Dear IWF Supporter,
The reviews are in! This year's Sex and Dating Conference for Capitol Hill interns was the best ever. Not only did we garner an unprecedented amount of media coverage- including a major piece on page A2 of The Washington Post-we felt that the interns who showed up were eager for a serious discussion of sex and dating mores in a safe atmosphere.
We also received great coverage from National Review, and, interestingly enough, our sex and dating event triggered a debate between National Review and The Washington Post on what the IWF event actually meant. Here is how National Review began its account of the event:
"Are the culture wars over? The Washington Post's Dana Milbank would have his readers think so. After attending an event sponsored by the Independent Women's Forum (IWF) on Capitol Hill Monday, featuring Dr. Drew Pinsky of Loveline fame, Milbank concludes, 'A truce may be imminent [in the culture wars].' But Milbank's breezy sketch (a 'Washington Sketch,' one might say) of the IWF event is an inaccurate portrait of not only the event, but also of the state of the culture wars in general."
The Post's Dana Milbank had given quite a racy recap on our event, which National Review found inaccurate. National Review went on to report on our event in general:
[Dr. Drew] bemoaned the culture of hookups on college campuses. 'For the first time in human history, we're unhinged from our biology,' he said, 'and that's profound.'
He spoke of how a booze-fueled culture of hooking up on college campuses is unhealthy, for both men and women. The only reason alcohol is involved, Pinsky said, was because the situation was so 'unnaturally intense.' Men drink to suppress their anxiety in approaching women, he said, and women drink to abandon their tendency to associate emotions with physical relations.
But Dr. Drew is no Dr. James Dobson. He is a physician, not a politician or pastor, and made that abundantly clear throughout his speech. He repeatedly advised the audience of which points of his speech were expert medical opinions, and which were personal opinions. Milbank, however, makes him out to be a deeply entrenched cultural warrior masquerading as a doctor. Does this sound like 'Dr.' Dobson? 'Shortcoming or not, I'm careful not to make judgments,' Pinsky told National Review Online after his speech. 'I encourage young people to look at things and then make healthy decisions.'
And that is what IWF was trying to do, too. And we know we're hitting home runs when two important media outlets are debating our Sex and Dating Conference. We could not be more pleased, even if we didn't quite recognize ourselves in Mr. Milbank's coverage, we were delighted to have him there.
This was our fifth Sex and Dating Conference, and in the capable hands of Campus Director Allison Kasic, it was a success from soup to nuts. We must admit that this event has never quite received this much attention, and we are delighted.
At IWF, we have long believed that it is desirable to bring back the date---as opposed to the hook up. We felt that, without offering judgments, Dr. Drew Pinsky, led a thoughtful-and fun-discussion of campus mores. He repeatedly asked if hooking up is such a good idea, why is it that students find they must be intoxicated to hook up?
We have to admit that we were pleased that Dr. Drew praised IWF's work, citing in particular our ground- breaking study, Hooking Up, Hanging Out, and Hoping for Mr. Right---College Women on Mating and Dating Today. The interns listened with rapt attention, while munching on cookies and other refreshments. Over 50 attended and they all seemed to find the discussion meaningful.
But don't take our word for it. Read the rest of the reviews. The Washington Examiner published an excellent report. It quoted Dr. Drew telling the interns that with hooking up, "There's never a relationship, and it's always while intoxicated."
We all agreed that the Washington Times' Inside the Beltway column also understood the event. The article noted that questions posed to Dr. Drew "revealed an earnest interest in discussing the attitudes that lie behind the prevalent college hook-up culture." It was an excellent report, and we urge you to read it in its entirety.
Not to be outdone, Allison herself penned a lively report on the conference for Human Events. She sounded the theme of the conference, quoting Dr. Drew saying, "Emotional instincts run counter to the hook-up experience, so women medicate them away." Allison says that it's clear from the questions and conversations at the conference that college students know that hooking up isn't healthy and "yet they aren't sure how to change the culture."
With this year's conference officially a roaring success, we're already looking forward to IWF's sixth Sex and Dating Conference to be held this time next year!
As you know, IWF depends on the support of our friends like you to put on these events throughout the year. We hope you will consider a special tax-deductible contribution to support our campus program today.
Sincerely,
Michelle D. Bernard
President and CEO
Independent Women's Forum