Letters: How Parents Talk To Boys About Sex And Consent
NPR
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
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Melissa Block and Audie Cornish read emails from listeners about how parents talk to boys about sex and consent and a strong storm that hit California.
Transcript
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
It's time now for your comments. And first Audie, about your conversation earlier this week on how parents talk to their teenage son about sex and consent.
AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:
I spoke with Rosalind Wiseman and Charlie Kuhn. She's the author of "Masterminds And Wingmen," a book that explores the realities of boys' lives. 26-year-old Kuhn was an editor on that book and spoke about the confusion teenage boys experience regarding sex and consent.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)
CHARLIE KUHN: I feel like I was inadequate as a male in situations that I could have stepped-in. That speaks to just the blindness that many boys have in these situations, that you don't go to a party to look at when I should intervene.
CORNISH: A few of you told us that while you appreciated the discussion, we left out an important angle - when young men are the target of sexual assault.
BLOCK: Ellen Connorton of Washington, D.C. said this (reading), it is just as important for males to consent to sex as for females. We need to talk to boys about their right to consent before any sexual activity and to talk to girls about not assuming a boy wants to have sex.
Ms. Connorton continues (reading), conversations and news stories that focus solely on females as victims make it harder for males to share their experiences with unwanted sex.
CORNISH: Onto another story, one we aired last week about the pineapple express that hit California. We reported on the headaches caused by that powerful storm - canceled flights, power outages and flooded streets.
BLOCK: But Dan Gira of Santa Barbara has a drought-stricken Californian's point of view. He writes (reading), while we feel for those affected by flooding, you cannot imagine the joy we feel to see our dusty brown hillsides green again. On my morning hike, I saw two California newts emerge from their burrows in search of love and adventure. At a party I watched as adults stepped outside and let the wondrous rain drenched their clothes. So by all means, report on those affected by flooding, but also the near-miraculous feeling of seeing water fall from the sky and our natural work return.
CORNISH: Thank you for your letters. Please send us more. Go to npr.org and click on Contact, at the bottom of the page. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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