Amherst College Defends Graphic Sexual Orientation Performances
Monday, December 15, 2025
Students at $92,400-per-year elite college express discomfort with mandatory sex-themed events
First-year students at Amherst College in Massachusetts were required to attend orientation events featuring simulated sex acts, moaning, and condom distribution in the historic Johnson Chapel. The performances, part of orientation programming since 2007, use excerpts from students' own admission essays and are designed to promote "sexual respect" on campus. Many students expressed disgust and discomfort, with critical reactions on social media upvoted by roughly 35% of the student body. The administration defended the events as promoting wellbeing and healthy conversations about sex, despite mounting student complaints about the graphic nature of the performances.
Key Facts
- Annual tuition plus room and board exceeds $93,000, making it the 6th most expensive U.S. college
- Acceptance rate for class of 2029 was just 7%
- "Voices of Amherst" orientation performance has been mandatory since 2007
- College employs 1,400 faculty and staff for only 1,900 students
- Approximately 663 students (35% of student body) upvoted critical reactions on campus social media
- Events include simulated sex acts performed in Johnson Chapel, the college's "most important building"
- Year-round sexual programming organized by multiple full-time administrative offices