talking point 9! sex positivity

so in order for me to get a better grip on what exactly the readings were about this week, I did a little research on my own.

I basically just typed sex positivity into Google & sooo many different feminism articles came up.  I found a woman's (her name is Clarisse) blog entitled FEMINISTE...she posted an interview she had done; she had answered questions about sex-positive feminism...I found it really interesting so the link is below!

"Interview with a sex-positive feminist"

http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/12/16/interview-with-a-sex-positive-feminist/

Her first question & answer helped me get a better understanding (along with the wikipedia article) of what exactly sex-positive feminism is.

According to Clarisse (& a bit of wikipedia info too) sex positive feminism is the acceptance of various types of sexual approaches.  Basically, sex positive feminism don't engage in stereotypes.  Part of her answer to the first question is

                                         "...some people are really into sex, and some people aren't; but most importantly,

                                                all kinds of sex are okay as long as they happen among consenting adults."

this part of her answer made me look back to the 8 Ways To Be Positive You're Sex Positive article.  In this article, step 1 is realizing "having sex is healthy, but so is not having sex."  How I saw this is Clarisse basically saying what step 1 is saying...you want to have sex, great! go for it! but if you don't, that's okay too.  

What I got from the 8 Ways article (& Wikipedia and Clarisse's blog) is that sex is different for everyone---everyone engages in sex differently & sex can mean something different to everyone.

For some people, sex is an intimate thing they do with the person they love and only that person.  For others, sex could include a type of kinky fetish with whoever is willing (consenting) to take part in it.

In the Wikipedia article there was a section on pornography & how it was "perhaps" the first issue to untie sex-positive feminists.  In 1983 the city council in Minneapolis passed an anti-pornography ordinance--basically pornography was viewed as a civil rights issue, arguing that porn was sex discrimination against women.  The sex-positive movement responded with the argument that the legislation against porn violated a woman's freedom of speech.  

>After I read this I remembered what happened this past weekend, I was in Salem for Halloween weekend (HUGE HALLOWEEN FAN RIGHT HERE) & as we were walking through some mall type place we passed an "Adult Store."  In the window was an older looking poster of a pretty (but basically naked) blonde woman with the name Nina Hartley on the poster.  So now I just looked her up---she is an adult film star, most popular in the 70s, author & feminist who starred in basic sexual intercourse, foreplay, anal sex and bondage films.  She first became interested in porn & erotica novels when she was 14, is bisexual, has been in a polyamorous (a man & a woman together) relationship & is now currently married to a man but they both have their special friends--I guess like an open relationship type deal.

I found this YouTube video--an interview with Nina Hartley in The Man Room.

I thought this video fit with our readings--it's about her life as a sex-positive feminist

Her interview helped me understand the readings this week so check 'em out!

Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XROEOGwC00&feature=related

Part Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJXTbSBukM&feature=relmfu

Part Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iLUsBbnzvY&feature=relmfu