From “Sex researchers convene in S.F. to study ‘moral panics’,” in the San Jose Mercury (sub. free):
Saskia Wieringa, the international association’s president, studies sexual politics in Indonesia and likens some strict Muslim traditions, such as forcing women to cover their faces in public, to many of President Bush’s conservative policies.
“They are both fighting against each other, but upholding the same kind of system,” Wieringa said.
In Indonesia, people are shying away from liberal dress codes that were always part of the culture.
“Women used to go around bare-breasted,” she said. “Now, there is a whole moral panic about the belly button that shouldn’t be shown.”
Try the Sex Literacy Quiz and read Lorraine’s new diary, Are We Moral? More links below.
International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society
What really frightens me is the willingness of so many men in the liberal wing to continue to separate out “women’s rights issues”, from
“human rights issues.” Women are human beings. Men are human beings. When the rights of one half of the population are threatened, the rights of ALL are threatened.
The Extreme Right is deliberately using hot button gender/sexuality issues to splinter and weaken the liberal opposition, and FAR too many liberal men (and women) with visible political clout are falling face first right into this skillfully carefully laid trap.
I want to just shake them all very and yell..”Wake the hell UP and realize you are being USED! ”
If EVER there was a time when Democratic men and women we need to combine strengths (and votes) and pull together, it’s RIGHT NOW. There simply could not be a worst time for sending half the party the message that they don’t count.
in Columbus Ohio, unless they’ve changed the statutes since I left in y2K.
The whole of politics has come down to regulating Democrats.
Conservatives believe the government should closely regulate most everything Democrats do; liberals believe Democrats should be allowed to things that the Secretary of Faith determines will not upset The Christians.
Whew! Given my track record with quizzes … I got 100% on this one. Guess I know a thint or two about sex 🙂
Interesting quiz…
I was really amazed at the number of states that allow discrimination based on sexual orientation…aaaarrrgh! I thought that labor discrimination was against the law in more states. The fight continues…
It would be interesting to give this quiz to some of the wingnuts and see what scores they get.
My Score: 11 of 12 correct
Insightful, and great link to Lorraine.
But I’ve got a problem with the quiz. It told me I got one wrong.
That’s BS. Sex therapists like Sue Johansen (Thanks Canada, Sue is the best), my “Women’s-studies-degree-carrying wife, heck, everyone I know would agree you shouldn’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. I feel ashamed if I let my fingernails get dirty. Should I get therapy and just let my fingernails get grungy underneath sometimes? Would it make me happier?
That’s an utterly BS question.