Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Gonzaga's Infamous T-Shirt

Gonzaga University professor, Dr. Eric Cunningham, wrote a letter (Sept. 25, 2009) to the Bulletin, explaining that he was "vexed" by the advertisement shown above. He wrote: Leaving aside for the moment the fact that the Catholic Church's teachings on premarital sex are unambiguous, it seems risky at best for members of any university's faculty, administration or student body to make direct or indirect judgments on what is or isn't "sexy." I have great admiration and respect for Dr. Weitz, but I feel that in merely explaining the "consent is sexy" concept, and not taking the opportunity to challenge its wider ramifications, she missed what educators like to call a "teachable moment." We have an obligation to protect the safety of our students, and to help them preserve their own integrity in an often adverse environment. I respectfully submit that we fail in this obligation when we give tacit endorsement to any student club's characterization of "sexy", especially when that characterization is so unclear. As the father of boys and girls, I cringe at the idea of my son wearing a shirt that says "consent is sexy," and I can't imagine my daughters trying to figure out what it could mean.

Link (here) to the full post at Insight Scoop blog.

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