Harvard Women Deny Sex Magazine is Pornography

A pair of women students have delivered a frisson to the fusty realms of Harvard, an institution previously associated with gawky teenage genius and the American establishment, by launching an illustrated sex magazine.

H Bomb, which features nude photographs of male and female students and erotic writing, has caused a stir ahead of the publication of its first issue. The launch has been set for May, possibly at the Harvard graduation ceremony.

In a letter yesterday to the Harvard Crimson, the university's student newspaper, the magazine's founders, Katharina Cieplak-Von Baldegg and Camilla Hrdy, were at pains to defend H Bomb from charges of being mere pornography.

"Both male and female students will appear nude in photography portions of the magazine, but that is not the main focus of the magazine. We aim to create a forum for an honest discussion of sex on campus," they wrote.

The publication has also been defended by a psychology professor, Marc Hauser - whose alleged nickname among undergraduates is Sex, according to the Harvard Crimson.

"It is a literary and art magazine about sex and sexuality," Dr Hauser, the faculty adviser for H Bomb, said. "It is an important magazine, in that it will attempt to grapple with both interesting and difficult issues, providing a voice for students and an interesting forum for intellectual exchange."

The magazine was given the green light by the university authorities on Monday. Harvard staff and students reportedly reviewed a range of proposals for student publications - including a journal of erotica called Squirm, from the former all-women college of Vassar.

Squirm appears to have been too much for the campus authorities. But after legal consultation on the ramifications of allowing students to photograph other students naked, the committee on college life gave H Bomb official recognition.

That means the editors can use Harvard's name and facilities and advertise on campus. However, they will not be permitted to conduct nude photo shoots inside university buildings. Students wishing to pose for the magazine must be 18.

Despite a predictable reaction from campus conservatives, the magazine's founders said they found the approval process fairly straightforward.

"Initially there was some concern about the nudity aspect," Ms Hrdy told the Harvard Crimson, but she said the committee overcame its fear of being labelled a pornographer.

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Harvard takes its name from an early patron, Puritan minister John Harvard

It is the world's richest university, with an annual income of $2.5bn

Only 10% of applicants secure a place

Fees for tuition and accommodation come to about $40,000 a year

It has 2,300 professors, 6,650 undergraduates and 13,000 post-graduates

Ex-students include George Bush Snr, Theodore Roosevelt, Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, Benazir Bhutto, John Updike and TS Eliot

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