FIX EXCLUSIVES
ANALYSIS: Time to rethink university’s funding, senator says after student group hosted a drag show, pole dancing class, and sex toy giveaway
A student organization at the University of Wisconsin at Madison that distributes sex toys and hosts presentations on topics such as “ethical porn” and “kink” has received more than $1.1 million in student fees over the past decade, a College Fix analysis found.
Sex Out Loud, a student organization officially recognized by the public university, has drawn criticism from state conservative leaders.
Wisconsin Senate President Mary Felzkowski expressed surprise when The College Fix asked her about the group’s funding.
“Shockingly, segregated fees are supposed to go towards things that support the mission of the UW System. If this is the mission, then we need to rethink all taxpayer dollars that UW System receives,” the Republican leader said Thursday in a statement to The Fix.
Felzkowski said all UW students are required to pay the fees as part of their tuition.
Daniel Degner, president of Wisconsin Family Action, also expressed concerns about the funding, noting how the pornography industry especially harms women.
“This year Democrats in Wisconsin’s legislature praised a porn star during Holy Week. Now they’re actively subsidizing pornography with our tax dollars. This has gone on for too long,” Degner told The Fix.
The UW-Madison student government recently allocated $135,706 to Sex Out Loud for the next school year, The Madison Federalist reported.
The money comes through the General Student Services Fund, which distributes segregated student fees to student organizations.
Since 2014, the group has received more than $1,133,302 of these fees, approved by the student government, The Fix found. The finding is based on budget allocations mentioned in reports by The Badger Herald, UWM Post, and Campus Reform, as well as budget records posted on the student government’s website.
The $1.1 million includes the budgeted amount for the next school year. It also excludes the amount for the 2017-18 year; The Fix could not find any records online for that year.
Founded in 1995 as a peer sexual education initiative under University Health Services, Sex Out Loud now operates as a student organization and is part of UW Madison’s LGBTQ+ coalition, Qouncil.
More than $94,000 of the group’s budget next year is dedicated to student salaries, including roles such as program coordinators and peer educators. An additional $22,400 is allocated for supplies the group uses to stock and distribute, such as condoms, lubricants, black latex gloves, and dental dams.
In April, the group hosted a “Sex After Dark” event that included a drag performance and sex toy giveaway, according to a post on its Instagram account. It also advertised a pole dancing class in the spring.
The group offers “interactive” educational events on topics including “Ethical Porn,” “Advanced Pleasure,” and “Kink,” as well as programs on safe sex, birth control, and healthy relationships, according to its website.
Student leaders also have mentioned plans to expand the organization to other campuses nationwide.
Last year, its student chair Mia Warren told the Daily Cardinal that Sex Out Loud aims to become a nonprofit and launch official chapters at other colleges. She noted that the team is working to align with campus policies and secure funding to support the rollout within the next year.
“The core of our mission remains fundamental to who we are: creating inclusive, accessible, comprehensive sex-positive educational programming and expanding this throughout the United States,” Warren told the student newspaper.
The Fix contacted the organization twice by email and once through social media within the past two weeks and asked if student fees were used for the “ethical porn” event, how the group defines the term, how it would respond to public criticism, and if its plans to expand are moving forward. The organization did not respond.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Family Action’s president says the club’s expansion should not be supported, either directly or indirectly by the public. Degner told The College Fix that the university’s decision to fund Sex Out Loud reflects misplaced institutional values.
“‘Sex Out Loud’ is just another example of wasteful spending from the out-of-touch UW system that will receive a $256 million taxpayer-funded increase with Governor Evers’ newly signed budget,” Degner said. “Taxpayers should not be subsidizing unethical and immoral activities like sex work and pornography.”
He also criticized the broader cultural direction of the UW system.
“A bipartisan coalition is seeking to protect minors from the dangers of pornography in Wisconsin while the UW system is actively promoting pornography use for 18-year-olds,” Degner said. “Pornography is damaging for everyone, but especially for young people with developing brains.”
He told The Fix, “Now is the time to protect women and our young people from the harms of the pornography industry.”
Degner further cited declining enrollment trends and ideological programming across the system.
“The UW is having unprecedented drops in student enrollment all while doubling down on initiatives to prioritize DEI, gender theory, and pornography,” he said.
The Fix contacted the UW-Madison media relations office and the Associated Students of Madison three times within in the past two weeks to ask if the $1.1 million total is accurate and how they would respond to criticism about the organization. Neither responded.
Broken down by school year, the budgeted amounts for Sex Out Loud from student fees are: $98,000 in 2014-15, $98,498 in 2015-16, $103,398 in 2016-17, $105,116 in 2018-19, $90,963 in 2019-20, $89,589.50 in 2020-21, $83,630.98 in 2021-22, $80,475.03 in 2022-23, $121,005 in 2023-24, $126,920 in 2024-25, and $135,706.51 in 2025-26.
MORE: UW Madison student fees pay for sex toys: report
IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDIT: The University of Wisconsin at Madison student organization Sex Out Loud advertises services on its website, including an ‘Ethical porn’ program; Sex Out Loud website
