What should the age of consent be?

I think it's a much bigger problem for girls than it is for boys. First girls get more often emotionally involved in relationships, and boys are, frankly, just bent on losing their virginity. It's not often an emotional thing for them, just physical desire and a status symbol. Peer pressure plays an enormous role in this. When I was 14, my mates at school ridiculed me and said I was gay because I hadn't got (and didn't want) a girlfriend. Had THEY all had sex, then ? 14-year olds.? Of course not - but they pretended they had. But I was naive and believed them, and shamed into thinking I was the only 14-year old who was a virgin, I was now on a quest. Was I "ready" ? In a sense, no. Was not being "ready" an issue ? No. Because I didn't feel emotionally involved. The experience was a thrill, but just a physical thrill. I had no special feelings for the girl - she just happened to be willing. I don't think I was that different from the majority of boys. The one downside for me was that I enjoyed the experience so much, I spent the rest of my adolescence pursuing girls just for sex. Willing partners were hard to come by. Plenty of flirters but few wanted to have full sex, so a lot of time was wasted going to parties and sleep-overs when I should have been studying. But "emotionally" ? Unharmed. Undamaged. And I don't feel I've had any psychological problems as a result of my early initiation. Sex for girls though, is invasive. Penetration can be a traumatic experience. Boys haven't got that problem.

 

I think the idea that sex and love always go together is a romantic idea that doesn't reflect our new attitudes towards intimacy. I've never been in love - "liking people" is the nearest I've got to emotionally involvement. I'm quite young - not yet in my twenties - so perhaps I'll fall in love eventually. But that hasn't stopped me having sex. And the modern girl, who used to be reluctant to indulge in sexual activities for fun without having an emotional commitment, have adopted that sort of attitude. If they are looking for "romance" at 16, then it's a wish. True "romance" (if by the term you mean "love") can't be consciously pursued. When you fall in love, it just happens to you. It's not a decision. You can't get it by putting lipstick on, and pouting seductively at the handsomest boys. That's sexual tactics. And girls today are beginning to realize this. Sex without emotional hang-ups is not only fun - it's healthy. Healthy psychologically, I mean. Mother Nature with her cruel sense of humour, has invested promiscuity with health risks - and the more "laddish" attitude that many girls are now adopting encourages promiscuity.

 

I would start with:
- 18 years old
- Have health insurance
- Have recent documented health checkup
- Have all reasonable vaccines
- Have 'prevention' techniques