Sex & Politics

As I write this, the sun has just set and young kids have started cruising up and down my street. Costumed, faces painted, they have one thing on their minds—sugar. Whether patient or impatient, their parents have varied thoughts—dealing with the sugar highs they’ll encounter at tonight’s bedtime; gratitude for another mild California evening; the pleasure of watching their kids have fun; the self-criticism when they compare their own neglected front yard to their neighbor’s new landscaping. According to the media, politicians, law enforcement, and anti-sex activists, however, what parents are supposed to be thinking about is predators. Scarier than…

Recently, I wrote about the problems the male gaze can give women. Writing about it helped me realize that even a totally super-cool guy like me still has a few things to learn. Of course, you don’t need to be a totally super-cool guy, or a sexuality professional, or anything other than a functioning adult to know that sexual assault is wrong, and that no one is entitled to sex with others, even if they’re a “star.” Anyone who doesn’t understand that is developmentally incomplete. Or, to use even more technical language, a clueless, hostile, insecure, narcissistic jerk. Donald Trump,…

This spring Indiana criminalized abortion if the reason is the genetic abnormality of the fetus (for example, Down Syndrome). Last week a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional. Even if you believe legal abortion should be limited to a certain time period—say, likely fetal viability—this overturned law attempted a staggering intrusion into the private decision-making […]

Superbowl 50 is taking place next Sunday just a few miles from here. Some of my neighbors are renting out their suburban houses—five grand for the long weekend. Lots of locals here are getting out of town—winetasting in Napa, skiing in Lake Tahoe, or making the long drive to Disneyland. Along with all the other […]