Categories: Feminism | Sexuality and society

Sex-positive feminism

(Redirected from Sexually liberal feminism)

Sex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, is a movement that was formed in the 1980s. It formed in response to efforts by Catharine MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin (amongst others), to censor pornography and otherwise restrict various forms of sexual expression that MacKinnon and Dworkin felt were oppressive to women. The founders of sex-positive feminism include Susie Bright and Betty Dodson. At a root of this movement is a strong belief in sexual freedom. It also opposes any legal or social efforts to control sexual activities between any number of consenting adults. Sex-positive feminism opposes these efforts whether they are initiated by the government, social conservatives, other feminists, or any social force.

It should be said that within pro-sex feminism there has been debate about what constitutes a pro-sex feminist position. Feminists with widely differing views on central issues such as attitudes toward pornography describe themselves as pro-sex feminists; and most people can be described as "pro-sex" in some form, in that they all have some form of human sexuality of which they approve. For the purpose of this article, the philosophy discussed is that of the first people to call themselves "pro-sex feminists" and those who have very similar views on this issue.

Sex-positive feminism values female sexual gratification. Freedom of expression, narcissism, and scopophilia are all valued as potential methods by which women may gain sexual gratification. Pornography, exhibitionism, and prostitution are all acceptable to sexually-liberal feminists so long as certain standards are maintained. These standards include the health and safety of participants; as well as consent and respect existing between participants. Sex-positive feminism is broadly connected with the sex-positive movement, a movement which advocates sex education and safer sex as part of its campaign.

All pro-sex feminists view radical feminism as potentially causing women to feel guilt. For pro-sex feminists this guilt leads to sexual repression and negative self-imagery. Radical feminism is seen as a cause of problems for women such as eating disorders, and anorgasmia (the pathological inability to experience orgasm). In the pro-sex feminist view, radical feminism's censorship of consensually-produced pornography is patriarchal.

Contents

1 Leading theorists and practicioners

1.1 Susie Bright
1.2 Betty Dodson
1.3 Xaviera Hollander
1.4 Camille Paglia
1.5 Annie Sprinkle
1.6 Kathy Acker

2 Social Critique

3 Sex-positive literature

4 Related topics

5 References

6 External links

Leading theorists and practicioners

Sex-positive feminism has more been a movement of conscious thinkers than an activist social movement, as such its nature is best explored through the work of its leading theorists and practicioners .

Susie Bright

Susie Bright (also Susie Sexpert) is a populist sex pundit who broadcasts a regular internet radio programme. Bright has authored and edited a variety of erotically oriented and advice oriented sexual works since 1988.

Betty Dodson

Betty Dodson is a sex educator, and is most famous for her advocacy of masturbation. Dodson began to focus on sexuality in the 1970s as part of a feminist consciousness raising (CR) group. Dodson holds a Doctorate (Ph.D.) from the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality for her research work on sexuality.

Xaviera Hollander

Xaviera Hollander is an author. Her 1971 autobiography, The Happy Hooker: My Own Story, startled the public with its positive coverage of Hollander's time spent as a sex worker. Hollander's primary sexual writing was her long running Penthouse advice column.

Camille Paglia

Camille Paglia is a major American social critic . Paglia's academic writing focuses on the role of vibrant dangerous sexuality in human history. Paglia's key importance to sex-positive feminism is not only her writings on sex, but her advocacy of "traditional" values like canon texts. Paglia is somewhat of an intellectual enigma, a conservative and academic feminist, who revels in low and high culture alike and celebrates sexualities disapproved of by mainstream Western culture. Paglia has, in many ways, presented a "respectable" face for pro-sex feminism to the world at large.

Annie Sprinkle

Annie Sprinkle (born Ellen Steinberg) is a sex worker. Sprinkle's work has covered prostitution, stripping, film pornography, editing and writing text pornography, sexual performance art and sexual education. Sprinkle is famous for displaying her cervix to audiences using a speculum and flashlight. Sprinkle's work is an extensive and egotistical sexual autobiography played out to the world at large. It draws heavily on the burlesque traditions, but without the traditional last minute retreat from pornography associated with burlesque.

Kathy Acker

Kathy Acker was an American underground writer, whose works were first ignored in the 1970s. Acker's works achieved counter-culture prominence in the underground publications of the mid 1980s American art scence (Re/Search , Rapid Eye ). Acker's work was aesthetically and culturally raw, and presented a lurid, personal sexual vision which has been compared to William S. Burroughs' sexual writing.

Social Critique

An example of pro-sex feminist practice is Dodson's criticism of Eve Ensler's work. During 2001 Betty Dodson launched a polemic against The Vagina Monologues. Dodson's chief claims are that Ensler has a negative view of human sexuality, and that Ensler's work is an attack on men. Dodson saw Ensler's work as playing into a "women as victim" discourse on rape. (Dodson, 2001)