Sex descrimination alleged against UNLV health center

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, March 27, 2003 | 9:42 a.m.

Students accused the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' student health center of sexual discrimination, claiming that a sex education class required of all students seeking contraception is more strictly applied to women than to men.

At a small demonstration on campus Wednesday, members of Choice UNLV, a reproductive rights organization on campus, said university officials require all students to attend a one-hour health education program called Body Talk before receiving a Pap smear, contraception or condoms.

The group claims that men routinely receive condoms without meeting this requirement, while the standard is strictly enforced with women.

"What we're doing is exposing a dirty little secret of the UNLV student health center," said Robbie Keeley, a 47-year-old graduate student who spoke at the rally. "Women can't get gynecological exams unless they agree to sex re-education."

Between July 2002 and December 2002, about 387 students attended the Body Talk program, and of those 20 percent were men, according to university officials.

The reproductive rights group said the program not only metes out unequal treatment when it comes to sex education in general, but that educational health programs fail to address the needs of women of various ages as well as gays and lesbians.

One woman who spoke at Wednesday's rally said as a lesbian, most of the information the health center gave her was irrelevant.

"They started teaching me stuff that I had learned when I was in fourth grade," said Melissa Cooke, a 25-year-old student.

Tina Saddler, the health center's director, acknowledged there are flaws in the "one size fits all" program, but she said it is not sexist.

"I don't think it is discriminatory against women," Saddler said. "Are there areas for improvement? Yes, I think there are."

Saddler said officials rework the program by taking into account a woman's experience. For example, an 18-year-old who has never had a Pap smear and has not been sexually active may need a different set of questions answered than a 44-year-old woman who has had children.

The one-hour Body Talk course for women focuses on breast self-exams, contraceptive choices and sexually transmitted diseases. The program for men is similar, only it covers testicular self-exams.

Members of the UNLV reproductive rights group say reworking the sex education program to address the needs of women of different ages is still not enough.

Keeley said the group would like to see the center offer free Pap smears without the hassle of a sex education class. They would also like to see information geared toward gays and lesbians and a sex education website for students.

"Fight back because this is a battle we can win," Keeley told a small crowd of onlookers Wednesday. "This is not the IRS. This is the health center."

Saddler said the group has already scheduled a meeting today to work out the issue.