Saturday, November 11, 2006

Saturday Afternoon Video: Inside a Purity Ball

filed under: Strange Bedfellows by Melissa Gira | 5 Comments

Relax into the pillows, spoon a bit longer, or better yet, just flip your lover and have some extramarital sex in jubilant defiance of all that is the epitome of not-smart sex (which doesn’t keep these jokers from getting federal funding, of course), ‘The Purity Ball.’

(via ana voog, via Feministing)

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Election Day Postgame: Vote Your Local Leatherman and Escort

filed under: Strange Bedfellows by Melissa Gira | Leave a Comment

I’m not sure I was actually breaking the law by taking this photo at the polling station, but as the count is in, why not? It’s not every day one gets to cast one’s ballot for an out supporter of the Leatherman’s community. Who won with 87% of the vote in his race for State Assembly. (Unlike self-identified escort/stripper Starchild, who is still yet to concede his run for San Francisco Board of Supervisors.)

mark leno

Monday, November 6, 2006

US Election Pre-Game: Oh, For a Sex Smart Pundit

filed under: Strange Bedfellows by Melissa Gira | Leave a Comment

Though it’s hard for me to want to hang the much-maligned moniker of “pundit” on anyone sex-positive, it doesn’t stop me from wishing for equal airtime for a sex smart agenda on all the pre-game talk shows touting the evils of The Gay on Election Day:

From Eric Jost’s Confessions of a Gay Male Feminist:

The press has spent an appalling amount of money punishing those individuals who engage in sexual activities outside of the supposed-norm — that being, one man and one woman, who are married, for procreational purposes. And, unfortunately, the time spent covering the Rep. Foley and Rev. Haggard respective sexual escapades has done nothing but reinforce to readers that if you have sex, you will be punished.

In the time since each scandal has broken, I haven’t seen one article or commentary (not even in the gay press) that has taken the blame off the “guilty” parties and turned it around to ask if, perhaps, society had some role in their secret sexual affairs. Does the fact that these sexual activities are viewed as so scandalous reveal the heteronormative, homophobic, and sex negative ideals that pervade American culture? Does the fact that the media puts so much emphasis on growing up to become a married, heterosexual couple carry negative consequences for those who do not wish to, or cannot live up to these expectations? Is there a problem with the system of marriage itself? Does sex have to be viewed as a negatively?

From Carol Queen’s Chronicles of a Sex Positive Culture:

Here’s my favorite right-wing type: the congenial, even charismatic family man with enormous sway over the belief systems of others, which he uses to wage war against people *pretty much like himself*! The true hypocrite, that is, who takes his own “dark” urges and figures if he gives his middle name to the hooker, he can do whatever he wants in complete anonymity and then go home to the family. The kind who, as he lives this way, moves responsibility and attention as far from his own jaunts to downtown Denver hotels as far as possible by becoming a big wheel among the group of (mostly) men who instill and use people’s fear of homosexuality for personal power and political gain. They’re even anti-condom!!

From Susie Bright:

Who are these people? Who is running this country? My personal speculations are taking on sci-fi proportions. Even the most jaded radicals among us are gasping for air. — Steel Tariffs? Are you high? Oh yeah, that’s right, you are.