http://equalwrites.org/2009/10/26/where-the-wild-things-arent/ Feminism and Gender Issues at Princeton University Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:33:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://equalwrites.org/2009/10/26/where-the-wild-things-arent/#comment-1060 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:57:21 +0000 http://equalwrites.org/2009/10/26/where-the-wild-things-arent#comment-1060 This is a thoughtful, clear, and well-presented post. Thank you for bringing some much-needed sanity to this subject of conversation! The vegetarian analogy is, I think, particularly useful. I would simply like to add an additional response to the assertion that "By establishing the Women’s and LGBT Centers, the University ventured into the realm of sexuality, and especially with the latter center the University established an agency which has both implicit and explicit views of sexual morality…" The fact is that neither the Women's Center nor the LGBT Center takes any advocative position on issues of sexual behavior. The Women's Center obviously expresses the position that it is morally acceptable to be a woman, but I am sure that it does not issue normative statements about particular enactments of sexuality (i.e. the Women's Center neither argues that women *should* choose chastity as a sexual lifestyle, nor does it argue that they should *not* choose chastity). The same holds true for the LGBT Center; it obviously expresses the position that it is morally acceptable to be LGBT, but it does *not* isue normative statements about particular enactments of sexuality(i.e. the LGBT Center neither argues that LGBT students *should* choose chastity as a sexual lifestyle, nor does it argue that they should *not* choose chastity). Both of these centers are *nonjudgmental* regarding students' individual choices about their own sexual behavior. Neither of them (contrary to what some might have you believe) argues against abstinence or in favor of serial monogamy, promiscuity, or any other particular sexual behavior. There is a difference between being nonjudgmental and being advocative. A Chastity and Abstinence Center would (as I understand it) express explicit judgments regarding the choices students make about their own sexual behavior. In other words, a CAAC – unlike the Women's Center or LGBT Center – would have as its primary purpose the advocacy of and support for a particular set of moral choices regarding sexual behavior. This is yet another way in which it is in no way analogous to existing university-sponsored centers.
Madeleine Picciotto '78 *85 p'12

]]> http://equalwrites.org/2009/10/26/where-the-wild-things-arent/#comment-1058 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:20:10 +0000 http://equalwrites.org/2009/10/26/where-the-wild-things-arent#comment-1058 The vegetarian center is a very good analogy. Both chaste students and vegetarians feel that the actions of the majority of students around them are morally wrong, and they are faced with the realities of the choices of the majority. In fact, vegetarians have it worse – many of them sit next to their friends in the dining hall as they consume burgers, hot dogs, steak, shrimp, and many other animals which were inhumanely slaughtered. I have yet to hear of a chaste student who sat next to their friends as said friends got it on. Well, perhaps in the Terrace coatroom at 4 am…
anyway, my point is that Tom is spot on with his comparison.

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