Has the sexual revolution failed? That was the question posed to all in attendance of The Free Press’s first live debate held in downtown Los Angeles last Wednesday — one deemed “a clash of female titans.” In one corner sat pop musician Claire Boucher, popularly known as Grimes, along with ex-Muslim podcast host Sarah Haider, both taking the position that the sexual revolution succeeded. On the other side sat British author Louise Perry and “Red Scare” podcast co-host Anna Khachiyan, who both argued its failure.
Ultimately, the audience decided the cultural moment did in fact deliver on the liberating promises it made to women: The sexual revolution promised to free women from oppressive stereotypes that locked us out of many educational and career opportunities and forced us to act as sexual gatekeepers in a world where chastity, marriage, and motherhood were expectations rather than choices.
As a member of the Gen Z generation who attended the debate, I agree. But that doesn’t mean I’m OK with the resulting effects.
Indeed, not only did the sexual revolution succeed, but it triumphed in a massive overcorrection of our sexual culture. As a result, today’s current generation of young women are left to navigate through its wreckage.
This movement for sexual empowerment has been exceedingly effective. Think back to its original goal. Feminists yearned to sever the act of sex from the process of reproduction. Feminists sought to redefine marriage from its institutional model predicated on obligation to one’s family to a romantic
