, the month of events included the showing of "Toilet Training," a documentary about "discrimination linked to gender-segregated bathrooms."

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