Last night I braved the snow, wind, and ice to speak at the University of Cincinnati, part of their Sexploration Week.
The students who attended seemed pretty engaged–almost no one text messaged or snored during my talk. One group who didn’t attend did have some pretty strong opinions—Citizens for Community Values.
CCV, whose anti-democracy, pro-censorship work I’ve exposed before, thinks it’s a horrible idea for students to learn more about sex. They expressed their outrage to the University president, and urged their members to write to the local newspaper (over 100 did). A letter in this morning’s Cincinnati Enquirer was typical, saying the program appeared to promote “immorality.”
I greatly appreciate CCV publicizing Sexploration Week and one of its corporate co-sponsors, sexual product distributor Pure Romance. My friends remind me that the disapproval of “morality” groups and the hate mail I get is an index of my effectiveness. I’m delighted that CCV takes my work seriously enough to get nervous and lie about it.
Yes, they lie about my work, and the work of all legitimate sex educators. Last night I shared a lot of facts and more than a few opinions. I challenge CCV to provide evidence that any of my facts are wrong. And I invite them to show that their public policy recommendations would promote democracy, strengthen America’s families, and the public’s emotional health as much as mine.
Some of the lies they tell in their scare sheet about Sexploration Week:
* The relationship of pornography and date rape is “well-documented”;
* HIV is “rampant” on college campuses;
* Sexploration Week “encourages irresponsible and dangerous sexual relationships.”
There’s very little “decency” in a group that doesn’t trust its own members, much less other Americans, to draw its own conclusions from fact and truth. And there’s very little “decency” in attempting to shape opinion by frightening people with lies.