Rantz: School Board director hosts ‘Queer Youth Open Mic’ at sex shop

A Washington state school board director is hosting an LGBT event for kids at a sex shop.

Jenn Mason is the owner of WinkWink, which bills itself as an all-ages, “identity-inclusive sex shop” in Bellingham. In addition to the sex products, Mason offers 50-minute sex coaching sessions. She’s also the school board director for the Bellingham School District. And on June 1, Mason is hosting “queer youth (0 to 18 years old)” for an open mic.

At the free event, children will have five minutes to perform music and poetry, or simply tell a story. Unless Mason clears out the store, those children will be near sex toys, graphic books, and lingerie, with a curtained doorway keeping them away.

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Beyond questionable judgment

The sex shop isn’t living up to its promise to be “inclusive, never creepy.” This event is inappropriately inclusive, and extremely creepy.

Having kids present in a sex shop is bizarre enough. Hosting an open mic for kids as young as 10-months-old is nonsensical. Pretending that a 9-year-old is “queer” is delusional.

In an email to the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, Mason said this event is unrelated to her school board role and that the space would be “physically separated” from the area with graphic sex toys. The school district said it does not endorse this event.

“As this is a public event at a private business, anyone uncomfortable with the location may choose to not attend,” Mason explained.

But while Mason works hard to create a “sex-positive” culture, she’s creepily bringing young children to a space where she teaches “The Fine Art of Fellatio,” “Sex Toys 101,” and “Feeling Myself: Self-Pleasure Pointers.” Her event posting appears after the workshop, “Non-monogamy for newbies,” so hopefully parents and their kids don’t RSVP to the wrong event.

It’s hard to explain who has more questionable judgment: Mason or any parent who brings a child to this event.

There is a growing crowd of community members who are upset about the event. Some are even wondering if a protest at the shop is warranted. But there’s fear their moves would be twisted as anti-gay, which it is not. They merely feel that introducing children to a sex shop at a young age is inappropriate. They’re right.

The problem with sex positivity

There’s a left-wing movement to introduce sex and sexuality to children at a young age in order to destigmatize the topic. But Mason and WinkWink are examples of taking the movement too far.

“WinkWink offers a space for people — including queer folks — to ask questions and learn about sexuality in an accepting, safe, and shame-free environment. We receive extensive sexual health training and are a knowledgeable, inclusive community resource — something severely lacking around sexuality in our culture,” Mason tells the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

But wanting youth to be more comfortable asking questions about sex as they arise is much different than teaching them about sex when they’re six or showing them sex toys when they’re 11. And Mason’s store clearly knows what it’s doing, reminding customers on its website that “there is no law or store policy that sets an age limit for our customers; all people are allowed into the shop.”

Mason did not respond to requests for comment.

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