(Please note I do not support sexual contact between children and adults- a concept that I find extremely harmful for children and repulsive to society.)
Children are sexual creatures.
They masterbate. They orgasm. They have elaborate fantasy lives. Their interactions are sexually charged. They are aware of issues such as sexual and gender identity, even if they cannot fully explain the feelings they have.
The myth that children are asexual- a holdover from victorian days- is one that is hurtful for society. Besides being outright wrong, it encourages a simplistic view of children that does not take into account their undeveloped but still very real desires and drives. It encourages unhealthy attitudes about sex being “dirty” and “shameful”. Additionally, our attempts not to “prematurely sexualize” children are wrong-headed. The problem is not premature sexualization, but bad sexualization. Suggestive billboards and Brittany Speares are not introducing some foreign and disturbing topic to kids who would have never otherwise thought about sex, but they may promote sexual values and outlooks that arn’t very healthy. Instead of protecting kids from sexuality as if it is a terrible thing that should be hidden for as long as possible, we should acknowledge and actively promote positive (and age-appropriate) sexuality that leads to informed decisions and healthy lives.
We’ve had some GQ threads on it before, and the overwhelming evidence, based on the personal experiences of many dopers (myself included), is that pre-adolescent girls can and do reach orgasm.
Boys who cannot yet ejaculate can still be capable of orgasm pre-adolescence, and I’m quite certain that I (female, fwiw) could ograsm before adolescence.
Kids at a young age do have sexual drives and desires, and it’s important that they learn to express them in a healthy manner. Once again, this doesn’t mean with adults. It means in a manner that is healthy for them at their age.
Actually, males can have orgasms before adolescence.
I know from, ahem past experience in this matter.
I agree that victorian attitudes are bad, and that it’s not always a good idea to shield children from knowledge of sex. If my dear old mother had explained what menstruation was to me right there at the supermarket while she was buying maxi-pads, I wouldn’t have spent my early youth thinking that women needed diapers!
Most people agree in theory; to make the OP a worthwhile debate, you’d need some clear idea of what is meant by “positive (and age-appropriate) sexuality.” There’s the rub.
