Northwestern U Live Sex Demo Featured Exhibitionists, Sex Saw

Northwestern University psychology professor J. Michael Bailey isn't sure whether he'll say he shouldn't have allowed a live sex demo in an after-class session.

"If I decide to say I shouldn't have done this," Bailey told the Chicago Tribune Thursday, "it will be because [the controversy] could have been avoided, not because anybody has been harmed by it."

Bailey allowed a man to demonstrate the use of a sex toy on his naked girlfriend in front of about 100 Northwestern University students Feb. 21, and the firestorm has been building since.

The Sex Toy, Described

The particular sex toy brought into the Northwestern University classroom for an after-class exploration of sexual fetishes is colloquially referred to as a f*** saw. A f*** saw consists of a phallic device attached to a power saw. Typically, the phallic device is placed over an adaptor before being placed on the saw. The saw is then used for vaginal or anal sexual stimulation. But not everyone is smart enough to figure out all of that.

Makeshift F*** Saw Leads to Medivac Rescue

While the demonstration in Bailey's classroom didn't physically harm anyone, one Maryland woman experimenting with a similar device wasn't so lucky. In 2009, a 27-year-old southern Maryland woman was severely injured by a makeshift f*** saw her boyfriend used on her with her consent. The saw apparently sliced through the plastic phallus and into sensitive parts of the woman. Her injuries were sufficiently serious that emergency responders arranged for Medivac to transport her to a regional hospital center.

The Maryland woman and her boyfriend had fitted the plastic phallic device directly over the saw blade. In a Monday morning quarterback account of the incident, the Washington City Paper suggested:

"...if you do want to stick a saw in there, you'd do well to invest in [an adaptor]."

Sex Toys and Over-stimulation Risks

Sex toys of the type used in the Northwestern University live demonstration are typically capable of operating at multiple speeds, providing intense stimulation. There seems to be a dearth of published information on whether the devices are potentially hazardous due to their intensity.

A Psychology Today report on vibrators says that while those devices may cause numbing and soreness, they don't do long term damage. Whether the same holds true for the more intense f*** saws is not documented.

Debate Continues on Classroom Live Sex Demo

Beyond concerns relating to potential physical harm, there's the question of whether a live sex demo of any kind belongs in a university classroom.

Northwestern University's president issued a statement earlier this week saying he was "troubled and disappointed" by the demonstration in Bailey's classroom. The demonstration came about after Bailey hired Kevin Melvoin-Berg of Weird Chicago Tours to make a presentation on sexual fetishes. Melvoin-Berg brought along a couple, described at Time Out Chicago as exhibitionists who enjoy being watched while they have sex. The couple was identified in the Chicago Sun-Times as Jim Marcus, 45, and Faith Kroll, 25. The decision to engage in sex in front of the students was a spontaneous one, reports say.

So far, it's unclear whether the university's insurers or the vice squad have joined the debate over the legitimacy of the live sex demonstration on Northwestern University's campus.

The one constituency that seems universally at ease with the live sex demo is the students who saw it. They have given the session positive reviews, according to various media reports.