Keep up the good work.

To relegate rape to the status of simply being “taboo” denies the impact it has and completely diregards the fact that rape is always unwanted and inexcusable. Those who commit the act have little or no regard for others. The same cannot be said of people who want to experience other sexual practices with a consensual partner.

As for educating people, I agree that our current education system is failing miserably in a wide array of areas, and it too needs “a bit of fixin’.” Parents need to educate their children, of course, but schools also need to be allowed to teach children factual information without fear of being sued. Our schools are too timid today because of the lack of parental support, political correct nonsense, and overall societal apathy. But education is another topic for another day.

BTW- I never identified myself as a Libertarian. I am a registered “non-affiliated” voter, meaning I support no particular party platform other than that of Common Sense.

Thanks again for the comment.

Well said BonJ. It’s always helpful to have similar points of view enunciated in another way to better express a point of view.

We MUST educate young people about sex. We MUST prepare them in advance of sexual relationships for the emotional and physical realm in which they venture. I thought we were archaic when I was a teen- but I can’t believe how far we’ve regressed!

Prevention is the best cure for unwanted pregnancy. Did you know that 7% of the women in America that don’t use birth control for whatever reason, are responsible for 53% of the abortions? If you don’t like abortions, you can’t knock education. I look forward to your essay on this subject Ken.

More education doesn’t cause promiscuity (did having a condom in your wallet ever guarantee that you were going to get lucky?), it creates an environment where people make informed decisions. I don’t want my kids to get STD’s, and I think it’s appropriate for them to learn about all of that in school. What I think about pre-marital sex and the way our family runs it’s personal business belongs at home.

A note to Ottoman in regard to “the end of the species” comment. You do realize that marriage is manmade in the first place- right? Therefore, the rules can be rewritten. (Let us recall the many rewritings of the Bible) Not promoting commitment and refusing to include homosexuals in the moral marriage club is to no one’s benefit. Unless you enjoy excluding people, of course. I must reiterate what SheaNC said about money being the motivating factor for our powers that be, certainly not morality. That’s just a vehicle.

And second, come on~ our species is not at risk of dying out. If that’s what you’re being told, get that facts at: http://www.overpopulation.com, because you will be shocked how overgrown we have become, especially in relation to the shrinking amount of farmland available to feed this growing giant.
And even if overpopulation wasn’t such a factor, moving into eachother’s bedrooms with a checklist of do’s and don’t’s has no place here. As long as people do their best to lead happy and healthy sexual lives, who are we to judge them? I cannot fathom that even the “rightest-wing” person truly believes that their marriage would suffer because of another couple tying the knot, gay or not. Especially since the great majority of heterosexual marriages end in divorce. Do we really have room to talk? If the anti-gay marriage movement is to rid ourselves of the duty to lead by example in the successful marriage dept, then I guess I understand the abhorance to the idea. That would be an interesting attempt indeed.

I never got from Ken’s essay that open-sexuality is the goal. And, promiscuity is not necessarily the bi-product of a guilt-free sex life. I know that some people need little fuel for their sexual fire to go burning out of control, but they have issues with or without our decision-making. Promiscuity exists and always has for BOTH sexes, we’re not going to change that. But we can create more responsible sexual beings. I don’t think sunbathing topless, for instance, would cause rampant havoc on beaches everywhere. It would just remove one more needless taboo, and instill new standards of manners and acceptable behavior (mainly) for men. We were all born naked, afterall.

Dot Bar- As mentioned in the post, along with the decriminalization and/or normalization of the various sexual taboos, factual and comprehensive education is necessary to inform people of the best ways to reduce instances of STD’s and abortion. You obviously can’t “open the floodgates” without giving people the knowledge to row their boats. And I don’t ever say that these kinds of activities are for everyone to do, just that they should not be restricted based on religious morality issues. I am happy that you have found what works for you…why prohibit others from finding what works for them?

MandT- Thanks for the positive response. I am glad that you were able to experience sexual revelations in spite of societal taboos.

SheaNC- Thanks for the input on homosexual marriage. As mentioned before, I’ll be posting an essay that further explores this issue.

Selected Pete- I’m not sure how “non-consensual sex” and “predatory sexual behavior” can be taken in any other way than it is intended. Any sexual contact with a party who clearly does not accede to it would fall into the category of “non-consensual.” Yes, that even includes people who change their mind about sexual encounters prior to actual contact. Also, when someone changes their mind during contact, the sex should immediately stop, but that person should not cry foul for contact occurring before they switched to “no.” Predatory behavior would include the forcible sexual contact acts such as rape. These concepts are not just “the Church of Ken” but rather fall into the category of mutual respect and civil behavior.

Marc- If we don’t talk about things, we can’t change them. That is the whole reason why I write.

Thanks to all for stopping by.

Great essay, great blog. Its refreshing to find someone who is willing to give these issues some thought and spark discussion. Even if people aren’t going to change their minds, it’s great to at least have the discussion be open. Keep it up.

Well, here’s what I think: call me a cynic, but I think that it all boils down to money, like just about everything else. Insurance, community property division, inheritance… I heard an attorney on the radio mention that divorce and palimony issues are incredibly complex and messy. Throw in child custody and you’ve got a hot issue with a lot at stake for a lot of entities.

I like this defense of gay marriage: it should be the preferred option by conservatives, because one of their main objections to it is that a gay lifestyle supposedly involves much more promiscuity (!?) than a hetero lifestyle, and gay marriage would promote committment and family values. But oh, they wouldn’t want those for anyone else, would they?