Dr. Charles Ferrer says her interest in sexology stems from a particularly maddening experience in which she was forced to confront society's narrow perception of sexuality. Ferrer, 44, had returned to school at the age of 29 and enrolled in a course on sex therapy. Her professor assigned her to study a couple experiencing a sexual crisis.

"My couple was into alternative lifestyles," Ferrer remembers. The male in the relationship confessed to Ferrer that repressing a particular sexual desire of his was causing him such guilt that he was unable to perform sexually.

Ferrer took it upon herself to mediate between the couple, and ultimately found a way that the man could fulfill his desire without offending his partner. When she presented the results of her work to the class, however, Ferrer recalls with a look of horror, "people went ape."

"'That's abuse! You should have sent her to a counselor. She's being battered!'" she remembers her classmates saying.

Incredibly frustrated and angered by the existence of these sexual restrictions, Ferrer decided then and there to dedicate her life to exploring sexuality, eventually earning her doctorate in human sexuality.

Ferrer, the award-winning author of The Latina Kama Sutra, opened the Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony Monday evening in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, where she spoke to about 20 students, most of who are women, about her own struggles with-and triumphs over--racial prejudice. She offered motivational advice on how to overcome similar obstacles.

"So many people don't know or don't get the right information" about sex, Ferrer says. Especially within Latina communities around the world, Ferrer says "people are still not talking about what is needed to be talked about."

Waving her hands expressively while telling stories, Ferrer relates how the prejudice she encountered eventually caused her to drop out of HIGH? school and "join the wrong crowd." When she ultimately joined the army, Ferrer says she finally felt appreciated; that is until the officers found out she was Puerto Rican.

"'You're supposed to be Italian!'" she recalls them shouting. Having discovered her true ethnicity, the officers took away her fork and knife, asserting that Puerto Ricans are known to stab people.

Her childhood also contributed to her interest in teaching sexuality and spreading sexual empowerment within the Latina community.

She is a living example of how a narrative you're told growing up often doesn't translate in reality. "I was told I would have 10 kids by the time I was 30, that I was a poor Puerto Rican girl who would never amount to anything," she says.

Fanny Familia, a co-coordinator of Hispanic Heritage Month, says she wanted to invite Ferrer to speak because of her expertise in breaking down stereotypes about sexual relationships and the harsh realities Latinas face.

"Latina women are the number one contractors of HIV in the United States, Familia says. "We're raised to not speak about such subjects because it's embarrassing or not right. A lot of us make bad decisions without knowing."

Familia says she and her fellow coordinators hoped Ferrer could help ease the stigma associated with sex in the Latina community.

Currently, Ferrer primarily counsels women between the ages of 26 and 53, but also some men between 35 and 60. She also hosts the first bilingual sex education show, "Caliente with Dr. Charley," a television show that is shot live before a studio audience in New York City. It only airs in the city.

Amused, yet remarkably at ease with a subject that makes even the most relaxed people feel slightly uncomfortable, Ferrer describes the sort of inquires men most frequently ask her. One man wanted to know if masturbation would cause him to go blind, another asserted that drinking the Hispanic beverage "Malta" before sex was an effective method of birth control.

Ferrer has worked with Latina communities all over the world. Yet she is still horrified by the amount of censorship she faces within the United States.

Only six years ago, Ferrer says, she was hired by a car company to do a sex therapy workshop with couples The only restriction was that she couldn't say "sex."

Ferrer demonstrates with a provocative hand motion how she would answer couples' questions about sex without actually saying the word.

"It's amazing how you can get censored and you don't even notice it," she says, shaking her head in disbelief. "This was not 20 years ago, when you would expect some censorship."

Ferrer has also found it difficult to publish her books without being censored in some form. She says she had to privately publish Latino Kama Sutra.

"I was told that Latinas wouldn't talk about sex, that they could just read what was on the shelves."

Yet in spite of the innumerable instances of censorship she has encountered, Ferrer has found that people have an insatiable curiosity for information about sex.

Ferrer remembers that at one seminar she was invited to she was allotted only a short time to speak. Afterwards, however, she was followed into the lobby by the entire audience, who were still craving answers to their questions.

Laughing, Ferrer describes a phone call she received from a Nicaraguan publication, asking her if she would "officially" work for them.

Apparently, Ferrer says the publication had been taking information on sexuality from her Web site and using it in their paper. When people wrote in with questions about the information, the publication wasn't able to provide answers.

Sometimes Ferrer picks her battles, particularly in Latin America, when it comes to fighting censorship. She has to decide whether publishing censored work, just so people get some useful information about sexuality, outweighs the risk of circumventing publishers.

"If I really feel it's necessary, I'll fight them on it," she says, nodding with enthusiasm.

Ferrer's work is all about breaking barriers and battling established limitations. "We've been taught that sex is bad, but is it really?"

Her private practice, teaching and writing keep her busy enough, and now Ferrer is in the midst of developing a program for the mentally disabled about sexuality and relationships.

Just because people are mentally handicapped, Ferrer attests, "doesn't mean they can't have relationships."

Ferrer's books also focus on under-addressed topics of sexuality. In The Latina Kama Sutra, she addresses "everything under the sun. If it's not in there," she says with confident disbelief, "just call me."

Ferrer's other works include The Passionate Latina: In Our Own Words, published in 2002, and The W.I.S.E. Journal for Sensual Women published in 2001.

She speaks enthusiastically about her writing, emphasizing that often she feels like the lone voice in a sexually repressive society.

"You don't have people out there saying, 'Hey, you can have a great sex life,'" Ferrer explains. She is especially frustrated with the fact that while there are those who educate people about sexually transmitted infections and safe sex practices, there is no one teaching people how to enjoy their sex lives.

"I'm just going there saying, 'Have sex, have fun.'"

Students and administrators who attended the event were thrilled with Ferrer's talk.

"Within the Latino community it's taboo to talk about sex ed," said Meredyth Gonzales, AHORA's co-president. "[Ferrer] is an amazing, empowered woman." AHORA is Brandeis' Hispanic and Latin American club

"I hope this event sparks conversation in residence halls, classrooms and newspapers," says Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams.

The theme of this year's Hispanic Heritage Month is "Building Bridges," which AHORA coordinators describe as a continuation of last year's "Breaking Borders" theme.

Events this year will focus on bringing AHORA members together with other campus groups, such as the Brandeis Labor Coalition, Hillel and the Athletics Department. AHORA will also organize activities outside of Brandeis in the Waltham and Boston communities.

Ferrer will also be leading a workshop Tuesday evening in the Intercultural Center titled, "Sex Ed: The things mami didn't mention." Other Hispanic Heritage Month events include "Main Event," which will feature dancing, singing and spoken word, a Latino comedy Fest with Puerto Rican comedian Alba Sanchez, as well as "Kids in Sports Day," during which AHORA members will give orphan Latino children a fun day of activity. .