The Sex Side of Life (eBook)

Mary Ware Dennett (1872–1947) was a pioneering American advocate for women's rights, particularly in the realms of birth control and sex education. Her foray into the literary world is most notably marked by her controversial booklet 'The Sex Side of Life: An Explanation for Young People' (1918). Aimed at educating adolescents about sex in a frank and positive manner, the booklet was born of Dennett's own experience as a mother seeking to enlighten her sons with factual sex education after finding the available resources severely lacking. Dennett's literary style in this work eschews the euphemisms and ambiguities that characterized the sex education discourse of her time. Instead, she opted for clear, direct language that treated sex as a natural part of life. This stance landed her in conflict with the legal system of the early 20th century, leading to her conviction under the Comstock laws for distributing 'obscene' material—a conviction that was later overturned on appeal. Dennett's advocacy and literary contributions played a significant role in the eventual liberalization of sexual education materials and the movement towards a more open dialogue about human sexuality.