Massachusetts legislators are demanding the shut-down of MariaTalks.com, a sex-ed site for teenagers, on the grounds that "the language that is used on this site is disgusting," in the words of State Rep. Elizabeth Poirier. So what constitutes "disgusting," in the eyes of Liberal Massachusetts? The most explicit language Salon's Tracy Clark-Flory could find on the site was in a section that translates sexual slang. Are you ready to be appalled?
"digital sex" ("fingering/hand job"), "cunnilingus" ("going down on her"), "clitoris" ("clit"), "fellatio" ("giving head" or giving a "blow job"), "erection" ("hard-on")," "anal sex" ("butt sex"), "anus" ("rectum" or "butthole").
"Clitoris" is one thing, but "clit" is entirely unacceptable, teenagers! Poirier added that "there are words that I would find difficult to speak;" I am enjoying imagining her attempts at same. ("B… b… b… blowjob!") Representative Marc Lombardo also described the site's language as "inappropriate and crude." It's pretty crazy that in 2011 we still have elected representatives who sound like the crusty deans from bad '80s college movies.
In any event, sex ed in the U.S. remains pretty fraught, although Congress and President Obama recently eliminated two federally funded abstinence-only programs in favor of, you know, actual sex ed. If you're a Massachusetts teenager wondering why actual grownups running your state government have such childish hangups about sex, just be glad you don't live in Arizona.
