Respect is essential in healthy sexual relationships.
In this spoken monologue, Mike Domitrz addresses a college audience about the pervasive lack of respect in sexual and romantic relationships. He shares that many students report being sexually active yet never feeling respected. Domitrz attributes this to cultural gender stereotypes—warnings like “watch out for girls” or “watch out for guys”—that teach young people to expect manipulation, selfishness, and disrespect from the opposite gender. He explains how these messages lead individuals to accept disrespect as a normal condition for being with a partner, reinforcing the belief that “nice guys finish last.” By highlighting these learned expectations, Domitrz calls for a shift in mindset toward mutual respect as a foundational element of healthy sexual relationships.
