Legal – Page 3 – Sex Across America

Sexual Assault in the Military–An Update

(4/7/14) Last November, we ran an article highlighting the Department of Defense’s (DoD) inability to deal with sexual misconduct in the armed services along with the efforts of one U.S. Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), to solve the problem. The legislation she sponsored, which would have been part of the 2014 DoD Appropriations Bill, called for an independent system when investigating and prosecuting sexually-related complaints in the military. Even though this effort was made on the heels of a 37% year-over-year increase in sexual assault cases in the military, it was ultimately defeated as federal lawmakers voted to let such cases remain under the purview of military chains of command.

Let’s see how that’s working out.

Two years ago, a female Army officer lodged a sexual assault complaint against a Brigadier General who was a top U.S. commander in Afghanistan at the time. In addition to the assault complaint, the accuser also alleged that the commander made death threats against her.

The case, prosecuted by the Army under 2014 rules which omitted Gillibrand’s proposed independent solutions, was just resolved at Fort Bragg, NC after the accused, Jeffrey Sinclair, eventually admitted guilt as part of a plea agreement at his court martial. In addition to pleading guilty to adultery, obstructing justice, criminal cruelty and maltreatment regarding his accuser, he also admitted to committing travel fraud and having two other improper relationships. The charges in his court martial could have landed him in prison for the rest of his life and/or resulted in dismissal from the service (which would have equated to a dishonorable discharge).

The sentence imposed by the military court: A reprimand, a $20,000 fine and approximately $4,000 in restitution for the travel fraud. No jail time. No dismissal.

In a statement following the conclusion of the court martial, Sen. Gillibrand remarked, “This case has illustrated a military justice system in dire need of independence from the chain of command.” We’re going to differ slightly and point out that the system illustrated that need well before this case, but the results of this episode certainly show something still quite amiss when predatory conduct by those entrusted with leadership responsibilities is dealt with by, essentially, a wrist slap from people inside the same system.

What do you think? We really want to know.

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Gay Marriage Across America

(2/24/14) Fewer trends involving sexuality have garnered as much attention in recent years as the legality of same-sex marriage in the United States. As with most matters involving cultural values, it may just be that the old guard of legislative dinosaurs simply hasn’t caught up with the prevailing social reality yet, but the tipping point may finally be right around the corner.

As of 2013, 17 states have legalized gay marriage, leaving 33 who have not. Most of these are due to a combination of existing state constitutional bans and other prohibiting laws, so removing the remaining barriers is likely to be an agonizingly slow process if left to each individual state to decide. That said, there is now a sustained–and growing–majority of Americans who believe that same-sex marriages should be legally recognized with the same rights as opposite-sex marriages. According to Gallup polling trends, that number was at 42% ten years ago, but has been at or over 50% since May 2012–and is rising.

While states’ rights are certainly a key factor on the legal side of the issue, the preeminent twist is that the U.S. Constitution provides for equal protection under the law from state to state. This is specifically why an opposite-sex marriage in one state is recognized unanimously and without restriction in all others. So, where the matter of same-sex marriage is concerned, an inequality under the law exists, literally making a federal case out of it. As that critical detail applies to the looming tipping point, we are now at a place where the majority of Americans (52%) would, if allowed, vote for a federal law that would instantly make same-sex marriages legal in all 50 states. So, what’s holding up that kind of productive progress?

It’s important to remember that in a legal sense, we do not live in a democracy, but rather a republic. This is to say that “We the People” do not vote on the laws that govern us. We select others to propose and vote on them for us. So, rather than continuing to select representatives who stubbornly cling to archaic, outmoded and hypocritical ways of thinking, it’s really just a simple matter of making it a point to choose more wisely. The next opportunity to do that is just a few months away when, this November, every one of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 33 U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs. If you genuinely want progress, make it a point to wisely select lawmakers who are in tune with the majority of citizens and prepared to act promptly.

The trend is clear: Most Americans want this matter resolved in favor of providing equality and justice–as it should be for a nation that embraces freedom and justice for all as defining virtues. It is no longer a matter of if same-sex marriage will be legal all across America, but when. The tipping point is just ahead. The time to prepare for it is now.

What say you?

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Happy Birthday, Bunny! Playboy at 60

(1/6/14) Of all the things that significantly helped change sexual mores in America for the better, Playboy stands out as an enduring icon that combines beauty, style, class and intelligence. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary, you can say what you want about its relevance today in the mosh-pit of adult-oriented media, but the fact remains that it is of one of the most recognized brands globally. It’s not just because they were one of the first. It’s because they did it right and built it to last.

Born on a Chicago apartment kitchen table for about $8,000, Hugh M. Hefner’s first edition featured Marilyn Monroe and was an instant sensation. While Playboy quickly became noted for its elegant photography and strict attention to detail, ‘Hef’ insisted that the magazine carve out a sophisticated niche by including literary works by some of the world’s most renown writers. Eventually, this also included covering the political, cultural and entertainment shifts of the turbulent times through “The Playboy Interview” which became a celebrated feature rivaling the centerfold as an edition’s most notable component.

Courageously persisting in the face of constant pushback throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s, Hef continued to build the Playboy brand by expanding into nightclubs, fashion and electronic media, even hosting his own syndicated television program, “Playboy After Dark.” In the early 80s, he launched Playboy TV (originally, The Playboy Channel), a visionary move that was well ahead of the proliferation of specialty cable/satellite channels. As the network grew and progressed with original programming, our personal connection to the Playboy saga emerged. In 1998, they launched what would become the hit series, “Sex Court,” starring the amazing Julie Strain and our very own Alexandra Silk. Okay, perhaps it’s an itty bitty part of a much more substantial tale, but it’s a very special one here. Getting to know the legendary and incredibly generous Hef was remarkable in every way and he remains very dear to both of us.

Sixty years have passed since Marilyn graced its first pages and the Chicago apartment has given way to the famous Mansion, but the Playboy phenomenon continues strong into the 21st Century. Entrenched as a cornerstone in America’s sexual revolution, Playboy’s history of innovation and pushing boundaries is an enduring legacy that we celebrate and hope will be built further upon. Yes, keeping up with the times presents many challenges, but that’s just part of any business–and likely the basis for many other great discussions. For now, we just offer a hearty “Happy Anniversary” to the whole Playboy family along with our wishes for many more great years to come.

2013 in Review: SAA’s Top 5

(12/30/13) It’s been a fast and furious year at Sex Across America and our parent company, Fallen Angel. We’ve really enjoyed bringing you a weekly look at sex trends and breaking news this year and we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the wonderful encouragement we’ve received throughout.

It’s truly a labor of love for us and, since we would like to keep this a free resource for all, the only viable way to grow is through the generosity of readers who take a few moments to pass along our quirky banter and help spread the word throughout their circles. We deeply appreciate the tremendous support we’ve received in that regard and hope that everyone has gotten something useful from our coverage.

With 2013 drawing to a close and as we plan our editorial calendar for next year, we thought it might be nice to review which topics trended highest during the year so that we can better focus our upcoming coverage. Since it’s been said that there are, “…three kinds of lies: Lies, bold-faced lies and statistics,” we really didn’t want to over think this little exercise, but rather have it result in more of a “Hmm. Maybe I missed something that others thought was interesting” kind of thing for you while helping us to refine our planning.

(Actually, and against our better judgment, we were forced to feed our statmonkeys in order to get them to crunch the numbers for us. Fortunately we had some cookies left over from the holidays so here’s what the now-happy bunch came up with.)

SAA’s 2013 Top 5 Trending Topics (in reverse order):

# 5: Kickin’ a Sex Bucket

# 4 (tied): SAA’s Salute to Nelson Mandela and SAA’s Salute to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom

# 3: The Millenial Generation

# 2: The Swinger Scene

And (drumroll please)–coming in at # 1: SAA’s Recommended Reading List

While we try to ensure that all of our topics are as timely and pertinent as those that trended to the top, it’s also extremely important to us that our coverage includes subjects that have a personal connection to you–our readers. Towards that end, we hope you’ll let us know if there’s something you’d like us to cover or events for your organization that we can help publicize and we’ll do our best to add it to our upcoming schedule. Just drop us an email and we’ll take it from there.

Once again, thank you for all of the encouragement and support this past year and please accept our best, heartfelt wishes for good health, much happiness and great success in 2014.

Happy New Year, everyone,

Luc & Alexandra