Is Sexuality Taboo for Female Policitians?

Twenty-eight year old Krystal Ball (dumb name, smart woman) is a Democrat congressional candidate in Virginia.  If elected, she will be the youngest member of Congress in history.

Of course, she has a sex life.  Of course, she's taken racy photos.  Naturally, they've surfaced online.

Did I mention that's she's 28?

Why is any of this surprising?  Worse still, why is any of this relevant to her qualifications (or lack of) for public office?

Disappointingly, the double standard for women is alive and well. 

What's refreshing is that the younger "Facebook" generation is challenging the tired Madonna/Whore complex.

Ball wrote a long (too long, actually; I wish it were better edited) treatise about the campaign to discredit her--and why she's staying the course.  Read it on her website, http://www.krystalballforcongress.com/.

Hers appears to be a single lapse of judgement in a private setting. Politicians of the future--both men and women--will likely share her youthful history of hijinks.

Too many of us are voyeurs, hypocrites wagging fingers.  Too many of us stand silent.  Too many of us are unwilling to expose our often foolish actions to scrutiny.  

Regardless of your politics, applaud Ball for having the--well, the balls--to fight this sexism.  She could be your daughter, niece, cousin, friend. 

I say hooray for her sexuality.  It's not incompatible with intelligence.