I'm sure it's still fresh in our minds. The news spoon-fed it to us everyday. How we devoured the coverage of Bill Clinton as he withstood public interrogations into his private sex life. And for what reason? Because viewers needed a scandal? The media wanted to boost ratings? The public believes it has a right to know what goes on in the closets of our lawmakers, educators, and celebrities-and the media searches for it.
Well, here we are again. Jack and Jeri Ryan were an affluent couple who, like some 50 percent of Americans, ended up in divorce court. Not so different than most people in this situation, only now they are in the news amidst a sex scandal.
Jack Ryan was the GOP senatorial candidate from Illinois up until June 25, 2004. Jeri Ryan is known for former her role as Seven of Nine, the sexy cyborg babe of Star Trek Voyager.
Thanks to the Chicago Tribune, who sued to have the details of their 1999 divorce proceedings unsealed, the Lifestyle is in the news, too.
Jeri Ryan alleged that Jack Ryan forced her into accompanying him to swing clubs in New York, Paris, and New Orleans. She said that in Paris, "he took me to a sex club…without telling me where we were going. People were having sex everywhere. I cried. I was physically ill."
We went to "two clubs in New York during the day. One I refused to go in. It had mattresses in cubicles." The second place was "a bizarre club with cages, whips, and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling." Jeri claimed that he "wanted me to have sex with him there, with another couple watching…I was very upset."
Jeri Ryan made no statements regarding the club in New Orleans.
Now why is it that these divorce files should constitute Jack Ryan dropping out of the race? His actions reflect shame, which has been the standard response of other politicians. Why is it that he should feel guilty for attending a sex club? His personal life is unrelated to his career. A clinical psychologist in Chicago stated that somewhere between 10 and 25 percent of Americans of various and prestigious professions have visited a swing club. However if he forced Jeri into going, then he owes an apology to her, not the public.
Most people possess sexual desires and fantasies, and these often remain secret. There's a sticky taboo surrounding sex in general, yet some, like us swingers, seek to live out their wishes. A politician's personal life is no one's business outside of a domestic partnership. And why society deems a sexually alternative lifestyle as defamatory and an adverse reflection of an individual's capabilities is equally disconcerting. Jack Ryan had been highly regarded by his colleagues until his visits to the swing club became known. He didn't lie, steal, obstruct justice, or otherwise mislead constituents; he merely sought to fulfill those desires that we do.
Swing clubs generally don't admit just anyone. The average swing club charges $50 per couple, after the prospective guests have completed and hour-long orientation in order to weed out couples with an unwilling partner. How could Jeri Ryan not know where she was going?
Perhaps she was coerced into visiting these "dens of sin" as she has marked them to be. But maybe she wanted to use an unsavory prejudice that many in the mainstream have about sex clubs. Her husband's political ambitions must have been known to her.
And that's just it. Any politician involved in extramarital sex, sex clubs, swinging, and any non-missionary position must be scandalized. It's ridiculous! I would love to see Jack Ryan actually stand up for his lifestyle choices and stay in the race in lieu of the media. Maybe sex clubs and swinging won't appear so scandalous.
