IMHO, the term "sex-positive" simply means being respectful to the choices of consenting adults regarding their particular exploration of sex and sexual material, including their right to consume and produce sexually explicit material. It does NOT imply -- again IMHO -- simply going out and performing the most bizarre sexual acts and promoting them as essentially "revolutionary"; nor does it presume that everyone should be screwing everyone else and damn the consequences. The point about "sex-positivity" is the acceptance of the basic fact that most human beings do have sexual thoughts and fantasies, and that they should be allowed to be expressed with the utmost respect for the feelings of others....including (or to be more accurate, ESPECIALLY) those that do not share their particular fantasies, behaviors, or tastes.
Perhaps I overdid it when I referred to the "Anti-Sex Left" as an overarching category; however, there are certainly those individuals who are unabashly on the Left who publically favor imposing a restrictive, moralizing standard of sexual behavior. And a few of them have even gone so far to support direct repression of such behavior/expression for nothing other than personal disgust or political expediency. It is those persons whom I was describing, not the entire "Left" as a whole. Of course, it goes without saying that the greatest threat to sexual liberation comes from the Religious Right (and from the uncontrolled economic exploitation of the Libertarian Right as well); but the basic elements of Puritan anti-sexual thought are so powerful and so transcendent that even otherwise genuine leftists can be converted to their viewpoint. I happen to believe that there is no contradiction between my support for progressives and radicals within the sex industry who wish to effect positive change and my equally committed support for traditional social change. In fact, the former commitment for me is a byproduct of the latter.
To Daniel Davies: I won't begrudge you your opinion about porn or strip clubs; there is a lot of commercially produced porn that I despise myself (mostly because it is badly produced, repetitive, and -- on occasion -- generally misogynic); and I no more want a strip club in my neighborhood than the next guy. But to totally dismiss the more positive and potentially progressive aspects of erotic entertainment and sexually-oriented material in educating people (especially women) whom have been denied the most basic information about their bodies is basically criminal. And in fact, there are millions of people -- and some of them just so happen to be leftists -- who consume and enjoy the erotic medium (and, I would guess if it was decriminalized and reformed, prostitution as well) quite well, yet manage to retain their progressive bearings. You don't have to like what other people do with their bodies, but as long as they respect the integrity and the sensibilities of other ! pe! o ple, I don't think that their personal sex lives should be an issue for condemnation.
Finally, to Carrol Cox (Oh, thank Goddess, I finally got it right!!! lol): It may be easy for you to dismiss sex-positives and sex radicals as some self-indulgent, individualist "wankers"; however, be aware of the fact that many of the most prominent sex radical activists were and are in fact committed leftists who were basically run out of the movement by more Puritan elements who simply couldn't handle the idea of sexual diversity. Remember Susie Bright, who was, if I recall, removed from her position as a union activist because of her sex-positive positions? Or perhaps you have never heard of the refusal of Jewish New Agenda to allow Nina Hartley -- who just so happens to be a third generation feminist/socialist as well as a sexual entertainer -- to address their conference over ten years ago? (I just so happen to have an interview that she did for a Jewish leftist magazine ("SHMATE") 13 years ago as confirmation of that fact.) And I could name so many other leftists w! ho!
share their viewpoints, but do not get the credit or the media accessibility that they so deserve. Their contributions to left theory and activism deserve as much respect as any other form of progressive activism....whatever your personal viewpoint of their positions or their lifestyles.
In the long run, sex-positive radicalism is NOT about particular sexual positions, "lifestyles", or even about sex in general; it is about accepting diversity and variation among consenting adults, and in changing the world so that all people can more freely and more respctfully explore the basic essential of themselves. Call it BS if you will....but I call it a vital part of progressive activism which leftists ignore to their peril.
OK, I'm done pontificating on sex for now.....back to discussing Iraq, or Dubya, or the Muddle East, or abstract theory.....or whatever serious issue is up for grabs here.
:-)
Anthony
--
On Tue, 22 Oct 2002 10:42:01
Daniel Davies wrote:
> Chuck0 wrote:
>
>>>Somebody could probably rustle up a better definition of "sex-positive,"
>but as a "sex positive" activist I see it as an attempt to reclaim the
>Left's traditional hostility towards puritanism and oppresive state control
>of our sexuality. It's also a reaction to puritans in our midst, like
>Catherine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin. "Sex positive" is a reaction to the
>censors and prudes in our midst, who use elaborate theories to make us feel
>guilty
>about being queer or enjoying stuff like pornography. I'd also say that
>this tendency recognizes that sexuality and sex are pretty important things
>to many people and shouldn't be relegated to a back burner by a Left that
>is
>preoccupied with "more serious matters." <<
>
>Which is all well and good, but without wanting to be a dick about this, I
>asked a very specific, non-rhetorical question and so far, no answer.
>Perhaps it is unfashionably reductionist of me to demand that at some point
>the rubber meets the road (or whatever else rubber might be meeting) and
>this "sex-positive" business actually translates into choices between
>courses of actions.
>
>So far, Dennis P has stepped up to the plate and given me an answer. I'm
>not sure if he's representing "The Sex-Positive", but his answer about
>pornography as experienced as live entertainment was that it was yucky and
>not worth bothering with. Since the only specific activity you mentioned
>above was the enjoyment of pornography, I'm interested to know whether this
>means that it's more "sex-positive" to enjoy a basically pornographic
>experience in the form of a mass-reproduced image than in the flesh as a
>live performance.
>
>Unless by "enjoying stuff like pornography" you're just referring to the
>act of having a wank, in which case I sort of come back to my original
>point; being "pro- or anti-" sex is like being pro or anti the weather, or
>the tendency of water to be wet, or any other fact of life.
>
>I'm sure I'm just being stupid here and there's something I'm missing, but
>I keep finding myself returning to the old proverb "money talks and
>bullshit walks", and I can't help thinking that "Sex-positive"ness has a
>lot more talking to it than walking. Unless principles of "sex positive
>leftism" can deliver some sort of practical argument for taking (or
>refraining from taking) some course of action or other on political
>grounds, I'm finding it very hard to escape the feeling that what we're
>really looking at is yet another way of trying to pretend that other people
>are "not proper lefties" because they don't have the same sexual tastes as
>you do.
>
>Or to put it another way; the chief function of "sex positive" feminists in
>contemporary London appears to be to write favourable articles in the local
>press whenever there's a planning dispute about opening up yet another
>strip club at the end of my street. What's the line of political reasoning
>which I've missed when I get crabby about this?
>
>cheers and underwear
>
>dd
>
>
>Get Your Free Email at http://www.al-islam.com
>
>
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