Reasons to Have Pride in 2012, Part 4

Because we’re the stars of the science fair

Gay science writer Jesse Bering’s new book, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? And Other Reflections on Being Human, is brainy and hilarious, and at a time when federal funding for sexuality research is at stake, Bering makes the case that sex is a deeply crucial aspect of science and humanity for us to understand. Maybe someone should send Bering’s collection of essays to some of our more prudish Congress members who don’t believe the science of sex and gender should be studied. As he writes, “Data don’t cringe; people do.”