The student-run Sex Faire planned for Saturday aims to teach students about safe, consensual sex in a fun and welcoming way.

But for state Rep. John Lawless, R-Montgomery, Orgasm Bingo and the Tent of Consent aren't funny.

"It's a shame Graham Spanier is even allowing this trash to happen," Lawless said yesterday.

Feminist students who are organizing the event said they wouldn't let the criticism stop them and continued making plans.

"As students, we have a right to talk about these things," said Jessica Harvey (junior-history), a member of Womyn's Concerns. "If you can't talk about that on a college campus, where can you talk about that?"

The Sex Faire, which runs from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday in the Pollock Rec Room, will feature informative presentations, literature and games, Harvey said.

Lawless' opinions about Penn State are timely for two reasons.

First, Lawless sits on the state House Appropriations Committee, which will question Penn State President Graham Spanier about the university's use of taxpayer money on Feb. 27.

Second, Lawless wrote to Gov. Tom Ridge in December to complain about another Womyn's Concerns event, the art festival they called Cuntfest. Ridge's budget proposal, including state funding for Penn State, is due out Tuesday.

Spanier told the University Faculty Senate this week that the governor's office had not yet given any hints about the Penn State appropriation, but he said he wasn't optimistic about it.

Womyn's Concerns ran their first Sex Faire in December 1999, which attracted about 200 students, said Missy Mazzaferro (senior-English and women's studies), co-director of Womyn's Concerns.

The Tent of Consent would be one of the new exhibits this year, allowing students to enjoy two minutes of private time behind a hanging sheet after passing through checkpoints explaining the importance of consent, Mazzaferro said.

"It's sort of a fun way to raise awareness about getting consent from people before having sex," Mazzaferro said.

The Faire will also include a slide show about cervical exams, a presentation about gay and lesbian sex from the Lambda Student Alliance, and free AIDS information and condoms, Harvey said.

"It's informative and its fun," Harvey said.

Harvey explained the game of Orgasm Bingo, in which the cards are labeled with sensual words and the players announce they've won by shouting "Orgasm!"

The event would show the positive sides of feminism, rather than just warning people about sexual violence in a negative way, Mazzaferro said.

Penn State's lobbyist assured him that Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Asbury had ordered the Sex Faire canceled, Lawless said yesterday.

Through university spokesman Bill Mahon, Asbury said yesterday the event would continue as scheduled.

Lawless would like to attend the Sex Faire if it happened, and plans to raise the issue in the appropriations hearing in the next several weeks.

"Me and Graham are going to talk about the birds and the bees," Lawless said.