I did not know that.
In an earlier post, I wrote:
I like talkative, energetic women. I would really dig Camille [Paglia] if I could change two things about her:
After reviewing an interview Paglia did in the libertarian mag Reason, I discovered that she does NOT believe "age-of-consent laws should be scrapped completely," only that they should be lowered further than current American mores will allow.
This is her opinion, in her words:
I believe that government should confine itself to the public realm and that it should be as stripped down as possible, within reason. It should not be burdened by excess bureaucracy.I feel that government has no right to intrude into the private realm of consensual behavior. Therefore, I say that I'm for the abolition of all sodomy laws. I'm for abortion rights. I'm for the legalization of drugs--consistent with alcohol regulations. I'm for not just the decriminalization but the legalization of prostitution. Again, prostitutes must not intrude into the public realm. I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that civil authorities have the right to say that prostitutes should not be loitering near schools, or on the steps of churches, or blocking entrances to buildings and so on. Prostitution should be perfectly legal, but it cannot interfere with other people's access to the public realm.
Furthermore, the public realm is not owned by Judeo-Christianity. It is shared by people of all cultural and religious backgrounds. Therefore, I'm arguing for the Greco-Roman or pagan line, which is very tolerant of homosexuality and even of man-boy love. I've argued controversially for a reduction in the age of consent to 14--there are some countries in the world that do have that. I'm open to considering even lowering it further.
That's the way I would be separate from a conservative libertarian, who would not necessarily take the position of the legalization of drugs or the very positive attitude I have toward prostitutes and pornographers and drag queens. I take a celebratory attitude toward them. Similarly, I think that most conservative libertarians would not agree with my idea of lowering the age of consent and so on.
Upon additional research and further reflection, I realize that the two above differences between Ms. Paglia and myself are only the tip of the iceberg. While I admire her bravado in challenging the leftist feminist majority and her defense of conservatism and conservatives, there is much too large a gulf between our principles to make her a suitable objet de mon amour.
L.N. Smithee regrets the error.