“This is a strange moment for sex in America. We’ve detached it from pregnancy, matrimony and, in some circles, romance”

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This is a strange moment for sex in America. We’ve detached it from pregnancy, matrimony and, in some circles, romance. At least, we no longer assume that intercourse signals the start of a relationship. But the more casual sex becomes, the more we demand that our institutions and government police the line between what’s consensual and what isn’t. And we wonder how to define rape. Is it a violent assault or a violation of personal autonomy? Is a person guilty of sexual misconduct if he fails to get a clear “yes” through every step of seduction and consummation?

Judith Shulevitz, “Regulating Sex”, New York Times (28 June 2015), SR1.

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