Sassy, Smart, & Ready to Shake Things Up!
In Part I of my interview with Gail Dines, the self-described anti-porn feminist discussed sexual freedom, coercion, safety and harm based on her new book, Pornland. Part II continues the conversation. This time, porn actors respond. I hope you will, too.
Read more and post your comments here.
Part I of my interview with Gail Dines is now up at the Ms. Magazine Blog. Gail Dines is the author of Pornland: How Pornography Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, out this month on Beacon Press. I hope you’ll post your opinions to the Ms. site. Go on … I know you have ‘em!
Gail Dines calls herself an anti-porn feminist, but she is quick to clarify that she’s not anti-sex. Unlike Dines—and in the interest of full disclosure—I am not anti-porn. I oppose censorship and unproductive arguments pitting sex-positive feminists against anti-porn activists. This keeps rival groups in far corners of the Sex Wars boxing ring. We need more conversation—not less—which means asking tough questions across ideological divides. To that end, I interviewed Gail Dines, curious about our agreements and differences on The Porn Question.
…To read the rest click here.
(Also watch for my review of Pornland in the Fall issue of Bitch Magazine.)
Some folks are freaking out about this “new phenomenon” of hooking up. But knocking boots is hardly something new and I write about it for Ms. Magazine in my blog article,
Not Just a Misunderstanding: Masculinity, Gender Justice, and Sexual Assault Prevention
On June 16, 2010 I gave a talk on pop culture, pornography, and sexual consent. The room was packed with people sitting on the floor. The conversation after was amazing and we ran out of time for everyone to speak. It’s always heartening to join so many people committed to stopping violence and sexual assault.
It was also a pleasure to tag team with Ashleigh Klein, Rachel Griffin, and Mandy Mount.
Many thanks to the United States Department of Justice/Office on Violence Against Women and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
I want to send huge thanks to all my hosts at SUNY, Fredonia. I flew out last week to give a talk on Pleasure, Politics, Porn. I arrived with PowerPoint pics — a historical romp through decades of The Amazing Disappearing Pubic Hair. It runs from 1970s Full Bush to the Vajazzled 2010.
We had a really nice dinner before and a lively conversation after. Big ups to Megan Carroll who took care of oh-so-many details! And congratulations to all the graduating seniors.
In the April/May issue of BUST Magazine I dish with Jillian Lauren about her time in a Brunei harem, love, authenticity, posing naked for the camera — and mostly about her new book, Some Girls (out verrrry soon). To make it easy for you to flip through and find my interview with Jillian, just turn to page 92.
Go, Jillian. You are rockin’ it, beautiful!
Hey sports fans (and cereal eaters)! Take a bite of this: Wheaties Fuels a Breakfast of Stereotypes. Look at the faces on the new Wheaties boxes and you’ll find more than your recommended daily allowance of race and gender stereotypes. I’d love to read your comments and opinions on my newest Ms. Magazine Blog post.
I’ve been on the road this spring, speaking at Ohio University, Drake University, and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Along with giving lectures on social change and readings from my newest book, Men and Feminism, I got the chance to meet so many people and to hear what they’re thinking about. That’s kinda my favorite part about traveling. At Drake University I hung out in the bleachers with some of the guys from the football team. We talked about sexual consent and I listened to their concerns about how to be strong allies in preventing sexual assault:
At the University of Illinois, I got to eat frozen yogurt and talk about all things pop culture. (Does the combo get better than that?)
And at Ohio University, I got to dish over dinner with students, staff and professors. Can I just say? Loved the conversation about fashion politics. (Photo coming asap.)
My thanks to the so-many amazing folks I’ve met for their graciousness, interest, and shared commitment to gender justice. And to those who came to hear me speak and are newer to the issues, I appreciate the forthright questions and honest inquiries. It’s what brings us together.
On International Women’s Day, Monday, March 8, 2010, Ms. Magazine launched its new blog. Staffed by competitively selected contributors, the site intends to be the blog of record for an international, intergenerational, and intercultural audience interested feminist news and commentary.
I’m excited to announce that I’ve joined the awesome and amazing group of Ms. Magazine Blog writers. My first post — on sexual groping in schools — is linked below. The media’s framed this as a Brand New Discovery (?!) and wonders whether groping is a form of sexual assault or a schoolboy prank. I think you can guess where I stand on this, but I hope you’ll click through, check out the blog, leave your comments, and show some linklove. Thank you, Ms.! I’m thrilled to join the team.
What’s the “Scoop” About Groping?
Click and find out.
And check back soon for my next blog post … Getting Down About Hooking Up.
I jumped the stage at today’s campus demonstration and had a few things to say. Click link below to see the video clip.
More photos are coming soon, along with a breakdown of the issues. This matters. Speak your truth!
Speaking Up is About Democracy. It’s About Freedom!
