Lusting for Freedom Rewritten

Is sex just a game? Lusting for Freedom, a paper written by Rebecca Walker, dives head first into the subject of sex and the restrictions society places on it. Walker shares the intimate story of how she lost her virginity at a very young age, 11. She talks about the awkwardness involved and how she quickly got over that to become a very sexually active teenager. Her sexuality brought her power and strength. Her self-worth and identity came from the bedroom. She found great pride and pleasure in attracting the men she shared her bed with.
Rebecca Walker was a young woman with many different faces. The men that shared her bed knew that she was the right girl for them, but was that girl really her? She would be the perfect race, age, and personality to suit each man. She seemed to enjoy reeling in her partners as much as the actual sexual act. Each bedmate was a challenging game to be played and then it was off to the next with seemingly little emotion involved. One might question the safety and intelligence involved in such a lifestyle.
Walker speaks of how sex should be a young woman’s right and not be “blocked by cultural taboo, government control or religious mandate”. She insists that it is not the act of sex that is dangerous for a “minor”, but the rules of society that actually make sex dangerous. She believes that girls should have the knowledge of safe-sex and have birth control and abortions readily available to young girls without involving the parents. Is there really such a thing as safe-sex? “We deserve to have our self-esteem nurtured and our personal agency encouraged.” Having sex: is that the only way for a young woman to have self-esteem and true freedom?