Archive for February 2, 2011

February 2nd, 2011

Recommended Reading #32: Feminism and Sex Work



      “Prostitution ‘Experts’ Versus Prostitutes: Why Don’t All Sex Workers Deserve a Voice?” by Monica Shores (Sex Work, Activism, Feminism) 10/9/10

The situation described in this article is the kind at which I cringe—a dualistic, dichotomous, deeply identified “debate” in which the “sides” have seemed so clearly defined and reified that there is a danger (or evidence) of forgetting to acknowledge and respect members of the “other side” as human. (Just to be clear, I am not referring partially to any particular side but to situations like this in general.) Historically, in contemporary society, discussions about and perspectives around sex work, particularly prostitution, have seemed wrought with intense, even volatile, reactions and perceptions that seem, as described in this piece, a prime example of this. Ironically, it is because of what is described in this article that what is exhibited in the third piece featured here today (below) has seemed to me not only so rare but also so tenuous—savage reactions that seem to forget our common humanity can inhibit and make seem quite difficult nuanced, receptive considerations and attention to an issue.

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      “Healing My Broken Feminist Heart” by Audacia Ray (Memoir, Feminism, Sex Work) 4/6/09

I found this personal account from Audacia moving and engaging. The ideas of and even word “feminism” have seemed to cover quite a bit of ground and encompass numerous perspectives; I found it interesting to read this personal account of someone who has embraced the term steadfastly simultaneous with performing controversial work some factions have emphatically claimed is anti-feminist.

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      “‘Pussy Fever’ Loves ‘Locker 29′” by Antonia Crane and Cheryl Strayed (Sex Work, Feminism, Sex and Culture) 1/26/11

This was one of the most extraordinary things I had read in some time (thank you to Erobintica for the heads up). In itself, it strikes me as a profound antidote to that described in the first piece featured this week. See what I mentioned above in relation to said piece for a reiteration of why the kind of discussion in “Pussy Fever’ Loves ‘Locker 29′” may seem so challenging—such considered, nuanced discourse may be hijacked, exploited, and/or portrayed completely inaccurately in the midst of a general atmosphere as described in Shores’s article. In this discussion between Antonia Crane and Cheryl Strayed, this was, I felt, alluded to beautifully by Ms. Strayed herself when she says, “Part of what’s challenging is even establishing the terms of the conversation. I am so utterly uninterested in the are-you-for-or-against-it debate that’s rooted in a moral code that I find inherently immoral. . . . My intent is not personal warfare with a public agenda; it’s to make a personal inquiry of social consequence” and then later, when she offers a statement I find deeply striking and provocative: “You don’t think porn and sex work is inherently degrading and I’ll nod my head in agreement, but only with the emphasis on inherent.” I found this piece truly extraordinary.

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Recommended Reading posted every Wednesday