Opinion
Open dialogue necessary
Looking for a print version?
Simply use your browser’s ‘Print’ command and a printer-friendly document will be generated automatically.
Also by Letters to the Editor:
- Clegg absurd, biased on CFACT (May 5, 2009)
- Fund peer tutors (April 28, 2009)
- UW policy consistent with nation (April 23, 2009)
- Biddy's initiative not worth it (April 20, 2009)
- A plan for better advising (April 20, 2009)
Sharing tools:
E-mail this article:
Wear your sexuality with Pride.
- Being proud of sexuality
- Sex is still in some facets a taboo that we refrain from discussing
- Opening allows us to open up
- Men sharing sexual experience — find community — women talking with other women about not having orgasms,
I think that most of us can attest to a rather sub-par health class in high school. My health class consisted of scary STD pictures and "the miracle of birth." Sexuality, sexual orientation and sexual fetishes were left out of the conversation and encased in a sheath of shame. The message I got from my school, my peers and media was that sex was inherently evil and engaging in it would ruin my life.
College stands as a bit more sexually liberal than my high school but in some ways is still limiting. Sex in some ways is still not talked about, and if it is, often in the most vague of terms. Heaven forbid anyone enjoy such sexual fetishes as feet, "water-sports" or BDSM. Sexuality should be openly discussed, and individuals should feel comfortable wearing their individual sexuality with pride.
I often bear witness to conversations where heterosexual vaginal intercourse is the norm, those that choose to abstain from sex are "prudes," those that enjoy sex are pegged as promiscuous, and men that enjoy anal sex are gay.
If sexuality in all of its facets were discussed more openly, perhaps the shame that stigmatizes many sexual acts would decrease. With open discussion, individuals could perhaps find community. Women could talk about masturbation and not wonder if sex bereft of orgasms is a "natural" part of sex. Men could develop healthy masculinity in relationships and wouldn't feel uncomfortable discussing premature masculinity and how it hinders their "manhood."
It should be our goal to promote healthy sexuality — in all of its forms — not just those that the media or our parents impart upon us as being good and natural.
MAD SEX WEEK is this week. Go to sexoutloud.com for more information
Chris Daniels
UW Sophomore
Member of SEX OUT LOUD campaign
2 Comments | Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Herald Blogs
The Beat Goes On
Muckrakers
President’s Visit Marked a Speech to One of the Last Groups Not Critical of Him
Extra Points
Top Classified Ads (view all)
HOUSES FOR Fall 2010. All houses are on W Dayton or N Bassett. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 bedrooms. All have parking. madisoncampusrentals.com
Woot woot! Go sex out loud! And not to mention the taboos and restrictions on sexual orientation, I've seen people with "I'm straight but not narrow" pins, I don't know what organization makes them and I'm not saying they're horribly bad or anything, but why is it that everyone who calls themself a heterosexual is so afraid of being mistaken for being gay?
how come the worst sex i've ever had was with a former sex-out-loud leader? he obviously didn't pay attention to his own little "good sex" classes...