To the Editor:
In last Tuesday's column ("An Addictive Drug for Free," DP, 11/29/05) Andrew Rennekamp compared Quake, Penn's first literary erotica magazine, to the endorsement of heroin.
We may not agree with Rennekamp's arguments; however, we are thrilled that Quake has sparked a debate about sexuality. We would respectfully like to refute Rennekamp's claims.
We agree with Rennekamp that porn addiction is a serious problem; those who are addicted to porn -- or heroin -- are urged to explore their issues at CAPS.
Yet Quake, as a literary publication, should not be equated with mainstream pornography. It is insulting, if not absurd, to those who suffer from addiction to suggest that opening a copy of Quake will lead to addictive behavior.
Rennekamp says Penn couples would "be better off going into the bedroom ignorant ... than with a 'porno-view' of sex." According to the AMA, sexual dysfunction affects 43 percent of women and 31 percent of men, which indicates a need for more information on sex.
We started Quake because we wanted to offer a different avenue for students to explore sexuality. Our writers are Penn affiliates, and our stories often showcase problems with sex. We interviewed our centerfold guests -- a real couple at Penn -- to show that even great relationships have their difficulties. We doubt Rennekamp considered this when he claimed Quake portrays "unrealistic" sex.
Rather than promoting a single viewpoint, the editorial board created Quake as an open forum for artwork and commentary about sexual issues. We believe that our aim -- to provide a safe space for discussion and art about sex and relationships -- deserves University funding, and we hope that the University community stands with us in this goal.
Others may disagree with the works in Quake, but we hope that they defend our right to exist -- or, better yet, we hope they contribute to Quake.
Jessica Haralson
College sophomore
The author is editor in chief of 'Quake' magazine
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