…asking men to put the fullness of their yangness to work for a better world: Maggie Tapert, a US-born sex therapist now based in Zurich, offers a pro-peace essay, Prescription Pleasure. In it, she speaks out in favor of sexual self-empowerment for women as an antidote to a culture of violence and repression. But (unlike many of her colleagues in the “sex positive” movement) she also prescribes a similar path for men:

“Imagine for a moment that you could sit on the market place lovingly stroking a beautiful hard cock and all the men and women who walked by would admire it, or maybe lovingly stroke or touch it, sprinkle it with holy water or even just smile, nod and go on about their business. Imagine what a different world this would be. If your potent hard member were honored and encouraged by your community perhaps there would be no need for violence. If we loved your cock maybe we would see the end of war. Maybe. Who knows.”

Later, of course, she admits she’s not really advocating street nudity; she just wants to provoke her readers into imagining a world where pleasure was treasured, and to create such a world within themselves.