A school board director in Washington state, who also happens to own an all-ages sex shop, plans to host an event for children called “Queer Youth Open Mic Night” at her store.
Jenn Mason, who is serving in her fifth year as a member of the Bellingham Public Schools board of directors, will hold the June 1 event at her store, called WinkWink Boutique, also located in Bellingham. All queer youth aged “0 to 18 years old” are invited to perform at the gathering by sharing poetry, music, or a story, according to a posting on the shop’s website.
“Celebrate youth pride,” a Facebook post for the free event said. “Come share and hold space for this celebration and stage for young queer voices in our community.”
WinkWink touts itself as a “woman-owned, identify-inclusive sex shop” where “we celebrate sexual expression and exploration, banish shame and help our customers to better love themselves and others,” according to the shop’s website. “We believe that normalizing, accepting and affirming all bodies, identities and gender experiences is an inherently political act. Pleasure is our revolution.”
Other special events this month at WinkWink are entitled “Non-Monogamy for Newbies” and “Rewire Your Desire.” Mason bills herself as a “sex coach, educator” and “unapologetic pleasure advocate.” She offers private sex coaching to her clients, addressing such troubles as difficulty with orgasm and “pleasing yourself or a partner.”
Bellingham Public Schools describes her qualifications rather differently on its website, saying she’s a “small business owner working with nonprofit organizations and government agencies on resource development, communication and events.” The school district notes, too, that she “worked for 15 years on behalf of families and children, including as a community educator and trauma counselor in public schools throughout Whatcom County.”
Mason told Seattle radio host Jason Rantz that the “Queer Youth Open Mic Night” was unrelated to her role as a school board member and that children would be separated from the area of her shop featuring graphic sex toys. Rantz was unconvinced, saying, “The sex shop isn’t living up to its promise to be ‘inclusive, never creepy’. This event is inappropriately inclusive and extremely creepy.”
The school district is trying to distance itself from the event. A district spokesperson told Fox News that the “community event is not sponsored by our schools or school district.”