This morning I received a thoughtful comment on my story "Occasions of Sin," and I'd like to share it:
"A really great story, full of the perverse sex that religious or social restrictions encourage. All young people should be taught and encouraged to love as they choose, hetero or homo. There are certain instincts basic to mammalian life: eating, drinking, sleeping, sociability and sex. Fucking with any of these leads to perversity - even murder and wars."
This reader is on to something. In America, esp., it's almost impossible to have a sober, public discussion about sexual pleasure. Such attempts are invariably met with either outrage or ridicule. (A surgeon general was once laughed out of office for daring to answer a question about masturbation.) On the other hand, I wouldn't regard all of the sex in this story, or even most of it, as perverted. The adults may be hypocrites, but the kids are learning to express their sexuality in their own way, making themselves feel good in spite of the restrictions. The boy's little kink might be permanent, or it might be a temporary way of coping with the pressure he's under as a victim of bullying at school, but in either case, it's presented, I hope, in a positive light.