Sexualizing America's children

Rep. Aaron Pena's A Capitol Blog provides an interesting insight into the things that attract the attention of our state's legislators. He points to this column published in the Houston Chronicle which refers to Rep. Al Edward's bill that attempts to de-sexualize Texas school cheerleaders' routines. Rep. Edwards has taken a lot of heat for introducing this bill, and the House has taken even more heat for even debating it when there are critical issues that need to be dealt with.

The heat may or may not be deserved, but Rep. Edwards should not be faulted for raising the issue. As Froma Harrop writes:

Yes, in the cosmic order of the universe, high-school cheerleading is small stuff. But it is part of a big problem: the sexualizing of America's children. That parents and educators let high-school girls perform erotic routines at public events simply shows how oblivious grown-ups have become. Why don't they just set up a pole in the gym afterward, and charge admission?

Yea, verily. And, 2 percent Republican that I appear to be, I say that, not because I am getting more prudish as I am getting older, nor because of some longing for the good old days when kids could be kids and not miniature adults. Nope. I'm saying that because it's just plain stupid for parents to hypocritically want their precious children to be protected from evil influences while allowing them to actively participate in simulated sex in public as part of a family-oriented activity and still think that they can blame someone else when little Melissa turns up pregnant--or with that gift that keeps on giving, genital-herpes-for-virgins (the oral version).