How do you speak politely to 60 different genders?

A German politician shows how

Michael Cook | Jul 21 2016 | comment

From time to time, German regional politics has moments of entertainment. A member of the parliament of the state of Brandenburg (in the country’s northeast) recently stated his party’s position on a gender diversity proposal.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) politician Steffen Königer was speaking to a bill introduced by the Green Party to promote “acceptance of gender and sexual diversity, self-determination, and against homo- and trans-phobia” in the city of Brandenburg. It would also “give equal rights and societal equality for LGBTTQQ [lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans, two-spirit, queer, questioning] people in Brandenburg.”

He spoke for a mere two minutes, but left Parliament in stitches. How often does that happen in Prussia? A must-see.

For your weekend reading we have a very important article on the science of addiction -- to pornography in this case -- and how it can be overcome, plus a short interview with the author, psychiatrist Kevin Majeres.

We continue to hear how increasing numbers of men, mainly, are exposed to porn and become hooked on it. Dr Majeres, who used cognitive behavioural therapy with people who want to break with addictive behaviours and he teaches the method at Harvard Medical School. But he has also just launched a website to reach more people and has another site in the pipeline. What is most important about his approach is its optimism: it is possible to overcome these cravings, he insists.