Comments on: Sex in Context

By: liliwilkinson

liliwilkinson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:34:28 +0000

it never ceases to amaze me how so many people assume teenagers knew nothing about sex and had never really thought about it, before they picked up a copy of Looking for Alaska.
As if teenagers don't think about sex, and talk about sex all the time.
Gratuitous sex is usually inappropriate, but I also hate it when sex is always punished. It was one of the things that bothered me about Buffy – the way everyone who had sex raised a demon or turned evil or whatever. It's like the normal consequences of having sex aren't enough – you gotta run over their puppy in the street just to ram home the message.
It's one of the reasons why i LOVE Meg Cabot's Ready or Not. I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it, but it's one of the best books I've ever read in regards to the whole sex-in-YA issue.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:50:05 +0000

I agree that sex should be treated responsibly in teen fic and shouldn't be gratuitous. But I also think that to censor the realities of teen sex is both unrealistic and irresponsible. According to the CDC, over 2/3 of students aren't virgins when they graduate from high school. To censor these topics when we write to teens is to talk down to them, to turn a blind eye to reality. So it makes me feel good to see teen books that deal with sex in a responsible way; Sara Zarr's wonderful Story of a Girl comes to mind. I think it takes guts to write and to publish a story like that, but I also think about the girl who reads it who has gone through something similar or who is contemplating it, and when I consider how much of a difference that book might make to her (or him, obviously), it seems to me that it's worth the risk.

By: The Compulsive Reade

The Compulsive Reade — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:45:51 +0000

Hmm, this is a tough one. For me, I guess I don't mind sex in YA books as long as it doesn't get too graphic. Build suspense up to a certain point, but don't go into every detail. Most teens self censor what they read and realize what is appropriate for them, but that doesn't mean you can stick a huge explicit scene and expect every kid who reads it will be mature enough for it, and those who aren't will just skip it. Does that make sense?

By: Gina Black

Gina Black — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:24:52 +0000

I find it so unfortunate that as a culture we shield our children from sex and nudity as if it was bad and deviant. Those Puritans sure had a lasting effect!
But moving on to your question . . . IMHO sex with no repercussions of the emotional or physical sort would be wrong in teen fiction. Not saying someone has to get pregnant, but there are always consequences for actions and that would be important to me as an author and reader (and parent).