Call It 'Art': Student Plans to Experience Gay Sex for First Time in Front of Live Audience

[Author’s note: This article contains mature themes that may be offensive to some readers. Proceed with caution]:

A 19-year-old art student announced recently a project that will see him experiencing gay sex for the first time in front of a live audience.

And he says he’s doing it all in the name of “art.”

Clayton Pettet hopes his performance project, titled "Art School Stole My Virginity,” will challenge people to reexamine the way they look at human sexuality.

Clayton Pettet (image source: SWNS.com)

“The deflowering is set to take place before an audience of between 50 and 100 in a space in Hackney, London,” the Huffington Post reported.

Pettet and a volunteer plan to do their business in front of a live audience and will hold a Q&A at the close of their performance.

Unsurprisingly, Pettet’s project has raised a few eyebrows. Some have even accused the Central Saint Martins art school in London student of "cheapening" sex.

"I'm not quite sure how that's art. My view is that we believe that all sexuality is a gift from God,” said Rev. Sharon Ferguson, a spokeswoman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement. "It's about what you do with it and how we use it is an expression of our love for God. For my imagining in sex as an art form, I don't think this falls into that category.”

"My issue is around is this the right expression of someone's bodily sexuality? As an art project in front of an audience, where is the love, respect and mutuality in that?” she said. "Stunts like this cheapens our own sexual relationships."

But Pettet defends his project.

“The key thing about performance art is that it should only be performed once, and this is the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime performance,” said Pettet, who has been planning the performance for roughly three years. "I've held on to my virginity for 19 years, and I'm not throwing it away lightly. Basically it's like I am losing the stigma around virginity. I want the audience to see if anything has changed between me and my partner.”

"Since culturally we do hold quite a lot of value to the idea of virginity I have decided to use mine and the loss of it to create a piece that I think will stimulate interesting debate and questions regarding the subject,” he said.

The student has yet to tell his parents about the project, according to the Huffington Post.

The project is scheduled for Jan. 25, 2014.

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Featured image SWNS.com

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