The Debate Questions No One Asks: What Will You Do About Sex?

Now that the Religious Right has nearly complete control of the executive branch of the federal government and, thanks to Moscow Mitch, has gone a long way toward controlling the federal courts as well, the sex lives of Americans are undoubtedly in for a long, hard slog. After all, as every True Believer knows, sex outside of marriage is a sin (and there are apparently a few sinful ways to do it inside a marriage as well); having sex with a same-sex partner is likewise a sin; and transgender people don't really exist—and those who think they are transgender are simply mistaken; just ask any of the shrinks and "counselors" who practice "deprogramming" trans folks. But arguably, among the worst sexual "crimes" the ultra-religious commit is their dedication to making sure that those who reach puberty (or are about to) remain as ignorant of all things sexual as they were the day they were born. Sure, men have dicks and women have vulvas, but until they're married, those organs should perform no sexual functions. That's why Planned Parenthood, which has a vested interest in kids not getting pregnant, has studied how sex ed is taught in schools—if it's taught at all. Sure, 27 states do require both sex ed and information on HIV, but only 17 of them require that such information be medically accurate—and while 20 states require such sex ed courses to include information on contraception, a full 39 of them require that such courses provide information on abstinence, and 29 require that such "abstinence ed" be "stressed," even though all actual scientific studies have found that abstinence ed is a surefire way to increase teen pregnancies and STDs in a community. And let's not even talk about the seven states that require only negative information be provided about homosexuality! And there's another problem that's come to the fore in recent years: State prosecutors cracking down on teens sexting each other, either with just words or naked selfies as well—and the legal "wisdom" on that is that somehow, the under-18 gals are both child pornographers and victims of child porn simultaneously! Clearly, all these are important topics that the next president (assuming the current Felon-In-Chief doesn't get reelected) will have to deal with—but surprise, surprise: Not one single question regarding sex (other than sexual harassment) has been asked of any 2020 presidential candidate during the debates that have so far taken place! Never fear, though: Dr. Marty Klein, psychotherapist and marriage counselor, author of the ground-breaking study America's War On Sex, is here to help. Even though there will be, at most, only four Democratic candidates on stage at the next debate, Dr. Klein has put together a list of questions aimed at getting the candidates to reveal how they would treat sexual issues if elected. For example, Klein would like the candidates to be asked, "Will you encourage Congress to pass a law requiring all sex education to be medically accurate?" (The doctor then explains, "After all, we expect geography and chemistry curricula to be accurate. Most of today’s federally-funded sex “education” is filled with gender stereotypes, moral judgements, and outright lies. No wonder America leads the developed world in teen and unintended pregnancy.") Perhaps more central to the adult industry, Dr. Klein would like candidates to respond as to questions such as, "Will you challenge state attorneys general to require local communities to prove they have a good reason to shut down strip clubs, swing clubs, and sex toy stores? Will you instruct the Department of Justice to examine the legality of cities inventing a Sexually Oriented Business category to create punitive zoning and taxation policies?" Also in his queue: "Will you discourage states from passing legislation declaring pornography a public health hazard? Every one of these declarations contains blatant lies (e.g., 'porn is responsible for the increase in sexual violence' [which doesn’t exist]) and ridiculous, unproven assertions (e.g., 'porn is reducing young men’s motivation to marry')." Dr. Klein's full list of proposed questions can be found here—and it's well worth reading.