Sex In The Public Square - Who are you people? - Comments

Introduction

WilliamC — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:05:30 -0700

I found out about this wonderful forum a week ago when I met Elizabeth at the Left Forum. I'm WilliamC and I want to be a regular participant in this project. I'm 61 years old (an old fart!) and have been involved in the struggle for sexual liberation all of my life. In the 60's and 70's I was involved in the "alternative lifestyle" movement which eventually became the polyamory and swing movements. I identified as poly for many years, but found it very difficult to connect with women in that context. I think that the poly movement at that time was very much the victim of patriarchal structures. I haven't been to a poly oriented event in many years. I still struggle because I like sex and I want to connect deeply and honestly with women. I've come to believe that it would be best for me to stop using pornography for now. I really don't like commercial porn anyway. It feels very exploitive to me. At least it triggers fantasies that I don't really want to act out in the real world. This is a decision just for me and just for right now. I want to keep evolvoing and to be involved in a movement that links sexuality and politics. One of my objections to the early poly movement was its anti political nature. People were interested in whatever they were doing but not interested in connecting it to a larger political struggle. I believe very strongly that the personal is very political. I hope to meet more of you over time.

Welcome, BarkingStar!

Elizabeth — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:50:32 -0800

I'm so glad you like what we're doing here, BarkingStar, and that you share so many of our goals. I hope you'll jump right in and find ways to make the Square an even more wonderful place :)

This site is SO important!

barkingstar — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:15:47 -0800

Being the dreaded southern white male (ha!), I always felt bad that I liked porn & yet supported various feminist (really more humanist) causes (pro-choice, challenging discriminatory policies, etc). I thought it was a contradiction. The more I read, explore, and grow, the more I find it is NOT a contradiction. I think it is a DISGRACE that women still only make 70 cents to every dollar a man makes. I think Roe v. Wade was one of the most thoughtful, finely composed and articulated judgments in the 20th century history of the Supreme Court. I think Title 9 should be strictly enforced upon institutions of higher education to ensure full participation by women. I also support ALL GLBT struggles (marriage, non-discrimination policies, etc.). And, yes, I do like porn. That said I think it is deeply troubling that our society seems pulled by two opposing forces: the big business porn industry and the predominant religious voices of orthodoxy (fundamentalists if you will). Most of the leaders of these two forces are men. It's the same old patriarchy, a system that the VAST majority of us will never, EVER, fully measure up to. I think the middle ground is where most of us WANT to be: open about sex, tolerant of consenting adult activity, judicious in our respect for privacy, and agreeing that certain moral boundaries are not bad, but good in regards to sexual expression. I think porn could be SO much more healthy, fun, entertaining, and even, *gasp* educational! So I hope I can be a part of this ongoing discussion. End poverty, end discrimination, end intellectually vacuous religious dogma, end the business of profits before humanity. 'Nuff said!

Post-Binary

Chris — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:36:58 -0700

for chris

tracya — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:43:22 -0700

ooo-one-ooo-one-one-ooo-one-ooo-ooo-one

(counting out loud in binary)

elizabeth is fab!!

tracya — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:28:25 -0700

just wanted to thank elizabeth for helping me sort my posts!! i lived on long island in the 80's, happauge and east northport...ex was from queens!

you all are providing a comfy place for people to participate in discussions about sexuality in ALL its manifestations. i know it will grow and i'm proud to be here in the groundbreaking stages!

sex is one of our most basic human needs/expressions......and most misunderstood.

here's....cheers to the hope that we can change that.

Who are you people?

Elizabeth — Sun, 20 May 2007 14:28:30 -0700

The founding members of Sex in the Public Square:

Elizabeth Wood, is a sociologist, activist and writer. Elizabeth started blogging and continues to blog at http://sexinthepublicsquare.wordpress.com. She is assistant professor of sociology at Nassau Community College on Long Island in New York. She is a strong believer in the importance of maintaining and expanding public resources, in the importance of sex in human lives and communities, and in the power of organized individuals to make change in the world.

Chris Hall is a writer who lives in Brooklyn. He spent the Reagan years living in Southern California and the dot-com boom years living in San Francisco. He is both geeky and perverted and loves women who know CSS or can count out loud in binary. He maintains a blog, Literate Perversions.