The rampant puritanism when it comes to attitudes toward sex within America never ceases to astound me.

Why can't we just accept everyone as healthy sexual creatures? The bulwark of sexual freedom should be consent. We need to stop teaching children about sex in heteronormative ways, and, instead, START teaching it to them in culturally-inclusive ways.

From my own experience: most of my straight male friends, when talking about sex, have openly supported/encouraged me when it comes to both masturbation as well as the notion of me having intimate sexual relations with another dude. Even though they're not gay themselves, they support that sense of brotherhood amongst us (and I reciprocate) -- as long as our sexual companions are consenting to it.

I'd imagine that women strive for a similar supportive bond, amongst one another in their friendships? -- but I've never been in all-female intimate spaces (not even as a gay guy), so I can't speak from any secondhand experience.

When the Janet Jackson controversy happened, I remember thinking to myself: "What's the big deal? It's just a nipple." I obviously wasn't turned on by it, but I certainly didn't think Ms. Jackson had any malicious or salacious intent, when it happened. It (the momentary reveal of her nipple itself) was just like "meh," to me.

A majority of Americans support reasonable gun ownership policies with reasonable safety measures implemented. We haven't realized those policies, legislatively. The extremists on the pro-gun and anti-gun sides of the equation are making such sensible policy attainment virtually impossible.