UW-Madison Student Segregated Fees Used to Purchase Sex Toys

'Sex Out Loud' received more than $100K for its controversial activities next year

Bascom Hall at night, photo by Benjamin Rothove

Please note: this article contains graphic language.

The student organization “Sex Out Loud” was approved for almost $136,000 in allocatable funding for the 2025-2026 school year by ASM’s Student Services Finance Committee, an increase of more than $8,000 from the previous year.

Sex Out Loud’s website reports that its mission is to “promote healthy sexuality through sex-positive education and activism.” The first photo on the homepage is of a group of students holding sex toys, one of whom is simulating oral sex on a fake vulva.

Rory Madden, the chair of Sex Out Loud, denied an interview request from The Madison Federalist. However, she provided an email response to some questions. She confirmed that Sex Out Loud is “solely funded by the General Student Services Fund,” which comes from segregated fees that UW-Madison students are required to pay.

The SOL website has an order form that allows any student to request condoms, various types of lubricant, gloves, dental dams, Plan B, and pregnancy tests. Madden said the “online order form is frequently used by students, and anyone is welcome to visit our office in person to collect supplies.”

The Plan B and pregnancy tests are provided by Planned Parenthood, but SOL does not receive other “consistent supply donations.”

Madden confirmed that SOL does purchase sex toys and said annual spending on them varies “based on programming, events, and co-sponsorships.”

Sex Out Loud was approved for $21,000 in spending in “supplies/furniture,” under which sex toys presumably fall.

SOL also offers 90-minute interactive sessions to students, with topics such as “Masturbation,” “Ethical Porn,” “Advanced Pleasure,” “Kink,” and “Sexability.” All students can request a program.

The “Ethical Porn” program, for example, breaks down “common assumptions/ critiques of porn” and helps students “practice media literacy with a focus on pornography.”

“Advanced Pleasure” teaches the “science of sex positions” and “how to use” sex toys.

Also on the SOL website is a list of approved sex toy brands, a section on lubrication, and information about birth control and “barrier methods.”

One “approved” brand is called “Cute Little Fuckers,” a “queer owned, trans owned, disabled owned company whose mission is to make authentic sexual expression as inclusive and accessible as possible.” Other approved brands include “Aslan Leather” and “Fun Factory.”

A “take action” section encourages people to donate to Planned Parenthood Action, the National Network of Abortion Funds, and the Black Women’s Health Imperative.

Events hosted by Sex Out Loud this year include a “panty party,” transgender and nonbinary “sexual health trivia” co-hosted with Planned Parenthood, a rope tying workshop, drag bingo, a pleasure activism workshop, a pole dancing class, and sex bingo.

Sex Out Loud is active on Instagram. Some posts within the last year include a call to “Free Palestine” and advice on what type of lubricant to use for pegging.

SOL also publishes an annual “Zine,” which is a sex-themed magazine made up of student submissions. This year’s theme was “F*ck Me: Pleasure, Kink, & Politics.” At the time of this article’s publication, the Zine had not yet been published, as its planned release was abruptly cancelled.

The 2023-2024 Zine, entitled “Erotic Ecosystems,” included graphic depictions of sexual acts, a “Cocky Anatomy” diagram, and sex-themed poetry.

SOL’s faculty advisor is Samantha Bowen, the Assistant Director of Violence Prevention at University Health Services. UHS has promoted Sex Out Loud as recently as March.

Sex Out Loud collaborated with The Daily Cardinal on a podcast called “Out Loud” in 2023, which included discussions on the “origins and intersections of anti-fatness and anti-Blackness” and “porn literacy.”

The organization has a long history of controversial activities. For example, it hosted pornographic actor James Deen to “discuss the role of pornography in modern sex education” in 2013.