A National Taiwan University (NTU) undergraduate recently sparked controversy by offering sexual lubricant for free at an NTU male dormitory.
Chen Po-wu (陳柏屼), a junior in NTU’s Department of Sociology, posted articles on the discussion boards of the school’s male dorms on one of NTU’s major bulletin board systems, saying that he would like to distribute sexual lubricant from the Collective Of Sex Workers And Supporters (COSWAS) free of charge.
In the posts, Chen said the organization had obtained many boxes of lubricant products from a condom manufacturer and he decided to make the products available to NTU students.
Although the lubricants had expired, the condom manufacturer had assured the organization that they were still usable, Chen said.
“Please take what you need ... Those who have never seen lubricants are also welcome to try. Sex is one’s right. Stop living in your own pure and imaginary world,” he said in the posts.
When asked for comments, Chen said: “Residents of NTU dorms have a tradition of sharing things. I have been participating in the movement to take care of sex workers in [former] public brothels.”
“In fact, lubricants meet everyday needs and also help prevent venereal diseases. This is why I wanted to distribute them to other students,” he added.
The school first reacted to Chen’s moves by deleting his articles on the grounds that they were “inappropriate.”
But when asked for comment yesterday, NTU secretary-general Liao Hsien-hao (廖咸浩) said the school would respect the student and would not ban distribution of lubricant within the school.
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