Compatibility

Parents and coworkers, just move along. Nothing to see here.

Everybody should have a sex checklist they could compare on a first date. Wouldn't that simplify everything?

It could be divided into sections: I love; I don't mind; I hate; I've never tried but might like to; I've never tried and don't want to; That's just gross; plus a list of the sexual positions that you like, that are okay, that you don't care for, or that (due to personal taste or individual physiology) just won't work for you.

This gives you some wiggle room (sorry) when evaluating a potential sex partner. If you have something on your "I love" that's on their "That's just gross," you know it probably won't work out; but if it's just on your "I've never tried but might like to," you could still be fine.

And there are probably a few things that should have a scale of, say, 0-5 on the checklist, like S&M or bondage. Spanking would be about a 1 on the S&M scale, whereas whipping or otherwise drawing blood would be a 5. And for bondage, being tied up with ribbons might be a 1, and handcuffs you can slip out of, but not without some effort, would be around a 3. People who are more than 2 points apart on these scales might not want to get involved.

Of course, some things you just have to work with. One common practice is on a lot of guys' "I love," whereas it tends to be on many women's "I hate," "I've never tried and don't want to," or "That's just gross" list. And the compromise is not really ideal: the guy doesn't get to do it, but the woman feels like a vanilla sex partner, especially if the guy then pipes up with, "Well, the chick in that porno liked it a lot, why don't you?" Still, having it all spelled out beforehand would have to help, wouldn't it? It would at least avoid unpleasant surprises for both sides. Um, so to speak.

Oh, and maybe there should be an "At-A-Glance" section for certain key points, like so:

Orgasmic: Yes
Diseases: No
Will participate in three-way: Yes
Back door: Exit only
Barnyard animals: No

I'm warming to the idea the more I write about it. I think it should be a required section in social networking site profiles. I know I'd find MySpace a lot more interesting.