Women's right to sexual happiness
No, not in the United States. Ecuador. Yes, Ecuador!
At least it's in our hemisphere.
When an opposition member worried that this would decree orgasm by law, Assembly member Maria Soledad Vela (on the committee that defines fundamental constitutional rights) asserted, "I never asked for the right to orgasm, only the right to enjoyment." I love it.
Does being in Ithaca make me “elitist”?
Okay, I wanted to write about my final two lectures of the school year, and the joy of being in Ithaca.
Instead, I'm getting a bit angry about the whole bitter/elite thing.
This week, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on government-supported abstinence-only education. But despite expert testimony from the American Public Health Association, the U.S. Institute of Medicine, the American Psychological Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecolosits that abstinence-only teaching doesn't work, is a waste of money, and actually spreads misinformation about sex, Republicans objected:
Rep. John Duncan, a Tennessee Republican, said that it seems "rather elitist" that people with academic degrees in health think they know better than parents what type of sex education is appropriate.
The Bush Administration, continually willing to ignore science, continued to seek support for this misguided approach to sex education. And it appears things would be the same in the McCain administration. The so-called "maverick" seems quite confused about sex education, with his so-called "Straight Talk Express" completely derailed in this interview:
Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”
Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”
Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”
Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”
Ugh…
“Far above Cayuga's waters…”
Flying off tomorrow to Ithaca for the last two lectures of the semester and, alas, the school year! First will be Ithaca College on Wednesday. The school is special for me, as it's where I did endless numbers of little workshops in the residence halls, developing my skills as a speaker/presenter. And then on Thursday I go to Cornell – my alma mater. I always feel nostalgic visiting the campus I crashed as a 17 year-old, when it was unfathomable that I would ever become a sex educator! All these years later, it's a special feeling to be on stage in Statler Auditorium – a place where I was once one of a thousand as a student in the audience…
America Unzipped
Just two more weeks on the road, and I’m trying to survive both the travel and the tax season (the latter ending, for better or for worse, today!).
For now, I wanted to report that I recently finished Brian Alexander’s America Unzipped: In Search of Sex and Satisfaction. It’s a satisfying read in a gonzo journalism sort of way in which Alexander travels the country meeting the many Americans who are getting “down and dirty” in our otherwise conservative culture. A fun and revealing ride, especially seeing how many sworn Republicans are true conservatives in thinking the government should stay out of their sexual lives – though I don’t necessarily agree with all of the author’s conclusions.
