A response

It's come to my attention that some parts of a previous post on women seem inappropriate to some people; that it lacks a sense of professionalism and might reflect poorly on me. I must tell you - I vehemently disagree. Writing about women's issues (and sex) is not something I am willing to censor completely. First of all, that post was already highly edited. Second, being a woman in Indonesia, or a person even, you cannot help but notice disparities, injustices, miscommunications, and ignorance. Now I'm not saying that America has got the gender thing down either, but let me give this example: I have a female friend who has a hard time buying a plane ticket unless a man is with her presumably because who would want to deal with a woman on her own? Of course I am more than willing to admit that this is a singular example from one pocket of Indonesia. Not all of this country is like that. But parts are and that matters. I'm not trying to "save the world" (and even if I was, I certainly couldn't do it alone - not as a foreign woman here. Fact of the matter is, for feminism to take hold, men have to get behind it, too!) and I haven't figured it all out yet. But this blog is my own space to sound off on the realities of my own, unique experience. I've never been a person who hesitated to ask questions when I thought I could get a real answer. And so, when the stars align, I'm able to ask tough questions about things that really matter in a person's daily life. And questions about sex matter. Six is part of the human experience, regardless of your own personal experiences, morays, or attitudes towards it. Yes, ladies don't talk about sex in public. But sometimes its the other ladies you need to be thinking of - the ones whose voices aren't as loud or whose teachers aren't as bold. The fact of the matter is, the world is both a huge cavernous expanse and a tiny crevice. Part of my job is to bring some of that cavern into your small space. We all know that people are mistreated and misinformed, but usually only complacently. And at this point in my life, one of the few things I can do about it is relate it to you. And I will not apologize for doing it honestly and sincerely. I am past the point of caring if I offend by talking (very briefly!) about sex because I am an adult who can have discussions on real-world, adult issues. If nothing else, I want to say that it is my opinion that comprehensive sex education can diminish so many disquietudes by simply bursting that bubble and making it OK to talk. Now let's take off our rose-colored glasses, man-and-woman-up and face the world at large as it really exists, at least for part of the day.