sex/sex ed websites with stuff

Okay, everyone… I'm trying to find websites with trivia, stats, cartoons, quizzes, and quotes (like celebrity quotes) related to sex and sex education. If you've got any suggestions, please email them – thanks!

a) in Iran? b) in the U.S.? c) um… both?

The first thing I want to say about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at Columbia University is this: I hope I never get introduced like he did. While I believe Lee Bollinger, the school's president, had the right to frame the event as he did, I was shocked how harsh and inhospitable his opening remarks were. Watch the video or read the transcript… it's over-the-top.

Regarding Ahmadinejad's ridiculously ignorant claim about gay men and lesbians, I think Juan Cole's writing says it best:

"… Ahmadinejad's bigotted statement that there are no homosexuals in Iran derived from his rightwing religious commitments. What he said is very serious. He erased gays right out of existence. The ultimate in denying people their rights is to deny they even exist (the nonexistent obviously have no rights.) There could be a debate over whether the gay lifestyle exists in Muslim countries, as a matter of identity politics, of course, but Ahmadinejad is not that sophisticated. He was saying that all Iranians are straight. Of course, gays are punished very severely in Iran, in reality.

It would be nice for the US Right to have us forget that they pull the Ahmadinejad act with regard to gays every day. Denying gays the right to marry is a way of erasing them from civil society. It is a way of denying that they really love one another, as straights do. It is a way of asserting that they do not exist.

The "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the US military (so unlike the one followed by many NATO allies) is also a way of erasing gays. They don't exist unless they themselves press the case that they exist. In order to remain in their jobs, they are forced to erase themselves by their silence. The 'don't ask, don't tell' policy is a way of pretending that there are no gays in the US military. For if it could be proven that anyone is gay, he is immediately expelled. It is just as silly as what Ahmadinejad said, and just as pernicious. That policy is supported by the entire American Right, which is no better than Ahmadinejad in this regard."

Both Iran and the United States share blame in trying to erase gay men and lesbians from society. We're just a little (though not a lot) more subtle about it.

Hope for the future, from Nova Scotia to San Diego

I've thus far resisted temptation to comment on the Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) sex scandal, but if you consider it in the context of Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, Jim West, Bob Allen and the like, the hypocrisy of the closeted conservatives speaks for itself.

Instead, I'd like to share a couple of positive stories in the news the past couple of days that show change is in the air. First, after a ninth grader heard homophobic comments and threats for wearing a pink polo shirt to school, classmates in Nova Scotia rallied to his support, turning the school into "a sea of pink" in making an anti-bullying statement.

Second is a story about an amazing change of heart by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who surprised many in an emotional statement of last-minute support for same-sex marriage. The full video is well worth watching; in short, Sanders explained "I just could not bring myself to tell an entire group of people in our community they were less important, less worthy, or less deserving of the rights and responsibilities of marriage than anyone else, simply because of their sexual orientation." 

Acceptance, affirmation, and activism… these are good things.

What's our priority?

I'm endlessly amazed – and ashamed – at how so many of us in the States tolerate violence images in the media, but shun sexuality. So many parents let their children watch excessively violent films without worry or complaint until one sex scene comes on, one nude scene comes on, one breast gets exposed. Hmm… one breast gets exposed. It's only been a few years since the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl "titillated" and tried our country to no end (the irony being that there were relatively no complaints about the endless erectile dysfunction drug ads that ran throughout the broadcast), where we became the laughing-stock of the world for our Victorian attitudes related to sex.

Today I was perusing the recently released Small Arms Survey 2007. Interesting and frightening reading. Check this out: U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms. We're easily the most heavily armed country in the world, with 90 guns for every 100 of our people!

So… guns are good, and breasts are bad. (Well, per the Viagra ads, maybe boners are okay.) Strange, and sad, our priorities - and our morals.

… and maybe even win a prize!

Go home and have sex, urged the governor.

Where, you ask? California? New York?

Not a chance. The call to duty came from Sergei Morozov, governor of the central Russian province of Ulyanovsk, in an attempt to boost the birth rate there. Couples who had sex yesterday and deliver on June 12 will be eligible to win prizes such as cars, TVs, and refrigerators.

"The scheme is working. People want the prizes," said Dr. Andrei Malykh.

It's possible, though, that they also need the permission. And the time to do it.

The last clinic… and the last stop for The J-Spot?

This insightful entry at Perrspectives (wow, there's such incredible and invaluable information on the Internet – especially in the blogosphere) on "The Last Abortion Clinic in Mississippi" demonstrates the whittling away of reproductive rights in America. And while women (and men) face increasing challenges in access and affordability for condoms and pills they need to prevent sexual problems, pharmacists happily dispense Viagra with approval from insurance companies. (In fact, this past week marked the fifteenth birthday of the little blue pill; to be fair, the drug's "staying power" will be enhanced if it fulfills its promise to tackle numerous other conditions.)

It's not just reproductive rights under attack, but sexual rights as well – including sex education. Which brings us back to Mississippi. It's the only state I've never set foot in. The only one! So… I'm calling you out, Ole Miss. MSU, too. And maybe even Millsaps. Who'll step up and be the first to bring The J-Spot to your state?

It’s still summer, isn’t it?

Blogging’s been a bit slow, between taking in tennis at the U.S. Open, doing a few fun lectures while on the east coast, and still enjoying the summer. Speaking of which… here’s someone far more special than the previously mentioned Maria, along with Jay, at play, with The Fray.

I’ve just met a girl named Maria

Yes, I just took a short break from the lecture action to take in some U.S. Open tennis action. While Sharapova lost, it was thrilling to see Federer, Nadal, and Blake win their matches. If you ever find yourself in New York this time of year, try to get a ticket. The day and night sessions are exciting in their own ways, the competition is fierce and fun, and the tournament is well-run (including its commitment to gender pay equity).