Brown University’s "Asian-American artist-in-residence" is an advocate for "sex workers" and has "sadomasochism proclivities." The activist’s personal interests will be presented to students through a series of events.

The Ivy League university’s artist is named Yin Q. "Q is an organizer at Red Canary Song, a collective of Asian and migrant sex workers, as well as a founder of Kink Out, a production group of queer, leather art and activism events that 'center BIPOC representation,'" according to the Brown Daily Herald.

What are Q’s other interests besides helping "sex workers?"

"My writing work has always been intertwined with my sadomasochism proclivities," Q explains . "I am a Mother, writer/producer/artist, and I have been a BDSM practitioner for over twenty years. My practice entwines kink and rituals that center nature and dethrones systemic power." Filmmaker Spike Lee has even compared Q to desegregation pioneer Jackie Robinson, who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. "I am a core organizer of Red Canary Song," Q adds, "a grassroots collective that advocates for sex work decriminalization & protective policies and provides resources to the migrant massage parlor workers of Flushing, Queens NY."

Students at this elite university will have an opportunity to connect with the aspiring bondage enthusiast or sex worker inside them, according to the student newspaper.

The artist-in-residence "has organized a wide range of events for the spring semester, including a Valentine’s Day special workshop 'Introduction to Rope/Shibari' and a conversation with Empress Wu, a social media coordinator and digital archivist for arts nonprofits, on 'Sadomasochism, Power, Blood and Money,'" the student newspaper reported. "Upcoming events in March include a second Rope workshop and a screening of the documentary film 'Fly in Power,' which explores issues among Asian migrant massage and sex workers," the paper reported.

The workshops will dispel "misrepresentations" about sadomasochism - "whether I’m teaching something like rope bondage or something like flogging or spanking, I really let people know that this is about sensation," Q said. Graduate coordinator Mark Tseng Putterman said that students will leave the kink workshops with "a more expansive and creative idea of what Asian American art [can do]."

Free advice, but if Q wants students to respect Asian American art, it might be helpful to actually teach them about art and not use it as an excuse to show off the artist’s "sadomasochism proclivities." Japanese, Chinese, and Korean culture spans thousands of years, for example, and has produced plenty of art, music, dance, sculptures, and works of literature. To boil down "Asian" art to sadomasochism does a disservice to the rich cultural history of the Asian continent.

Students at Brown University, and local Asian leaders, should demand better of the school than to turn their cultures and histories into a pornographic display. The American Studies department botched this one and made a big mistake in linking Asian culture to prostitution, kink, and bondage.

Matt Lamb is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. He is an associate editor for the College Fix and has previously worked for Students for Life of America and Turning Point USA.