Kutchinsky’s Danish Experi- ments, it was found that, after pornography was made legal in Denmark in the 1960’s, and became more acces- sible, incidents of rape in- creased steadily during the four years of the study. Pornography provides the

producers of it with a million dollar income, but degrades and sometimes destroys the actors and actresses who, the most part, are not in these films by their own choice. So what does porn do for the consumers that buy it? Does it really add to our enjoyment of life? Is ita necessary part of our own society, or is it a damaging risk factor? When you consider .the degradation and. destruc- tion women and men go through in the making of these films and many magazine pictorials, and when you consider how much money the producers are making off our society- it seems that users of pornography are just being used. Think about this: someone is making money off every one of you that sits watching a porn film or lies in bed reading a porn magazine and getting off on it. Someone is making millions of dollars and you are getting a few minutes of pleasure watching ‘“actresses’’ who in real life will probably die before they reach 35 from disease/drugs/ beatings. Does that turn you on? And isn’t it possible that violent pornography could give a rapist ideas? Is pornography really worth all this? Can’t society do without it, consid- ering all the risks, espe- cially with hard-core porn? Do men need pictures and films to create their fantasies for them? Can’t we use our imagi- nations anymore? Isn’t it dangerous to children, who are sometimes exposed to it at home, or at a friend’s house- even before they are old enough to distinguish between fantasy and reality? (Keep in mind that some people never realize there is a differ- ence). Maybe we’ll never have answers, but hopefully the questions will make people think.

for

Gay is (not) just sex

1

Debating the nature of homosexuality

(CUP) B.C.--

ow many times have you

read or heard somebody

mutter the words that homosexuality is not just sex? Every time I hear this phrase being espoused by so called liberal minded individuals who are either very gay-positive or are gay themselves, I per- sonally feel like saying, ‘“Who the hell are you trying boedcen

If being gay is not just sex, then what is it JUST? I understand why they say this phrase over and over again - because they are tired of being emotionally and intel- lectually bashed around by intolerant or uninformed peo- ple who see homosexuality as a sexual deviation. Those misin- formed masses do not see homo- sexuality as an emotional and intellectual orientation that mirrors heterosexuality.

Just as straight people fall in and out of love, care for each other in a mutually comforting manner, and shed tears of happiness when in the midst of a joyful occasion, Gay, [Lesbian] and Bisexual people experience the same emotions. When one loves or cares for another it is irrel- evant whether they are your sister or brother, girlfriend or boyfriend, or just a female human being or male human being. The feelings one expe- riences are unique to those two people involved. I may care for my one sister ina certain way, and for my other sister in a totally different manner. Thus, love and caring can be seen as gender neutral or inconsequential. The only time that gender does not become relevant tends to be when one falls ‘’In Love.’’

Falling ‘’In Love’”-cou-- ples both the emotional at- traction one feels for a per-

son (gender neutral) and the physical. It is only now that people seem to focus on the differences between gay people and straight. They too often ignore the emotional similari- ties and concentrate on who is doing what with whom. Sexual attraction - the term I will use for physical attraction one experiences for someone else - is not wrong. Sexual attraction is but one factor of many that creates a strong and healthy relationship.

' Gay men can often love women, just as straight men love women. Similarly, gay women can love men emotion- ally, just as do straight women;. however, and this is where the only difference exists, gay men are predomi- nantly attracted to other men, and gay women are predomi- nantly attracted to other women. One could then say that ‘‘gay is JUST sex.’’ But as I stated before, sex is not bad or wrong. :

If sexual attraction with another consenting adult is bad, then wouldn’t all forms of sexual attraction be equally wrong? I do not refer. to a moral or religious sense of right or wrong, but to a sense of equity and humanity with which each of us are born. It is my wish to help germinate and foster these seeds of humanity, tolerance, and understanding.

It is for this very rea- son that I write this letter, in hopes that a clearer under- standing of the phrase ‘ ‘gay is not just sex’’ will occur. It is also the reason that I do not sign my name - because it is irrelevant whether I be male or female, straight or gay, Or any other incorrect

rize me.

- label one might use to catego- |

| special sex report