Amherst College, a prestigious institution founded over 200 years ago with the mission of preparing young Christian men for the ministry, has seen a significant shift in its focus.
Today, the college is a hub for administratively sanctioned sex performances and "sexual skills" programs, with an emphasis on "queer" and transgender students and free-sex practices such as polyamory. The explicit nature of these school-sanctioned events has left many current students feeling deeply uncomfortable, as reported by students who spoke to The Washington Free Beacon.
Situated in central Massachusetts, Amherst is one of the nation's most exclusive small liberal arts colleges. The acceptance rate for the class of 2029 was a mere 7 percent, and the annual tuition plus room and board surpasses $93,000, making it the sixth-most expensive college in the country.
Each year, first-year students are encouraged to attend an event known as "Voices of the Class" as part of their orientation. This event familiarizes students with Amherst's "code of conduct" through a theatrical performance that uses out-of-context excerpts from their own admissions essays. A significant portion of this performance is dedicated to sex. The event takes place in Johnson Chapel, a building that Amherst considers its "most important," and is used for worship services, convocations, senior assemblies, and other significant gatherings.
On August 31st, 2025, the chapel's chancel became a stage for students to perform simulated sex acts, including oral sex, masturbation, and group sex. The administration promotes the event as a "lighthearted tradition" to "celebrate the humor, creativity, and individuality of your class." The school funds the performance, and Amherst administrators work closely with the student performers, offering feedback and approving the script.
The Office of Student Affairs told the Free Beacon, "Voices of Amherst has been part of New Student Orientation since 2007 and is coordinated by New Student and Family Programs in Student Affairs. Each year, the script is newly written by junior and senior students using excerpts from the incoming classs admissions essays. The final script is reviewed and approved by staff before the performance. Funding for production comes from the Orientation budget; student performers are not paid, and Johnson Chapel serves as the traditional venue."
Despite the graphic nature of the performance, the Office of Student Affairs insisted in an email that "Voices of the Class" is "not graphic." However, many first-year students expressed discomfort with the performance, with one upperclassman orientation leader telling the Free Beacon, "The administration instructed us to send the first-years to the event. Had I known what it was, I certainly wouldnt have."
The "Voices of the Class" performance is just the beginning of the sexual programming at Amherst. Throughout the year, full-time staff organize sexual programming primarily through the administrative offices of Health and Wellbeing Education, Residential Engagement and Wellbeing, Student Engagement and Leadership, and the Queer Resource Center.
One such program is the mandatory "Wellbeing Skits," which depict students roleplaying various casual and drunken sexual scenarios, including sex with strangers. Amanda Vann, Amhersts "director of health and wellbeing education," told the Free Beacon that the skits help students build up their skills when it comes to sex. "The skits are part of our broader commitment to promoting wellbeing and sexual respect on campus," she said. "They encourage conversations about topics that can sometimes feel difficult to discuss, from sexual health and communication to harm reduction and self-care. By presenting these subjects in a relatable, engaging format, the skits help students build the skills and awareness needed to care for themselves, support one another, and contribute to a healthy, respectful community."
However, some students, like John Collier, an Amherst junior from the Atlanta area, believe the school-sanctioned sex simulations and obscene skits are having the opposite effect. "I understand that Amherst is trying to remove the taboo behind sex on campus, but this has gone way too far," he said. "The way it's forced in our faces does the exact opposite."
Another official event at Amherst is "Sex in the Dark," an annual program held at the beginning of each school year. Organized by the Office of Health and Wellbeing Education, the event takes place in darkness. Students report being encouraged to speak about uncomfortable sexual topics, such as their sexual orientation, habits, kinks, and fantasies with the "sex experts" in the dark room.
Amhersts staff also encourages students to explore unconventional sexual lifestyles such as polyamory, where people in a groupoften living togetherhave multiple sexual relationships simultaneously with the consent of everyone in the group.
At "Beyond Monogamy," organized by the Residential Engagement and Wellbeing Center and Queer Resource Center, students were encouraged to speak with three licensed therapists who "specialize in polyamory and ethical non-monogamy" about "building healthy non-monogamous relationships in college and beyond."
The administration has also begun funding an annual drag show. Last year, the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership funded nine performers, including one who went by the name "Stanley Coochie." The two-and-a-half-hour show included songs "Vagina" and "Big Ole Freak." Students were encouraged in the events registration link to tip the "queens" if they felt inclined, and instructed by the Queer Resource Center to either hand cash directly to performers or throw it onto the stage.
The focus on sexual outsiders and norm-breaking sexual behaviors "is so normalized here, I just kind of laugh it off at this point. It just feels so disturbing and dystopian," junior Evana Toumazatos told the Free Beacon.
Amherst is certainly a long way from Idaho for Niemi. "If I knew how constantly repressed, bad, and weird I would feel for not partaking in campus culture, I would have thought a lot longer about coming to Amherst. It takes a huge toll on you constantly hiding your opinions from students and professors all the time," she said.
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