Around Valentine's Day in 2007, my cousin Scott founded a nonprofit for senior citizens in San Francisco. The organization, named "SeniorTouch," seeks to provide sexual information, materials and services for men in their later years.

It's a cause that Scott feels passionately about. As he puts it: "It's sad that in our society, too many seniors are derogatorily referred to as 'dirty old men.' There's obviously a double standard at play. Younger men with active sex lives are often considered healthy and virile. Older men, however, are often subject to shame or ridicule when expressing themselves sexually. It's particularly sad, because many of these men live quiet and lonely lives, many of them recovering from the death of a loving partner."

So, not to brag, but my cousin is trying to do something about it. Recently, SeniorTouch has lobbied the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to make Muni buses scarce and less frequent. "Crowded buses are great for sexually frustrated seniors," Scott explains. "On a crowded bus, seniors can press their bodies onto the bodies of fellow passengers... Also, there are very few venues available for seniors to erotically observe younger men and women in a way that's free and convenient. It's a great experience that only public transportation can really provide."

When forced, Scott will acknowledge Muni's progress, but he says there's still a lot of room for improvement. "Muni has made its buses accessible to seniors, and that's great. But now it needs to go the whole nine yards by making public transportation sexually rewarding."

Of course, my cousin's efforts don't stop there. Scott is also very intent on making pornography more accessible to seniors, and is highly critical of the city's elected officials. "I guess the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors don't get it," he says. "Not every senior has the means to get to the Tenderloin every night - and there are areas of this city that are drastically under-served by pornographic theaters and video stores." Scott adds: "I'd really like to see Mayor Newsom try to purchase an adult film on a Sunday night in Sea Cliff. I'd really like to see Supervisor Avalos find a peep show in the Crocker-Amazon before the donut shops open and the Today Show first reports the day's weather." As my cousin says forcefully: "The city doesn't get it, and that's a damn shame for our seniors."

Unfortunately, help for frustrated seniors won't arrive quickly. The economic stimulus bill to be signed by President Obama tomorrow includes no "shovel-ready" projects for pornographic theater or video store construction. However, before the battle is even played out on the national stage, change needs to happen at the local level. San Francisco is an enlightened and progressive city, but its neglect of seniors is shameful. We truly can and should do better.