Letter from the Editor

 

Dear Readers,

This magazine was originally intended to accompany Sex Week as an extensive schedule with contributions from the speakers, which would not only give readers a good overview about what was going on, but also give them something to take away; something more lasting than the few days of Sex Week.

But no one on the Sex Week staff believes in doing things halfway. In subject matter, number of contributors, and distribution amount, this magazine goes far beyond just one week at the Yale University campus. It is absolutely exceptional. A college-oriented collection of articles about sex—every aspect of sex—has never been put together before, which is surprising considering the almost universal interest in the subject, and the high educational value of a comprehensive treatment of it.

The person who introduced me to this project quipped once that it was necessary that it get done right, since so many Yale students could stand to learn from the advice given in its pages; and his comment touches on an important aspect of the publication. Yale and sex, halls of high scholasticism and primal urges, ambition and desire: what an interesting combination! And does this amalgamation not teach perhaps the most overarching lesson of the entire magazine, that gay, straight, or anything in between, we are all alike in our sexuality? That social, geographical, and political barriers cannot change our deeper natures?

Our careful selection of articles about different aspects of sex and relationships helps illustrate this point. From an analysis of relationships as the fulfillment of primitive desires for power to a perspective on male heterosexuality from a lesbian standpoint, and from an exegesis on unrequited love to a dictionary of sex-related lingo, you can read with both narrow and wide focus on sexuality itself. Also, thanks to the dedicated work of the wonderful Diana Bass, the magazine is uncommonly attractive visually.

Let it enrich not only your sex lives, but also your relationships and your understanding of everything human. Enjoy the read.

Sören Südhof
Editor-in-Chief

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