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11th Annual Sexual Intelligence Awards

by on ·Sex & Culture, Sexual Intelligence Blog

The annual Sexual Intelligence Awards honor individuals and organizations who challenge the sexual fear, unrealistic expectations, and government hypocrisy that undermine love, sex, and relationships—and political freedom—today. Previous winners include Catholics for a Free Choice; Candye Kane, Red Hot Musician; Robert McGinley, Non-monogamy Activist; and National Center for Reason & Justice. This year’s winners are: Melissa Fritchle, International Sex Educator The first miracle was that she was invited to Uganda. The second is that she went. The third is that she made a difference. There’s an obvious danger to being a sex educator in Uganda. This is the country proposing…

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What Kind of a Sick Mind Calls This Child Porn?

by on ·Sex & Culture, Sexual Intelligence Blog

The internet has given anti-sex lawmakers the opportunity to create entire new classes of crime. Predictably, petty bureaucrats are seizing these laws to go after an assortment of “perpetrators,” no matter how trivial, petty, or pointless their “crime.” America has always aspired to have laws which punish the actual harming of actual people. Admittedly, we haven’t always attained this ideal; examples include criminalizing interracial marriage, arresting people who burn the flag, and banning grocery stores from operating on Sundays. But the biggest legal bonanza of digital technology is that it offers a virtual world in which activity that doesn’t harm…

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America’s War On Sex: Second Edition?

by on ·Sex & Politics, Sexual Intelligence Blog

You may have read my most recent book, America’s War On Sex. It’s won a couple of awards, and I’ve lectured on the subject in dozens of cities. I’m pretty proud of it. The publisher (Praeger) has asked me about doing a second edition—updating it and perhaps adding other material. In some ways, it would be more complicated than just writing a whole new book. So I’ve been thinking about how to do it. How’s the War on Sex been going since the book was published? My initial answer is: “mixed.” Here’s the initial scorecard for the four years since…

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States Use “Sex” & “Children” To Create & Damn Criminals

by on ·Sex & Politics, Sexual Intelligence Blog

Two states show just how far legislators and police will go to use categories like “sex offender” and “obscene” to ruin someone’s life. Of course, throw in “protecting the children” for maximum effect. WISCONSIN James Smith—a minor—forced, through physical threats, another minor X to ride with him to collect a drug debt from X’s friend. There is no allegation that the coercion involved anything sexual. Smith was arrested and convicted. But despite the fact that no sexual activity took place, Smith must now register as a sex offender because he committed a crime “comparable to a sex offense” (“false imprisonment…

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CraigsList, Sex Trafficking, & The Next Moral Panic

by on ·Sexual Intelligence Blog

Ladies & gentlemen, get ready for America’s new moral panic—sex trafficking! Yes, CraigsList has bowed to pressure from law enforcement, non-profits, and CNN, and has blocked access to its “adult services” section. They’ve replaced the link with a black bar stamped “censored.” CraigsList has been pummeled with criticism for allegedly facilitating prostitution and “sex trafficking” in the U.S.. Some of the CraigsList adult classifieds are used for coyly-disguised adult prostitution—a predictable development in an age when all commerce has taken to the internet. OK, prostitution is illegal in 49 states, and so some of these ads promote an illegal activity.…

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Court Finally Limits Persecution of Teen Sexuality

by on ·Pornography & Porn Addiction, Sexual Intelligence Blog

Sexting has come of age—it’s on the front page of today’s New York Times. The good news is that our judiciary has finally told prosecutors enough is enough. A U.S. Appeals Court just upheld a preliminary injunction barring local prosecutors from filing felony child-porn charges against a teenage girl who took a topless photo of herself with her cellphone. Eighteen months ago, sexy shots of three Pennsylvania teen girls—one showing her breasts, the others in bra or bathing suit—were taken and sent to some friends via cell phone. School officials busted them and 13 other students who had the pictures…

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