Sexual Behavior

The future of AIDS education programs may well look like the Latino Men's Group, which meets Monday and Tuesday nights at The Wall/Las Memorias, just off Cesar Chavez Avenue in East Los Angeles. At a typical meeting, about 30 men faced each other in a circle, confronting some of their worst fears. Previously, those fears sent many into bouts of unsafe, anonymous sex.

Re "Men Who Stray, Women Who Shop," Commentary, Sept. 3: I have great admiration for Xandra Kayden as a scholar, citizen, woman and colleague at UCLA; however, I have found one issue on which we disagree. In her column, she states that men who are unsure of themselves can respond by engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior. She asks, "Do these private crutches matter in the exercise of power?" And she answers, "Yes . . . because they reveal insecurity and uncertainty on the part of the power holder.

The shocking cries of rape that ripped through the UCLA community last week have split the campus into two groups: those who support the alleged victim and contend that fraternities breed a culture of aggressive sexual behavior versus those who side with the three fraternity men who stand accused and insist that this incident should not be used as ammunition against the entire fraternity system. Everyone seems to agree that rape can happen anywhere, at any time and to anyone.

If you title an art exhibition "Pervert," are you asking for trouble? Well, some kinds of trouble come with the territory. Artists who celebrate their sexual differences in a society amply supplied with double--or triple--standards for sexual behavior are now quietly repossessing and remaking epithets historically brandished by the heterosexual majority.

Regarding the article on March 30, "Sex Education Curriculum OKd," the quote attributed to me does not convey a clear understanding of why I spoke disapprovingly of the proposed curriculum. As it stands, the curriculum is a compilation of bits and pieces from various sources--a lesson here, and an excerpt from a book there. The curriculum is often immature in approach, reinforces gender stereotypes about sexual behavior and attitudes, and many times is not even related to sexuality.

Regarding the article on March 30, "Sex Education Curriculum OKd," the quote attributed to me does not convey a clear understanding of why I spoke disapprovingly of the proposed curriculum. As it stands, the curriculum is a compilation of bits and pieces from various sources--a lesson here and an excerpt from a book there. The curriculum is often immature in approach, reinforces gender stereotypes about sexual behavior and attitudes, and many times is not even related to sexuality.

Almost three in every 10 Americans have dramatically altered their sexual behavior to lower their risk of contracting AIDS, and those at greatest risk--people with multiple sex partners--are most likely to be taking precautions, leading authorities on sexual behavior said Friday. Their conclusion is based on a new analysis of the most sweeping scientific survey of American sexual practices since the Kinsey reports almost half a century ago.

The problem isn't getting naked. It's getting candid. When it comes to sex, nothing is more revealing--and scarier--than an honest conversation with your partner about sexual desires and dislikes, feelings and fears. Just ponder one revelation in the most recent and, many claim, most reliable national sex study: More than 22% of the women claimed they've been forced into a sexual act, yet fewer than 3% of the men admitted to sexually coercing a woman.