>(You know, it's funny... ever since I started plotting this series and
>realized the distribution of sexual preferences, I knew it would be
>only a matter of time before the first "D00D, what's with all the
>lesbians?!" post. I didn't expect it to be couched in pseudo-critical
>gobbledegook about "crypto-(foo) subtext" though. Shows you I should
>learn to expect more from my readers. :)

I've been tempted to ask about it, but on a different tone.

>>No, *this* is where I will be narrow-minded and object: (2)
>>Most of these characters having sex are *teenagers*, well under
>>the age of 18.
>
>... And? In my home state, the age of consent is 14. Or it was when
>I was of an age to give a damn about it, anyway.

Interesting.

>>I nonetheless carry
>>this silly old-fashioned notion that fiction should *set an
>>example*.
>
>Yeah? Then how about looking at the conditions under which most (if
>not all) of the sexual relationships in SOS are occurring.
>Look at the respect and trust that exist between the partners. Look
>at the care that's taken to avoid hurting people. Look at, in short,
>the maturity of the characters involved, rather than an
>arbitrary, artificial, useless guideline like calendar age.

At the risk of sounding like a sychophant (sp?) I agree with Gryphon's point. While I've never been in a relationship, I have seen my mother go through six husbands and a fiance she recently broke up with. My aunts, uncles and even my younger cousins have made attempts for relationships. There was hardly any trust, they acted like children..no, worse than children in behavior and lacked any consideration when they hurt one another.

>><uncle>ONE MORE THING!</uncle> --I have another objection, an
>>idiosyncracy you could call it, against: (3) Sex in the stories I
>>read: specifically, anything describing before, after, and especially
>>-- and thank the Muses that EPU doesn't do *this* -- during.
>>(I can name SF pro-authors who are horrible horrible offenders.) By
>>the end of "SoS2:7:Ceremony & Celebration", Kate and Juri have
>>apparently consummated their relationship. That just creeps me out.
>
>Then piss off! For Christ's sake, I didn't hold you down and force
>you to read it, Bucky. Sexuality is an important part of life, and to
>omit "anything describing before, after, and... during [sexual
>activity]" is to leave out a major component of what makes these
>people who and what they are. I'm not saying they're defined
>entirely by their sex lives, any more than they're defined
>entirely by what subjects they study or what hobbies they have - but
>it's as important as either of those.
>
>If it bothers you that much, then you're in the wrong aisle. Don't
>complain to me, because I don't intend to change the way I do things
>in order to accommodate your puritanical squeamishness.
>
To heck with the shovel, there's not enough left to bury.

Hmph.