Harrison Queer

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People often complain about the rise of reality television as a popular genre in American TV programming. They lament the end of some bygone era in which all television programming consisted of serious and poignant dramas broadcasting alongside witty yet lighthearted comedies. (Whether or not this era ever existed is another topic of discussion altogether!). Maybe there was high definition television, no Mad Men or The Wire or 30 Rock or the Sopranos, but certainly the overall quality of television certainly must have been higher back then in the good ole days, without such trash as Dance Your Ass Off or Celebrity Sober House or Real House Wives of New York City to bring down the average! Or, so the argument goes.

But with all of the complaining that goes on about reality television, an alien coming down to study our culture and only being able to hear the commentary on the genre would imagine it to be something very unpopular. How could such a universally detested type of television program ever gain a popular audience, these hypothetical aliens might wonder. Some modern-day Americans might tell you that it is only the lower sort of Americans who spend their time watching this filth, their buts melting into their couches and their eyes and brains getting sucked into their brand new high definition televisions.

If this is true, then the United of America must be primarily composed of this low-brow sort of person, because reality television is more popular than ever. Every few weeks or months, a new program emerges that naturally enraptures all of the country. In addition to the original two categories - competition and "documentary" - reality shows even have their own genres these days. There are the fashion shows (Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, Say Yes to the Dress, Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, What Not to Wear...), the "fat" shows (More to Love, the Biggest Loser, Losing it with Jillian Michaels, Dance Your Ass Off, Celebrity Fit Club...), the dance shows (So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing With the Stars, America's Got Talent, Dance Your Ass Off again), the cooking shows (Top Chef, Iron Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Cake Boss, No Reservations, etc.), the freakish number of kids shows (Jon and Kate Plus 8, now just Kate Plus 8; 19 Kids and Counting; Sister Wives); the D-List celebrity lifestyle shows (Keeping Up With the Kardashians, The Kendra Show, Bill & Giuliana); the drunk 20-somethings in a house (The Jersey Shore, The Real World, Road Rules) - the list goes on, and on, and on.

So who is cozying up to their high definition televisions on any given week night and watching this programming? If the sheer numbers of viewers that these shows all have is any indication, it seems that a huge number of Americans must be enjoying reality TV a little bit more than they let on. There is something, perhaps, a bit embarrassing about an educated, worldly person saying that they are enthralled by the latest season of Jersey Shore, or that they are really invested in they are really invested in the most recent drama on the Rachel Zoe Project. They would rather keep it their dirty little satellite TV secret, which is fair enough.

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Why Adolescents Should be Provided With Sex Education

The issue of whether schools should offer sex education to their students and how explicit these lessons should be has been a controversial one for decades. It always seems to initiate disputes. In 1994 Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders in the US, was fired for stating that it is essential that students be taught about masturbation as part of sex education. At that time Bill Clinton and his conservative Republicans had been leading the country, who felt strongly about shielding children from corrupt sex talk. Of course when Clinton’s own sexual life with Monika Lewinsky came flashing through headlines on newspapers, TV Channels and then on the Internet, nothing was hidden from anyone and with this, all sorts of sexual content became available for all (Irvine, 2002). The Internet has proved to be a major catalyst in the spreading of sexual material, primarily because of the lack of control over its content. Nowadays sexual content is manifested to children in numerous ways through the media, where magazines, books, television, movies and also songs exhibit sexual material. 

Today’s children are well exposed to sex talk. If it is not made available for them through refined sex education in schools, they will probably have to confront the vulgar and obscene facet of it elsewhere. Sexuality should be openly discussed since it determines so much in our lives. Children should be educated and prepared about the hormonal changes they will undergo in their years of adolescence and how they will experience unfamiliar emotions (Gale, 2005). With sex education, adolescents will better understand the reasons and causes of their fluctuating emotions and desires (Harrison, 2000). They will appreciate being trusted with the provided knowledge and more importantly, will be aware of the risks and the potential aftermath, which will result to them making healthier and more sagacious decisions regarding their sexuality.

SIECUS (Sexual Information and Education Council of the United States) which was founded in 1964 spent years struggling since people were unwilling to approach it. The foundation had been cofounded by Mary Calderone who had made it a goal of her life to get people to “say sex” (Irvine, 2002, p.17). “Open sexual discussion would foster socially responsible sexuality”, this is the principal the SIECUS foundation followed (Irvine, 2002). However, this was difficult since people hesitated. Many confuse sex education with lectures promoting abstinence. The foundation supported abstinence but at the same time believed in ‘sexual fulfillment for all’ (Irvine, 2002, p.18). It was not fond of traditional and religious limitations because of how it led to guilt and embarrassment of sexually active individuals. In the early sixties, sex education barely existed. It was said that the bathroom walls were more edifying then the books in those times. Books in the mid sixties had become a little less restrictive and now focused on dating and “appropriate gender role behavior” (Irvine, 2002). Some authors began to mention sexual pleasure in their books, intending to inform the youth, however avoided to discuss issues such as masturbation, premarital sex and homosexuality. Such issues would create controversy(Irvine, 2002). The youth of the country had been progressing in all other fields. They experimented with LSD, the protested against the Vietnam War and marched in civil rights demonstrations. The country was undergoing serious social changes and sex educators of the time put in tremendous effort to keep quiet about sex however they were incapable of holding back the sexual revolution that followed (Irvine, 2002).

Premarital sex no longer remained uncommon amongst the new and rebellious generation. The rate of unmarried pregnant women soared. Bitterness about the well-being of women began debates of whether sex education should be enhanced. Abortion, which was considered a major and one of the most prominent of crimes, was the only option for unmarried women (Irvine, 2002). It was not dealt with professionally thus lacked sanitation and proper technique and at times, could be fatal. The birth control pill had been introduced in 1960 but the youth remained ignorant because of the frail sex talk. Black pregnant women who were unmarried were considered burdens and white pregnant unmarried women were looked up as “species of the mental state”(Irvine, 2002). Gradually homosexuals overtly confronted the world, expressing their ‘queer’ sexuality and they were also looked down at. The nation began dividing into groups, people were not willing to understand one another instead many made an effort into showing themselves off as the ‘right kind’ by dressing conservatively. Slowly magazines such as Playboy and America’s first lesbian magazine were published(Irvine,  2002). The new generation had changed the face of ‘youth sexuality’ and the previous generation was forced to accept it. However, although the youth had changed concepts of sex, they remained unaware of the consequences such as STDs, the nerve wrecking stress of early pregnancy and sex addiction. It was vital for them to be educated for them to take control of their sexuality.

In the present world, Media has the most apparent influence in children and teenagers, from which they tend to mimic or reproduce what they see in magazines, television or what they hear in songs. Headings such as “What everyone is really doing in bed”, which was published Glamour June 2005, are customary. These are made to attract customers and usually target those who are not familiar with the content (Plante, 2006). Some would buy them for entertainment while others would use it as a source of education. The content of the article may or may not be reliable, it could be the truth or it could just be what appeals to buyers but such headings are enough to lure assailable minds. Advertisements also involve a level of sexuality. For example, the bare back of a woman is used to promote perfume. In movies all sort of sexual scenes are displayed. In songs, especially RnB and Rap, lyrics could get very detailed, sometimes vulgar. The Internet is said to be responsible for distributing 90% of the pornography available for everyone. According to the BBC Tech News 1% of the millions of links offered by Google and Yahoo Geocities lead to pornographic material.

After the increase of STDs, AIDs especially, institutes realized the importance of sex education while many conservatives believed that abstinence was the right option. Without education, children were being made ‘‘vulnerable to potentially deadly diseases’’ (Gale, 2005, p.10). The average child today is exposed to sexual imagery, from photos in magazines, visuals on TV, lyrics in songs and of course just their peers. With this, they are becoming sexually active at an earlier age and many are now caught in the viscous circles of STDs. In the year 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and the Kaiser Family Foundation, 65% of sexually transmitted infections are carried by people under the age of 24 (Gale, 2005). It is now being debated how much needs to be taught to students. The main concern seems to be the fast spreading STDs therefore many sex educators emphasize on the risks one takes when deciding to have sex and also contraception. Another serious problem is that adolescent tend to get very curious and have a desire to try things they have not before, therefore they usually seem to have a significant amount of interest in the subject of ‘sex’. They have a tendency to develop endless questions and if these questions are left unanswered, they will take action in order to solve the mysteries themselves. Also, they are rebellious and so telling them ‘just say no’ will not work.

Sexuality is innate and natural. Sex talk should not be taboo. It is in the human nature to desire sex after a certain age. In order to avoid awkwardness and discomfort it is best to learn about it and be educated about the procedure. Over the decades we have seen the consequences of not openly discussing the issue, imposing abstinence and not providing the youth with enough information. It is important for them to become aware of what is presented in their surroundings by the media and peers. It is essential for them to recognize their own sexuality, are they hetro/homosexual? They need to be familiar with the changes they would experience during the years of puberty and know why they react in certain ways to particular things. They need to be well aware of the potential consequences of engaging their selves sexually. It should be discussed with comfort to let them know that they are being trusted and are expected to act responsibly.

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References

Irvine, J. (2002). Talk About Sex. California: Regent University ,17-24
Harrison, J. (2000). Sex Education in Secondary School. Celtic Court: Open University Press
Plante, R. (2006). Sexualities In Context. Colorado: Westview Press
Gale, T.(2005). Sex Education. San Diego: Kristen Bailey

About the Author

are randy harrison and gale harold gay or straight in real life?

queer as folk?

Randy Harrison is openly gay, as are Peter Paige (Emmet), Robert Grant (Ben), and Jack Wetherall (Vic). Gale Harold has confirmed he is straight as have most of the regular cast. The rest have refused to publicly disclose their sexuality.

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