The Age of Consent is the debut album by synthpop band Bronski Beat (Steve Bronski, Larry Steinbachek and Jimmy Somerville), released on London Records on 15 October 1984. This was the only album released by the band to feature Somerville, who departed the band in 1985.
Background
By 1984, many European countries had reduced the age of consent for homosexual acts to 16, but it remained at 21 in the United Kingdom, having only been decriminalised in 1967; the wording of the legislation to decriminalise also included wording that placed restrictions such as making illegal the use of a hotel room for sex. Homosexuality was further stigmatised beyond the restrictions placed on homosexual individuals, and homophobia was a danger to gay individuals.
Against this background, Bronski, Steinbachek, and Somerville met in Brixton in 1983, and soon formed Bronski Beat. They signed a recording contract with London Records in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs.
The album was produced by Mike Thorne; the recording sessions took place in London and New York City. The first single, "Smalltown Boy", was recorded at The Garden studio (owned by former Ultravox singer John Foxx) and mixed at Maison Rouge studio, both of them based in London.
The Age of Consent: The Rise of Relativism and the Corruption of Popular Culture is a book by Robert H. Knight published in 1998, with a foreword by Gary Bauer. It criticises modern cultural relativism, arguing that "Relativism is the cultivation of ignorance; the gateway to nihilism; a false view of reality constructed by know-nothings for know-nothings; an extremely efficient vehicle for evil, whose existence it denies."
In Washington Times review (July 7, 1998) Robert Stacy McCain describes how the book "begins with a reminder of the imperfect but healthy society we inhabited before the ideology of self-gratification released the host of social pathologies from which we now suffer. [Knight] then guides the reader on a historical tour of the organs of modern popular culture, documenting the nearly unhindered march of relativism-led by a vanguard of decadent elites-through television, Hollywood, art, music, and architecture. This sustained assault on objective truth has brought us to the "Age of Consent," a morally obtuse world in which any act is validated by the mere consent of those immediately involved. Yet the Age of Consent's denial of truth, Knight argues, is unsustainable, and he concludes with a survey of the signs of incipient reaction that give hope for the future."
Mike Harvey (Cromwell) and Betty Cameron (Wilson) are college sweethearts at a New York college. They are so anxious to consummate their relationship that Mike suggests that the two of them quit college, get married and move to California where a friend of his has offered him a job. Both Mike's mentor, Professor Matthews, and Betty talk him out of it. In a funk, Mike goes to the local diner.
Dora (Judge) is an underage waitress who has had a crush on Mike and suggests that he walk her home after her late shift. Arriving at her house, she invites him in. Once in the house she lets him know that her father is working the night shift, offers Mike some of the liquor her father keeps hidden and turn on the music. The drunken couple begin kissing and end up having sex. They wake up the next morning as Dora is asking Mike if he's sorry for what happened. At that moment Dora's father (Barlow) comes in. He sees the rumpled condition of the couple, hears Dora's words and immediately has Mike arrested for corrupting the morals of a minor.
The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts, and is thus the minimum age of a person with whom another person is legally permitted to engage in sexual activity. The distinguishing aspect of the age of consent laws is that the person below the minimum age is regarded as the victim, and their sex partner as the offender.
The term age of consent rarely actually appears in legal statutes; it has sometimes been used with other meanings, such as the age at which a person becomes competent to consent to marriage, but the meaning given above is the one now generally understood. It should not be confused with the age of majority, age of criminal responsibility, the voting age, the drinking age, the driving age, etc.
Age of consent laws vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, though most jurisdictions set the age of consent in the range 14 to 18. The laws may also vary by the type of sexual act, the gender of the participants, or other restrictions such as abuse of a position of trust; some jurisdictions may also make allowances for minors engaged in sexual acts with each other, rather than a single age. Charges resulting from a breach of these laws may range from a misdemeanor such as corruption of a minor, to what is popularly called statutory rape (which is considered equivalent to rape, both in severity and sentencing).
Age of Consent is the fourth full length album by USheavy metal band Virgin Steele. The album took eight months to complete, a change from Noble Savage which was recorded in only a few weeks, and was finally released in October 1988. It received scarce promotion and distribution by their small label, resulting in very low sales. The songs of this album follow in style and content the music of the previous album Noble Savage, adding a more polished sound and production. At the time of release, the band faced legal and financial setbacks that brought to the unofficial disbandment of Virgin Steele. Joe O'Reilly, although credited for playing bass on the album, was ill at the time of recording and was ghosted by DeFeis and Pursino.
The album was reissued on CD in 1997 by Noise Records, with a new song listing, a new cover and many bonus tracks. In November 2011 Age of Consent was once again reissued by Steamhammer Records, a subsidiary of SPV, with the same track list as the 1997 release, but with an added bonus CD (named Under the Graveyard Moon) containing 7 additional tracks.
Hundreds & Thousands (Somerville/Steinbachek/Bronski) Turn your head look around you, Can't you see things are falling apart? Mother, time to stop them preparing your children for war. Ooh, when hard rain falls Ooh, when hard rain falls Ooh, when hard rain falls Ooh, when hard rain falls Governments and evil lies leading to destruction, Exploit, degrade, humiliate, communicate with violence. Ooh when the fascist call what will you do? Ooh when the fascist call what will you do? Here he comes this Americain man, Head so full with a deadly plan, Says he'll tell you says no lies and blood is dripping From his hands, The blood is dripping from his hands. Ooh when hard rain falls Ooh when hard rain falls Ooh when the fascists call what will you do? Ooh when the fascists call what will you do? Democracy crumbles, under what will you do?
Bronski Beat made waves in the 1980s with their bold debut album, The Age of Consent ... Now, 40 years later, The Age of Consent still resonates with listeners, old and new ... Legacy of Bronski Beat and "The Age of Consent".
Drawing a large crowd for two back-to-back performances, The Age of Consent 40 brought together a small army of gay, queer and trans artists to throw a 40th birthday party for Bronski Beat’s landmark 1983 debut album.
The Age of Consent is built on such contrasts ...Robert Christgau has criticised The Age of Consent for being “monochromatic” and having a ... The Age of Consent does contain one original jazz track.
So, what's the legal age of consent, you may be asking? While we've already established that the age of consent varies from state to state, the legal age of consent in Kansas is on the lower end of the spectrum at 16 years old.
As a Canadian citizen deeply invested in the well-being of our society, I write to initiate an open and informed discussion on the age of consent laws currently in place in Canada ... After all, age of ...
