The Green Light District

I’ve often found Ashley Lister not only brilliant but also brilliantly witty. This post served as a slice of entertainment for me the day I read it, so I’m passing it along. :) (Note: I also found the comments rather amusing.)

I find this superbly clever. It not only makes me laugh out loud but also so impresses me with its originality and simple delightfulness!

This post is part 2 of a series (with part 1 being found here…while the content at the end of part 1 is far blunter than would even have occurred to me, there is a point in there I appreciate). I laughed out loud multiple times upon reading it, which to me constitutes entertainment. ;)

It feels, frankly, difficult for me to acknowledge that I experience almost entire agreement with this post—mainly because it comprises a rather critical response to a post by Audacia Ray that tied in to the session she presented at the MOMENTUM conference, which I attended (not just the conference but the actual session, I mean). I too state straightforwardly that I have long admired Audacia’s work, and I feel/felt a bit shocked to read something she wrote and not feel agreement with it…but, admittedly, when I read Audacia’s piece (which again is a written articulation of the gist of her MOMENTUM presentation) to which this post is responding, I experienced approximately what I interpret as expressed in this post. (Though I did not ever feel anger at Audacia; I simply felt confusion and disagreement, in that my interpretations of a lot of what she was saying was not particularly resonating with me, and I have such a high opinion of what I have seen of her work that that made me wonder what I was missing. Perhaps I was/am indeed missing something and will realize it at some point. This recommendation simply represents how I see it at this time.) I do find the idea of appreciating or expressing one’s enjoyment of or free choice to engage in sex work being at odds with supporting others’ experiences in sex work that do not involve enjoyment (at least as much) or choice troublesome…and to me, they do not seem mutually exclusive at all. Perhaps I misread or misinterpreted what Audacia was saying. But I felt considerable resonance with this post in response, as much of what I interpret it as expressing occurred to me as well.

I appreciate Charlie’s highlighting of masturbation as lovely and potentially beneficial beyond certain (also lovely and relevant!) health considerations. Of course, I like best his last line about it really not needing a reason/excuse at all. :)

I found this a fascinating exposition about a part of the physical female body and its connection to pleasure, creativity, and other considerations.

The general perspective of this piece, as I interpret it, seems well-considered by a culture that seems to cluelessly assign labels and identities (including to ourselves). I like as well the offering of considering changes in our experience of sexuality from the angle of opportunity rather than simply what we perceive to be undesirable.

I share Laura’s perspective(s) of both the absurdity of finding anything surprising about this kind of story as well as her outline of the myths and stereotypes at play. I appreciate her articulation of such.

I simply adore this piece and feel it articulates beautifully the precise way I see the subject in question. (I’d also like to say this is one of my favorite lines I’ve read in a while: “The success of self-improvement as a publishing genre rather proves its weakness as a remedy.”)


I found this a tough piece to read, and it may be difficult for those with a timid stomach. The takeaway from it I profoundly appreciate is the recognition that abortions will invariably be sought, and 1) if some don’t understand the reasons for that, it’s probably because the reasons are none of their business and do not need to be vetted through them, and 2) criminalizing or impeding abortion access simply puts women in danger. See 1.

I found this also a difficult piece to read. The piece is offered, as I interpret it, to contextualize recent abhorrent legislation forcing women seeking abortions to undergo transvaginal ultrasounds. (Beyond that, of course, this is a strikingly poignant and painful memoir piece—I do not mean to give the impression it is simply political.)

I find this very nicely done. As funny as it may seem, there are (to me) obvious serious undertones that I feel are expressed straightforwardly and respectfully. I much appreciate its production.

This is really one of my favorite things I’ve read in a while. The entire tone strikes me as one of acceptance, self-awareness, Presence, and gratitude. I feel a resonance with all of it and an almost uncanny personal relating to some of it. I deeply appreciate the author’s writing and sharing this.

To me, there seem some lovely messages here that strike me as offered with love, sincerity, and awareness.

This seems to me to speak entirely for itself.

I found this a compelling and level-headed inquiry about far-ranging tendencies of our culture that I myself have frequently found disturbing as well. (She mentions parenthetically the perception that people who have chosen to express themselves or offer their service in a way that leads to fame somehow sacrifice their right to privacy—I understand, of course, why she did not expound on that in this piece, but I appreciated the mention, as it is a tendency I have perceived in this culture that I find abhorrent and unambiguously bullshit.) To see someone address an uncalled-for personal attack with such clarity and self-possession strikes me as both refreshing and inspiring. I appreciate especially the questions Ms. Judd asks in the latter part of her response. Turning a personal attack into an opportunity to ask questions such as those seems of profound value to me, and I truly appreciate her capacity and choice to do so.

I am fascinated by this exposition about birthing in medical and physiological contexts. I speak as someone who has never birthed a child who certainly appreciates many of the advances of Western medicine; that said, it seems valuable to me to open up the conversation about childbirth and to ultimately recall that the female body is built to undergo this phenomenon.

I love the emphasis in this piece on pleasure, autonomy, and trust. Again, expanding the way our culture seems to look at birth seems profoundly healing and awakening to me, and to me this piece seems to offer acute potential as such.

Perceiving empowerment as something to do not with certain acts (or not) but with the doers relationship to an act in question (and indeed, as I see it, life) strikes me as a profound and salient consideration. Especially in a context of a perceived co-opting of the word for different purposes, with which I agree, this insight seems incisive and helpful to me.

Personally, while I can appreciate eschewing discrimination on the basis of biological characteristics, I too feel sexual freedom is/should be obviously respected regardless of what is biologically determined. I appreciate what I perceive as this considered rumination on the subject.

It seems to me the recognition of the dynamics of repression, projection, and other psychological factors are imperative both in addressing social issues (including those around sexuality and its frequently misplaced, as far as I’m concerned, appearance in politics/public policy) and in remembering and holding the humanity of everyone and not being caught up in what Dr. Klein refers to as “a phony us/them divide.” I appreciate this breakdown of the psychological phenomena that may be in play (and truly wish for all a wider awareness of these phenomena and self-awareness in general).

I really like how the author points out that certain relationship workings have not tended to be trotted out as “sexy” by our culture. Her observations about what has often seemed to work in relationship resonate with me, and I appreciate her sharing this.

This strikes me as not only an important concept but also filled with helpful and supportive invitations. I agree that consistently not sharing to or hiding things from people out of fear is ultimately not helpful to either party or the relationship. I also, however, appreciate the tone and straightforwardness of this piece, which I interpret as acknowledging the difficulty behind such an action in the first place. And I find Reid’s “script” (even if it’s just used as an exercise to clarify one’s own perception before offering from a place of immediacy/spontaneity) a fascinating and encouraging suggestion and potential tool.

This offering: “For men who have never been on the receiving side of penetration, sex is something that happens outside the body” struck me as fascinating in that way things sometimes have when they seem obvious, but I recognize they have never occurred to me before. What an interesting point! On the whole I adore this post, which strikes me as profoundly caring, relevant, and insightful.