Maybe this will sound really bad or disgusting to some people. I apologize if I offend anyone's sensibilities. But I really need to get this off my chest and hopefully start a good discussion.

I am a pervert; I view it as a positive trait, not a pejorative. I like my sexuality. I'm still a virgin but I've been a regular masturbator since I was 12. And my libido has always been pretty strong. Yeah I like porn, but not just any porn -- I get most aroused when it seems like the woman is enjoying herself. I tend to enjoy porn which is technically oriented towards women... More sensitive stuff, which I know is weird for a guy but there it is. And I love sex scenes that are actually integrated into a good story, like in Japanese visual novels or the rare movie that actually gets it right.

I was brought up to be ashamed and afraid of my own sexuality. I was born in a fundamentalist religion which taught that masturbation, pornography and sex before marriage were all dreadful sins. It was only ever talked about in hushed tones or secret conversations. My own parents were so embarrassed that they really couldn't teach me anything, so I had to learn it all in Sex Ed in the 6th grade. And then they were absolutely mortified when they found my lingerie stash when I was only 13. It seems like everywhere I look these days people are such prudes, and get offended by the slightest hint of sexuality -- a bare breast, or a steamy scene, or talk of masturbation. And yet the porn business is booming. Portrayals of women in the media are often over-sexualized. Sex sells -- but few people will openly admit to liking it.

I can't understand for the life of me why we have to be such hypocrites about it. Leftovers from the Victorian era perhaps, or a result of the conservative religions that permeate every level of society? Why can't people just accept it as a natural and beautiful part of life, without which none of us would be here?

Maybe I'm just too open-minded and liberal for my own good. Maybe I really am a pervert in the negative connotation of the word. But I like to think differently.

Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just crazy?