The Education and Referral Organization for Sexuality celebrated its 50 year anniversary of dedication to promoting a healthy relationship with sexuality on campus Wednesday.
The organization is an Associated Students program that launched in 1972, and later educated the campus community during the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Assistant director of EROS, Jaelyn Galasinao Sanidad, said the organization was created during a time when there was a desperate need for sex health education and products, especially within the queer community.
“50 years ago there was a lot happening within the queer community pertaining to health … and a lot of stigma going around that wasn’t really real information,” Sanidad said. “So essentially what EROS does, is we give our resources, health products and combat that misinformation.”
In comparison to the height of the AIDS and HIV pandemic, EROS members also reflected on the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the recent monkeypox emergency.
“It is default here in this country to police people’s bodies,” Sanidad said. “The people that are making the laws do not fully represent the people or those who are marginalized.”
Sanidad believes that people should feel confident within their sexuality and make their own decisions for their bodies.
“I hope that when people attend our events that they feel empowered to speak up for their own bodies, to know that they have body autonomy and that they have rights to choose what they want,” Sanidad said. “And once you’re able to reclaim that, you’re able to tap into some inner power and find community along the way.”
EROS held an event on Wednesday n the Cesar Chavez Student Center to provide condoms and other safe sex supplies. They also facilitated an open forum to talk about sex through games such as “Red Flags” and “guess the STI.”
Jasmine Zepeda, an office assistant for the EROS office, said that this organization sheds light and education to the sexuality field.
“What the program does is much bigger than I am,” Zepeda said. “I think knowledge and education does lead to an open mind and education is very important in terms of sexuality.”
Sanidad said that the information EROS provides is a human right.
“Everyone should have a right to this information and this education because it’s health,” Sanidad said. “Health has no binary, no gender, no sexuality and everyone has the human right to have good health and to resources that they need to keep their health.”
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited for clarity.
