tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post5579655945919332350..comments2023-10-10T06:48:40.299-03:00Comments on the feminist librarian: A few more links on bodiesannajcookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17573723390785613915noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-26993682743885141642009-04-26T12:41:00.000-03:002009-04-26T12:41:00.000-03:00I heard about the MA bill a week or two ago via th...I heard about the MA bill a week or two ago via the Volokh Conspiracy. <br /><br />I don't think, though, that the motivation is to de-sexualise people in their 60s (assuming that all sexual activity of that age must be exploitative), but rather ensures that convictions could be obtained for those who do exploit the elderly. The assumption is that consensual activity would never actually come to the attention of law enforcement officials; however, non-consensual activity would be much, much easier to prosecute.<br /><br />We know from seeing the dismal results of attempting to prosecute rape cases that it is very difficult (both as a matter of law and in practise) to prove a lack of consent. A law like this will remove that barrier, thus increasing the feasibility of getting a conviction and, of course, making plea bargains much more likely. <br /><br />Of course, that does not mean that this is the best way to go about ensuring that we live in a society free of sexual exploitation, but the motivating factors, I think, are different.bridgetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-26684158266357640562009-04-23T09:18:00.000-03:002009-04-23T09:18:00.000-03:00Agreed, Amanda. As I said in my post, I imagine th...Agreed, Amanda. As I said in my post, I imagine the intent of the bill comes from basically decent intentions: attempting to protect potentially vulnerable individuals from exploitation. <br /><br />However, the fact that no one who drafted the bill felt it necessary to make a distinction between consensual and nonconsensual activity seems to me symptomatic of the way our culture really only imagines sexual expression as acceptable when it's attached to people our culture deems "sexy." <br /><br />I feel like the mindset behind writing a bill like this is one of "older folks aren't sexual, so sexualizing them is an activity that's necessarily exploitative." What a sad way to view human sensual/sexual identity!annajcookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17573723390785613915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8743841912028246535.post-49452900591279494372009-04-22T23:22:00.000-03:002009-04-22T23:22:00.000-03:00Thanks for the heads-up on the proposed MA bill. ...Thanks for the heads-up on the proposed MA bill. I can't believe that will pass, but it's fairly horrifying that its there in the first place.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00040966100796641603noreply@blogger.com