020514

Nan D. Hunter, "Contextualizing the Sexuality Debates: A Chronology" (1985)

Audre Lorde and Susan Leigh Star, Interview (1980)

Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon, "Model Ordinance" (1983)

Lisa Duggan et. al, "False Promises: Feminist Antipornography Legislation" (1985)

I. Business

·      Rich handout

·      Paper Topic

II. “Live + Let Live”?

·      “Pro-Sex” Feminisms

·      The Sex Wars

III. Contemporary Sex Wars

IV. Paper Topic

“Live + Let Live”

1. assumption that fems need singularity/unity

2. fuzzy definitions (venn diagram of sexist, violent, sexually explicit)

·      anti-sex: nothing possibly good about heterosexual sex

3. application: fear that these ordinances would come into the hands of conservatives with anti-feminist ideologies

·      coalition with anti-pornography feminists are religious individuals that don’t necessarily feel like pornography is harmful to women, but rather that it’s a sin

personal is political

sexuality can’t be separated from other parts of life

the erotic (reinforces and reproduces) integrity

SM + capitalism? Larger structures

MacKinnon + Dworkin: vanilla/regular straight sex à Kink/BDSM

Libertarianism: describes a perspective of the role liberty has in life.

Rachel talks about not wanting to completely reject Lorde’s critique of S&M. Maryam discusses her agreement with Lorde’s idea of the personal domain being a construct of capitalist ideology and being married to the public domain. Elizabeth brings up the fact that for Lorde the personal is political and there is a greater political agenda behind her stance against S&M relationships. If S&M is an exaggeration of dominant-submissive relationships, then it makes sense that Audre Lorde takes a stance against it. We need to question S&M, but not for its morality (Camila) We can’t say that kink sex/BDSM is outside of the political sphere because it always exists inside of that sphere, in a Foucauldian sense (Elizabeth). How can something come to mirror something that it exists opposite to? (Dominique)

Amila’s Artifact:

Guardian article, Iceland – the most Feminist Country

·      Iceland bans strips club and has very strict anti-pornography laws. Not in the name of religion but in the name of feminism.

SWOP-NYC & SWANK

·      Sex-worker union: maintains integrity within the industry. Attempts to level the playing field.

·      Juxtaposed to legal brothels in Nevada