[WikiEN-l] Re: Writing about sexual topics responsibly is not censorship

Sun Feb 13 22:57:14 UTC 2005

Tony Sidaway writes:
> The sale of the very successful sexually explicit
> educational video, The Lovers' Guide, through mainstream
> high street bookstores in 1991 under an 18 certificate
> showed that the general public is receptive to well
> presented informational movies on sexual topics.
> Obviously Wikipedia isn't a "How to" guide of that type,
> but where a movie would be useful and one is available
> under GFDL it should be considered. 

Sure - it might be a good idea to have a GFDL, open-source
website on sex.  I just don't think that the full, explicit
content of such a site should be in a general encyclopedia
like ours. Wikipedia should discuss human sexuality (even
the "gross" aspects, which apprently vary from reader to
reader) while at the same time not being a sex instruction
site.

I wouldn't have any problem with someone making a Wiki sex
instruction site, a Wiki-cooking and baking site, or a
Wiki-anything-else kind of site.  I just wish to
diffentiate between the role of an encyclopedia, and the
role of, well, other things that are not encyclopedias.

Skyring writes:
> And the end result would be that thousands of schools
> would ban Wikipedia, which would be a shame. Is there
> some way that we can find a technological solution?
> Have a "splash screen" that warns of explicit images?
> A cookie that prevents download of "adult content"?
> Something that will pop up when the casual user
> navigates to Autofellatio? All we really need is some
> sort of hurdle that must be leapt, some button that must
> be pressed, some door that must be opened. 

This is an excellent idea (and is in no way censorship.) 
This is not only a good idea for sex-related articles, it
also would be a good idea for any surgery-related articles,
or articles on forensics.  I don't want to see one of my
students loosing their lunch...again.

I have taught many high school students about
fertilization, fetal development and birth.  (It is
shocking how little so many of our 16 year olds actually
know about their own bodies.)  Most students were alright
with all of it, even the videos, but some students screamed
with genuine horror at seeing a woman actually give birth. 
One of them threw up!  Granted, this wouldn't happen in
some other cultures where birth is treated as just another
fact of life, but where I live most people don't see such
things, and some do not want to!

If I read an article where something "really gross" might
be explained in a photo, I'd want an option to see it, and
not have it forced on me.  Given my student's reactions, I
am not alone!

Finally, professional line-drawings (as opposed to photos)
are apparently less of a problem. They are nearly
universally considered less offensive (and/or gross) and
are more often perceived as academic and professional (when
drawn and labeled well.)

Robert (RK)

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