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Transgender Beauty Could Be America's Next Top Model

LibertySugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:45:03 -0700

The upcoming Season of America's Next Top Model embraces diversity as usual. Twenty-two-year-old Isis, who identifies as a woman but born physically male, will compete as the show's first transgender contestant.

While GLAAD hails the choice as an unprecedented opportunity for visibility, Isis has a more humble assessment of her role in breaking societal barriers for trasngender individuals — Isis has explained: "I like to help people, but I'm here to follow my dreams."

While it probably can't hurt the CW's ratings (and we all know Tyra loves publicity), featuring a beautiful transgender contestant could also help the trasngender community gain mainstream acceptance by breaking stereotypes.

If you're a big ANTM fan Buzz has the skinny on the rest of the contestants, and Bella has predicted how Tyra will handle makeover day. I wonder if Isis's gender identity will be a major theme of the show, or whether it will be something viewers easily forget.

Photo courtesy of The CW.

Could Sex Without a Condom Be the New Engagement Ring?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:30:46 -0700

Condom-free sex is the new engagement ring. As shocking and lurid as that sounds, the story behind the headline is actually kind of logical. As told in an NPR piece in conjunction with the Youth Radio organization, for young kids in physical relationships now, they've never known a time before the threat of HIV/AIDS. What they have known however, is the impermanence of marriage. A ring, as they say in the piece, is temporary — STDs are not.That's why the new engagement is sitting down with your partner, having a serious talk about commitment, and taking the plunge to get tested together. One of the teens interviewed said, "to have sex without a condom, it's like saying I love you." What it stands for is trust, a commitment, and a shared future together. Precautions are still taken to prevent pregnancy — it's not about that, it's about the trust that the other person won't stray or put your health in danger. Does this trend make sense? Is trusting your health to another, the truest form of commitment? Want more? You can listen to the whole three-minute piece. Source

Could Sex Without a Condom Be the New Engagement Ring?

Sure! Marriage isn't permanent at all — losing protection is really the ultimate bond.

I can see why it's happening, but it's a really dangerous trend. You can't divorce AIDS.

No! There's no commitment deeper than marriage. This is scary and makes no sense.

Other. I'll commit to leaving my opinion in the comments.

When in Dubai . . . Don't Have Sex on the Beach

LibertySugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:00:25 -0700

A British woman working in Dubai faces six years in jail, after Dubai officials caught her allegedly having sex on beach. Dubai may be the Las Vegas of the Middle East, but it's no sin city. The thirty-year-old businesswoman has been charged with sex outside marriage, indecent behavior in public, being drunk in public, and assaulting a police officer. Her male counterpart also faces a maximum of six years.

The woman involved, who apparently made the mistake of traveling to the Middle East to have sex in public, fears that Dubai will make an example of her by issuing the toughest sentence. The minimum is three months.

While this woman should have known that having sex on a beach, in Dubai nonetheless, would be against the law, I think a six-year sentence offends a universal understanding of fairness and human rights. Do you feel sorry for the woman, or should she rightly suffer the local consequences for her misbehavior? Would this make you reconsider a trip to Dubai?

Source

No Death Penalty, But Should Rapists Face Castration?

LibertySugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:45:43 -0700

Convicted rapists and other sex offenders now face chemical castration in Louisiana, under legislation signed on the day the US Supreme Court struck down the state's child-rape death penalty. California was the first state to subject its sex offenders to the procedure popularized by the Nazis who wanted to prevent "undesirables" from procreating.Upon signing the law, Louisiana's governor Bobby Jindal said: "I am glad we have taken such strong measures . . . to put a stop to these monsters’ brutal acts."On a side note, Governor Jindal is all sorts of interesting. Currently the youngest US governor, and the nation's first of Indian decent, the potential McCain VP has defended intelligent design and written about his participation in an exorcism. Not everyone supports chemical castration like Governor Jindal. While it can reduce physical urges, critics argue, psychological counseling is needed to address mental addiction behind assaults. Do you favor sentencing sex offenders to chemical castration?Source

No Death Penalty, But Should Rapists Face Castration?

Definitely! They obviously can't control themselves.

No way. It's not their privates that cause them to assault, it's their brains!

Maybe. But we should pair it with psychological treatment, too.

Other. I'll tell you in the comments.

Powersuit of Tradition: Sworn Virgins In Albania Are Dwindling

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:05:57 -0700

In Albania, gender equality has a literal meaning — and a less modern, more traditional translation that your 9 to 5 or Working Girl tropes. For centuries, sworn virginity has allowed woman to live as men, with all the responsibilities and rights that accompany the role in a conservative society.

In closed-off rural northern Albania, the practice of swapping genders was a practical solution motivated by social necessity, for a family with a shortage of men. One woman decided to make the change after her father was killed leaving no male heir. The custom she chose requires a vow of lifetime virginity — in exchange for living as a man with all the authority the gender commands — including the obligation to avenge her father’s death. Though she says she wouldn't necessarily do it now, then it was an easy decision:

Back then, it was better to be a man because before a woman and an animal were considered the same thing. Now, Albanian women have equal rights with men, and are even more powerful. I think today it would be fun to be a woman.

With sexual equality and modern trappings seeping into Albania (including MTV which popped in after the fall of the Berlin Wall) the tradition is fading. Not needing to make the vow to own property, move freely, or avoid an arranged marriage, now there are only about 40 sworn virgins remaining. The decision not only created equality in life, it created equality in worth. A woman is worth is half that of a man, but a virgin is worth the same as a man — 12 oxen.

The changes of modern times don't sit well with all the sworn virgins. To see why,

Annulment Based on Bride's Fake Virginity Outrages French

LibertySugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:00:51 -0700

A court's decision to annul a marriage because the bride lied about being a virgin has the French worried that their secular values are under siege by religious immigrants.

The case involved a Muslim couple. Under their strict religious tradition, a woman must prove virginity on her wedding night. The court ruled that since the couple was Muslim, virginity was a prerequisite to the marriage. Thus, her misrepresentation of the requirement made the marriage invalid.

Women's rights activists say that the ruling treats women as a defected good in a commercial transaction. In addition, France's champions of secularism, who have worked to resist the religious influence of some 5 million Muslims that help make up France's population of 64 million, are outraged.

Their interpretation of secularism often leans towards forced secularism. To see how,

Somebody Watching You? Peeping Toms Lurking Everywhere!

LibertySugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:00:57 -0700

Citizens all over the world are not safe from Peeping Toms. Venice police just caught a man who had photographed the backsides of over 3,000 women, as they strolled around San Marco square. The man tailed the women wearing short skirts, carrying a bag with a camera, and filming their tails through a small hole in the bag.

Apparently, the Peeping Tom wasn't who you would imagine — authorities say he is a working professional with two young children and a wife. The man faces six months to four years in prison. The Venice case might be the tip of a Peeping-Tom trend. To see who else has been sneaking around,

Do Women Have a Right to Sexual Happiness — by Law?

LibertySugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 14:30:48 -0700

One politician wants to add a woman's right to sexual happiness to Ecuador's new constitution. While her opponents claim she is trying to legislate orgasms, Maria Soledad Vela says that she simply wants to recognize the right to enjoy sex in a more open society. Since the new constitution will recognize the rights of indigenous communities and the poor, she says women should also be represented.

It seems like governments all over the world are always trying to legislate issues that can't exactly be solved with a law. Remember the Kentucky lawmaker who wanted to make anonymous Internet posting illegal? Or the fact that in Italy, it is illegal for men to grab their genitals in public. Why do you think governments have such an expansive view regarding what is appropriate for legislation?

Perhaps these politicians have worthy intentions — by calling to legislate sexual happiness for women, Soledad Vela has ignited a debate in conservative Ecuador about the female position in society. She hopes that an official endorsement of female pleasure will end the treatment of women as sexual objects.

Do you think Soledad Vela should be commended for trying to stop female sexual subordination? Or, is she treading on something intimate that has nothing to do with politics or law? Would you like to see a constitutional right like this in your country?

Source

The Pope Is Coming to America! Today!

LibertySugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Pope Benedict XVI arrives this afternoon for his first US visit. Nearly half a million faithful, including Stephen Colbert, have acquired tickets to his events in Washington, DC and New York City.

A recent poll found that 74 percent of American Catholics approve of their spiritual leader. But, it's not all fishes and loves. More than 6 out of 10 Catholics reported that the Church is out of touch with their views. About 75 percent of Catholics and non-Catholics disapprove of how the Church leadership handled the priest sexual abuse crisis. It is likely that the Pope, who while aboard his plane to the US said he was "deeply ashamed" of the scandal, will apologize to Americans this week.

And of course, this wouldn't be a truly American visit without some financial analysis. To see how much this visit is going to cost,

Where I'm Clicking Now: SexyPolitics.com

CitizenSugar — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:00:56 -0700

I know we're enthusiastic about a lot of things around here, but I can really not overstate how gonzo fun, crazy entertaining, educational, and wildly sexy this website is. SexyPolitics.com has a whole bunch of really hard quizzes, from general US knowledge, presidential candidates, issues — and that's all well and good. But!! When you get questions right . . . people get naked!!!

OK, they insist the site is safe for work, so not totally naked, (plus you can choose to "skip the strip" if the quizzes themselves are hot enough for you.)

Pick the hot guy dressed as George Washington and answer enough right — he'll take his wig off! Don't knock it till you try it, we were squealing with delight. And this we totally agree with:

We believe sexy is being informed. Sexy is clear and simple. Sexy is understanding why global events often have local impacts. We think a political news story is sexy when it simplifies a misunderstood concept or illuminates a trend that should be followed. When a person is sexy, they inspire those around them. When a movement is sexy, it makes others jump on board.

Go on, go get your smart and sexy on!

Check This: Iran's Position on Sex Change Surgery

CitizenSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:00:37 -0800

Though homosexual relationships are banned in Iran, it might surprise you to learn that the conservative nation has allowed gender-reassignment surgery since the Ayatollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader in charge of the 1979 Islamic revolution, passed a fatwa declaring them legal for "diagnosed transsexuals" a full 25 years ago.

Iran provides more sex change operations than any other country excluding Thailand — and it's not just limited to permission. The government covers up to half the cost of the surgery for those who can't afford it, and the change in gender is also recognized on your birth certificate.

To see what the religious cleric responsible for gender reassignment says,

Check This: Jamaica Far From Paradise for Gays

CitizenSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:00:58 -0800

Though Jamaica's motto is, "Out of Many, One People," recent horrific attacks against homosexuals ensure for some, this tropical paradise is more hell than haven. Stories of attacks on gay people using machetes, sticks and knives, and thrown bottles and rocks, ensure that none are safe — whether out to dinner with friends, or attending a funeral.

Much of the Caribbean actively markets to homosexual vacationers, Jamaica has not joined suit. According to the piece above from the New York Times, some think deep roots of Christian tradition on the island point to the Bible as back-up for hateful behavior. Jamaicans violently uphold the passage they believe condemns homosexuality, but other biblical edicts aren't so strictly followed. To find out,