null"Sex is fun," says Rahma, 21, a communications major at a leading university in Jakarta. "I don't make a big deal out of it. It is my body, my life. I don't care what anybody else thinks."

Even just 10 years ago, her openness about her sex life would have been daring if not downright shocking in traditionally conservative Indonesia. Nice girls did not have sex, and if they did, they definitely did not admit it.

According to a recent survey by the National Family Planning Board, Rahma's opinion is shared by about 20 percent of young women and men between the ages of 21 and 25. A disturbing number to some, simply a natural progression to others.

Following the downfall of the New Order regime, democracy in Indonesia has taken an unexpected, chaotic turn. Suddenly and unexpectedly free to vent once repressed thoughts, ideas and desires, Indonesian society is scrambling to deal with its newfound freedoms.

The media, artists and entertainment executives are basking in the glow of the permissiveness. A society that was sheltered from outside influences for more than 30 years is now on a quest of discovery, including in sexual matters.

That extends to pushing the sexual boundaries through premarital sex and experimentation.

"What you're looking at now is something that can't be helped," says S. Natanagara, a lecturer in psychology and behavioral sciences at Padjadjaran University in Bandung. "It's been a long time coming. The bigger question is how we deal with the issue, not why we have to deal with it."

That is easier said than done. Social scientists and religious advocates are decrying what they consider the degradation of morals and the loss of traditional values brought by unchecked freedom.

Suddenly, sex is everywhere. No longer does discussion of sexuality have to be couched in dry, medical jargon that indicates its designated place is in the bedroom of married couples. Sex experts have become talk show regulars, lifestyle magazines have columns devoted to solving sexual problems and an onscreen kiss is now tame stuff on the big screen.

Radio stations are also hip to the new trend. Kamajaya FM, a family oriented broadcaster, includes among its weekly discussion topics penis enlargement, hymen restoration, breast implants and premature ejaculation, with an on-air Q&A segment moderated by an expert.

Literature has also lifted the covers on sexuality. In 1998, following the publication of her debut novel, Saman, Ayu Utami was hailed as a writer who dared to address previously taboo subjects - including sexual abuse and homosexuality -- in graphic terms. For some, it was even more shocking that it was a woman spouting the "dirty" talk, but she led the way for a whole generation of young women writers -- Djenar Maesa Ayu, Fira Basuki and Dewi Lestari - willing to be up front about sex.

In 2003, Galang Press published Jakarta Undercover, journalist Moammar Emka's chronicle of the sexual smorgasbord available in the capital. The book shocked many and led to numerous talk show discussions on the crumbling moral fiber of Indonesian society.

Emka discounts the suggestion that Indonesia is in the midst of a sexual revolution similar to the U.S. in the 1960s.

"No, this is definitely not a revolution," he says, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "What we're going through right now is a sexual evolution. A revolution requires social awareness, acceptance."

Still, the change to greater permissiveness is phenomenal.

Andi, 27, a manager at an IT company, didn't lose his virginity until he was 25.

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