‘I’ll Have What She’s Having…’ As an over-60 flower child, I would like to respond to your fabulous article “The Science of Women & Sex” (SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, May 29). Sex for me has always been a terribly important part of life. One of the things I have always done and continue to do is fantasize. From the beginning of desire, through arousal to orgasm and complete satisfaction, my mind controls my journey. It is indeed a wonderful journey–and wonderful to be a woman! Colleen Rae Corte Madera, Calif.
I actually started crying when I read your article about women losing their sexuality after having a hysterectomy. One statement just hit the nail on the head: “A huge piece of who I am was just gone.” And sadly, my doctor prefers to say, “It’s all in your head; it’s just an emotional thing.” No, it’s not. It’s a physical thing. And it was such a relief to hear that other women are experiencing the same thing, that I have a physical problem that I hope can be repaired. Thank you for writing about a subject that is, at best, difficult to talk about. Gloria Havey Athelstane, Wis.
A couple of years ago, I went through a year of absolutely no desire for sex, after 50 years of having a healthy sex life. Then I decided to try acupuncture, which worked so well for me that I had to ask my acupuncturist to tone it down a little because, at 63, I didn’t want to spend so much time thinking about sex. Gerri Abrams Nagog Woods, Mass.
Why in the world would you choose Helen Gurley Brown to write a column on “”? I can think of no one less connected to all the real women I know. At 78 she still seems to regard herself as a “girl” and has the audacity to encourage “bought and paid-for” relationships with younger men. As if any woman worth her salt would have to stoop so low! Everything in Brown’s world revolves around appearances and money–the trappings, not the heart, of life. Terry J. Covington Vancouver, Wash.
Now, if only the pharmaceutical companies could develop a drug to increase blood flow to men’s ears–that would be the women’s Viagra. Julie A. Wash Rochester, N.Y.
Your cover line asks, “Searching for a Female Viagra: Is It a Mind or Body Problem?” Even before I read your revealing report, my 33 years of marriage to a wonderful woman told me it was neither. For many people, the answer lies in the heart. Bill Langenes Portland, Ore.
Misplanned Parenthood? How convenient for David Levinson (“Helping to Create a New Kind of Family,” MY TURN, May 29), having a child with less inconvenience and responsibility than owning a pet! Levinson’s homosexuality is immaterial next to his flippant disregard for the life he is considering creating. What mother would want such a confused, immature individual to father her child? As a mother of four who has had the privilege of being able to leave her career to stay home and raise well-rounded, responsible children, I grieve for the child that may be produced by Levinson’s plan, because its procreation will have been based on a whim. Dana Sickles-Gonzales Ft. Bragg, N.C.
As a gay man, I found Levinson’s MY TURN sad in its depiction of a man with so little sense of self. He actually thinks it might be a good idea to try fatherhood. Try? What is he doing, considering a co-op? As if it weren’t galling enough that Levinson thinks he might “find himself” through parenthood, he describes an agreement with a lesbian (who’s “desperate to conceive”) that gives him so many outs that the real commitment fatherhood involves is rendered a joke. Sorry to break this to you, Mr. Levinson, but it’s not about you; it’s about the baby. No one should look to a baby to gain something. Raising a child requires giving, not taking. And, contrary to Levinson’s implication, the gay community is not uncomfortable with the notion of family and children. Ken Anderson Los Angeles, Calif.
Warfare Need Not Be Fair During the gulf war I witnessed the battle of Rumaylah as a tank-platoon leader in the 24th Mechanized Infantry Division (“Probing a Slaughter,” NATIONAL AFFAIRS, May 29). I vividly remember the warning that an Iraqi Republican Guard armored division was fast approaching our lines. At the time we did not think, as Seymour Hersh wrote in The New Yorker, that the Iraqis “posed no threat.” I am grateful to the Vietnam veterans who led us in Desert Storm. The lessons they learned about not letting American soldiers fight with one hand tied behind their backs helped keep the gulf war from becoming a slogging match that would have killed more Americans and Iraqis. If more of us had died, maybe people like Hersh would have viewed the conflict as more “fair” and less one-sided. Personally, I don’t regret that I was able to bring all my men back in one piece. Matthew Hoagland Bloomington, Ind.
Correction In a photo accompanying an item in our May 29 PERISCOPE section (“It’s Not a Cup, It’s a Masterpiece”), we mistakenly identified the “Tulip” pedestal chair as the design of Charles Eames. It was actually created by Eero Saarinen.
