The advertisements addressed to gay men were provocative: Learn to write racy stories about your sexual encounters, choose toys ''for solo and partner sex'' or share tales of erotic experiences. All of it was done at government expense, in the name of preventing AIDS. These expenditures--along with other recent allegations of fraud and abuse of federal money to fight AIDS--have upset some AIDS activists and lawmakers.
Um ... yes, I would think they would be upset. Just a tad. Yes.
Although I do understand why the organizations did it. I mean, what's the point in offering AIDS workshops for people who don't show up? (That said, I'd imagine that, even if they do eventually get around to the advertised topic, attendees might be a tad perturbed at the whole "bait-and-switch" aspect.) On the other hand, I can see the usefulness in showing people not only how to have safer sex, but how to channel erotic feelings in different ways; I can see that having a useful role to play in showing people that there are other ways to experience sex.
But I can't imagine this administration being at all happy about teaching people how to write erotic stories, no. Especially when their attitude to sex in general is so ... reactionary.
Copyright © 2001, Iain Jackson, after-words.org
[Archives: 2001 and after]
Archives before February 5, 2001
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12/19/2001: vive la france
12/19/2001: princess, redux
12/19/2001: yemen and rumsfeld
12/18/2001: you're NOT in the army now
12/18/2001: interesting donation
12/18/2001: shame on winn dixie, indeed
12/18/2001: saudi princess
12/17/2001: new resolve
12/17/2001: a victim of the attack ... yeah, right
12/17/2001: polluters ho!