Hi 28
Thanks for replying to my post. I guess what it comes down to is that we need to work toward the day when we can ALL have an honest, open discussion about human sexuality in general in which all sides and opinions can be heard and evaluated without fear of retaliation or ridicule.
The trouble with any sort of age-based laws or regulations is that all of us mature at different paces and what works for one might not work for the other. For example, I was more or less ready for sex by age 11 (I didn't actually lose it until many years later, but that was due to my own ugliness, not for lack of trying.) I have female friends who weren't ready to 'lose it' until their mid 20's. I have other friends who told me they lost it when they were around age 9, but on the other hand, I have a cousin who still hasn't lost it and he is around age 70. I might also add that, ironically, I am the only one who has expressed dissatisfaction w/ my coming of age date. My 70 year old cousin is fine w/ his ongoing virginity (at least on the surface) and the gals who lost it at age 9 turned out just fine as well.
My main question with the legal system is: How can we reasonably set an 'age of consent' when none of us are ready to consent at the exact same time ?
Also (and I'm sure any guys who, like myself, wanted to lose it at an earlier date but couldn't for social and/or parental reasons will back me up here), NOT having sex when you wanted it can be every bit as harmful and degrading as having sex too early is for other folks. Obviously, it would be ridiculously impossible to concoct a law that mandated sex FOR us by the age we were ready, but isn't it equally ridiculous to force someone who is ready to wait until they have reached an arbitrary 'age of consent'
even if/when the opportunity presents itself ?
What age is 'right' for sex ? I can't say. What height is 'normal' for a man (or a woman) ? What is a 'normal' body weight ? Define 'normal' family life. What is 'good' music ? What is 'proper' conduct ?
How high is 'up' ?
I don't pretend to have an ironclad answer to the age vs sex dilemma (anymore than I can answer any of the above hypothetical questions), but I just think that using age as a criteria for when a person is able to 'consent' to sex is a very arbitrary (and unproven) idea.
JAGL