Safe sex is the "hip, hot thing to do," Yvonne Fulbright said Thursday at her book signing for The Hot Guide to Safer Sex.
Fulbright, a 1998 Penn graduate, read passages from her book before an intimate audience at the Penn Bookstore.
She began with a passage detailing the experience of great sex and then jokingly said, "It was just a dream."
A self-declared "Dr. Seuss [of] sex," Fulbright described how she interviewed friends, acquaintances and colleagues to gather the various sexual experiences detailed in the book.
She wanted her book to promote healthy discussions of sex, encourage self and partner exploration and help single people to be comfortable with themselves, she said.
The focus of her discussion was safe, yet enjoyable, sex. She said she encourages people to become comfortable with their own sexuality, because open discussions of sex help to foster safer sex practices.
Fulbright stressed that there are many different practices that couples and individuals can employ, it is just a matter of people being aware of their options.
"I really think when it comes to sex you have to have a sense of humor," Fulbright said, adding that, "The Eskimos have a word for sex that translates as 'laugh time.' I think that's great!"
One of the safe practices Fulbright touched upon was dispelling the notion that sex and alcohol mix well.
"Alcohol in high doses is not an aphrodisiac," Fulbright said, noting that this is essential for college students to understand. Despite the fact that alcohol lowers inhibitions, it does not usually lead to safe sex and it can be less pleasurable for both men and women.
After reading excerpts from her book, Fulbright spent time answering questions from the audience and engaging in conversation with people who had various questions. She also discussed some newer and safer condoms that should be on the market within a year.
Some attendees said they came for educational tips such as these.
"Recently, my friends had been asking me questions about sex and birth control that I, myself, could not answer," one woman said, explaining her reason for attending.
"I joked with my friends that I was going to take notes and report back to them," she added.
Fulbright is currently teaching a course at New York University titled, "Sexuality and the Human Experience," in which her students read her book and have open discussions about sex within society.
