Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, November 10. 1999
Sex on the Hill
Cybersex has become a new medium for sexual release and relationships. Some students claim it is perversion, but others argue that it the safest form of sex. Chad Cumminns/KANSAN
Web surfers voyage into cybersex fantasy land
By Amy Train
Special to the Kansan
Flick on the computer and jump to a sexual chat sight. Cybersex is a new medium for sexual release and relationships.
"For many, it fulfills a sexual need that isn't being met through normal sexual relations," said James Anders, author of Complete Idiot's Guide to Sex on the Net.
"Or they may have sexual fantasies that they are embarrassed to discuss with their real life partner and find that they can safely enact them in cyberspace, without repercussions. Cybersex fulfills different needs for different people."
To some, cybersex is a perversion.
"Suggesting that it is a perversion is ridiculous," Anders said. "Cybersex isn't a perversion any more than masturbation. Perhaps the simplest way to understand cybersex is to look at it for what it is: masturbation on the Internet with a willing partner, expressed in typed words in a chat window, using microphones, and/or with desktop video cameras."
"A cybersex scene can be as arousing as a real one," said Cleo Odzer, author of Virtual Spaces; Sex and the Cyber Citizen. But not everyone agrees that cybersex is a good idea.
But not everyone agrees that cybersex is a good idea.
"It would not make for a good relationship," said Josh Brestail, Wamego junior.
Breault said that if you cannot be active in together in person, then it is not a true relationship and that engaging in sexual relations through words does not make sense.
Anders said some relationships last for months or even years without leaving the
realm of cyberspace, but a few progress to meetings in real life.
"When fantasy meets reality, it's anybody's guess as to whether a real, successful relationship can ensue," he said. "A few work out; many don't."
Breault said that people do not really know each other until they meet in person. He said has known people that have been disappointed when they met someone that they had an Internet relationship with.
Anders said that cybersex seems to be on the increase.
"Since it is frequently treated as fantasy, many people seem willing to give it a try," Anders said. "Since there is no exchange of bodily fluids, cybersex may be the ultimate form of safe sex for the millennium."
the majority of people who participate in cybersex, Anders said, are looking for one
or more of the following: sex, love, affection, attention or simply entertainment.
"People I know have had relationships over the computer, and they have lied about their age and everything else sometimes," Breault said.
Odzer said the passions, jealousies, obsessions and needs expressed via the Internet are no less strong than their real-life counterparts because they trigger the same internal emotional states.
"Part of all relationships exist only in our minds and that is what is undeniable in cyber-passion," Odzer said. "When we don't know what our love object looks like, have never heard his or her voice, can't be sure of age or even gender — then we realize that the emotions come from within ourselves."
- Edited by Allan Davis
Oral sex not intercourse, students say
By Mike Hoffman Special to the Kansan
For some, including the president of the United States, there is more than one definition of sex.
Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare, said oral sex did not constitute sexual intercourse.
"However, it is a form of sexual expression just as the act of vaginal sex itself." Dailey said. "Sex itself means the meeting of the genitals."
Most students agree that oral sex is indeed a sexual act, but it is not the same as sex itself. One student, John, said that from a religious standpoint, the only point of sex is to procreate, and you cannot get anyone pregnant from oral sex.
Scott, a junior, said it could even be a form of birth control.
"A lot of times oral sex can give people plenty of pleasure, much like vaginal sex would, but it is reassuring to know that there are not as many potential consequences," he said. "But, it doesn't have that same sensation as vaginal sex."
If the general consensus is that oral sex is not sex, why is it called oral sex? According to one student, it is called sex because a person climaxes during the act. However, that doesn't mean that it is sexual intercourse.
Although oral sex might not be considered sexual intercourse, there is still the possibility of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. According to www.stopais.org, the San Francisco Department of Public Health reported that in a recent study three men had contracted HIV from oral sex.
The Web site www.saferesx.org reported that the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights said that people with gum disease, susceptibility to ulceration or bruising in the mouth or gums and a habit of brushing their teeth before or after oral sex were more likely to get infected by sexually transmitted diseases.
- Edited by Jessie Meyer
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