Over two dozen artists from the LA area were given homemade costumes to decorate as they pleased as part of the School of Sexuality Project’s community-centered celebration.
LONG BEACH, CA — Artists bedecked in handmade giant vulva costumes paraded down the aisle of the First Congregational Church of Long Beach as part of the School of Sexuality Project's 2026 “Vulva Gala” this Saturday, August 15. Approximately 30 artists from the Los Angeles area were given homemade costumes to design and decorate as they liked — some adorned them with piercings and embraced self-expression, while others used their vulva outfits to call out injustices such as ICE violence against pregnant women. The second annual event drew approximately 400 guests.
Bridgett Khoury is the queer Palestinian-Chinese mother of three who founded the School of Sexuality Project back in 2020 to “shift away from the dry, overly medical lecture style of learning and move into a festival symposium style of learning that builds community," she said.
"We center humor and art in order to make an uncomfortable subject a little bit more approachable,” Khoury told Hyperallergic in an interview.
Vulva costumes are a big part of the curriculum to destigmatize human anatomy, and Khoury's father actually hand-sews each of them in a diverse collection of skin tones and shapes. The project had lots of extras and shared the hand-sewn anatomical base with artists across the area back in February, with the invitation to create something that reflected their lived experiences and celebrated their bodies.
“Giving these blank canvases to artists gave them the opportunity to tell their story,” Khoury said.