I thought this trend faded when Bill Clinton left office. Duh. The Buddy System; Sex in High School and College: What’s Love Got to Do With It? (Originally appeared in the Jan. 19th Washington Post.)
Since hooking up need not involve intercourse, pregnancy isn’t a worry. Oral sex is an acceptable alternative, and young women absolutely don’t consider it sex. “If we did, we’d be having sex all the time. We still have a shred of self-respect,” one freshman says… No one uses a condom during oral sex, girls say. “That would be considered absurd,” says one. Although this generation has had more sex education than any previous one, a sizable number aren’t aware that disease can be transmitted by mouth and that condoms reduce that risk.
In the March 10 issue of Utne Web Watch, a review of the website, Scarleteen: Scarleteen editor and founder Heather Corinna is my new hero! Her Web site, “committed to delivering the best contemporary teen sex ed on the Net,” is easily the most impressive sex education tool I’ve seen.
I like what I see on this site. It’s primarily for young women but there is a Boyfriends section for guys. Their Sex Readiness Test is terrific. I’ll ask my wife to see if she thinks we should steer our teenaged daughter there.
