Legislators back off, praise GSU experts on sex issues

An expected showdown over sex experts at Georgia State University failed to materialize Tuesday after the school’s professors wowed the House Higher Education Committee and a leading legislative critic backed off.

The minor controversy had flared last week after Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton) e-mailed supporters lambasting the University System of Georgia for offering classes in oral sex, male prostitution and “queer theory,” which is a field of of gender studies. He later learned the document he saw was not a course listing, but rather a copy of GSU’s experts guide, which provides journalists and policy researchers access to faculty with different expertise.

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But Hill also learned several other universities in the state offer classes with the word “queer” in the title. He was joined by Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock) who took the House floor to criticize universities for paying for experts in oral sex and male prostitution.

Two of those experts spoke to the House committee Tuesday. Kirk Elifson is listed as an expert in male prostitution. He said he became an expert while serving as a captain in the Army in Vietnam and later became a professor. The Centers for Disease Control, he said, sought out his expertise to help with the growing AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

“We’ve done some cutting-edge research in HIV,” he said. “I’m proud of the work I’ve done.”

Georgia has one of the nation’s highest rate of sexually transmitted disease, he said, and his research is geared toward reducing that.

Mindy Stombler, another Sociology instructor, is listed as an expert in oral sex. She said her research is aimed at studying attitudes of teens toward sex, who, she said, are increasingly having oral sex and see it as “casual and socially acceptable.”

Several members of the committee praised Elifson and Stombler for their work, Hill, too, spoke to the committee but given the chance, did not ask the GSU faculty any questions.

He defended his interest in the issue and said he never specifically accused GSU of anything. He also said the media had blown the subject out of proportion.

“It’s been taken sideways by people who like the titillating words,” he said.

He argued that in a time of budget cuts universities should not offer classes that do not help students get jobs.

Tuesday’s meeting might not be the end of the issue, however, as the Senate Higher Education Committee is expected to discuss it next week and have invited GSU teachers and officials to attend.