Conservatives are Weirdly Obsessed With Sex, and It’s Dangerous

Reactionary and fundamentalist religious views about sexuality produce dysfunctional people and societies

Image: Kues, Shutterstock, standard license, purchased by the author

I didn’t formally study psychology, but sometimes you don’t need a degree in a discipline to understand what makes certain people tick.

Consider, for instance, your standard right-winger — especially if they’re a religious fundamentalist. Specifically, think about the way they speak of, and apparently think about, matters related to sexuality.

I’m going to say something that might seem extreme, but it’s not difficult to prove.

When conservatives rail against abortion, it’s less about their love for unborn children and more about how they view the act that creates them. Likewise, when they rant about same-sex marriage, it’s less about how they view the institution of matrimony and more about their fixation on same-sex, well, sex.

Think about it.

These are people who typically say that if women want to control their reproduction, they should “keep their legs closed” and abstain from sex.

Aside from ignoring how many men force themselves on women or pressure them into sex — so the act isn’t simply controlled by the…