#dat discourse

Now, I think most modern individuals can agree on the value of human rights and the laws that follow it. Laws that are in place, usually, to protect us.

Yet, should these laws be implemented in fiction?

My focus here is underage sex, since I saw a few posts about it that spurred my mental gears.

So. Let’s get our facts straight.

Underage sex - by which I mean, sex between minors - happens. It happens in real life. I knew several of my peers when I was younger had sex as young as 13. A google search would show me that there a few precocious children who’ve engaged in it at an even younger age (though not many. Puberty is the typical onset of sexual activity).

So when the question of “should underage sex be portrayed in fiction?” comes up, I always think YES. Because I find it silly to not do so. It happens in reality - why the hell should we ignore it in fiction? Ignoring it existence - or even denying it - is dumb. Children - more specifically, teenagers - have engaged in sexual activity since the beginning of human history, and hushing any fictional exploration of the topic is, quite honestly, censorship.

Yet, there IS a risk to this. And that lays on taste.

Underage sex should be allowed to exist in fiction. But child pornography shouldn’t. And the dividing line between the two can be difficult to discern.

As it is, child pornography involving real life, exigent children SHOULD NEVER exist as it violates human rights (which is my great ‘gate’ to every moral question. The rights to free speech and self-expression CAN and SHOULD be revoked when it begins to encroach one someone’s rights). It exploits children that cannot give consent and leads to potential further harm. 

But what about fictional children?

Again, I’d say it lays on taste (and a bunch of legislative jargon I cannot begin to parse). There are ongoing debates about the topic but my personal stance has always been that tasteful depiction is perfectly in line.

“John and Mary had sex.” is fine, even if John and Mary may be underage as long as the topic matter is approached carefully, intelligently, maturely, and tastefully.

A segue into a detailed account of their sexual encounter is not tasteful.

A straight up PWP piece that describes their bodies to the minute detail? It’s tasteless - disturbing, even. It could be filed under ‘child porn’ and I wouldn’t even try and argue.

But a thoughtful composition about sexual development, coming-of-age, and its impacts on a youth (because sexuality and its development IS an important factor in our lives and minds) should be perfectly fine.