Thursday, October 11, 2007

Everyday Things You Can Do to Combat Sex-Negativity

1. Call people on their pejorative use of words for sex workers and the non-monogamous, such as "prostitute," "whore," and "slut." Likewise, watch out for body-negative metaphors like "naked" and "fig leaf."

2. If you see or hear something sex-negative in the paper, electronic media, etc., respond with a letter to the editor, an elected representative, or whoever is the guilty party.

3. Don't forget to reward the good folk! No, I don't mean the Elves; I mean those who do something sex-positive when you weren't necessarily expecting them to. I give an example here.

4. Equip yourself to respond in more informal ways, such as with stickers on ads or posters with sex-negative messages. You can make these by hand on blank labels you can buy at most drug or stationery stores. For instance, in response to some sex-negative stickers I was seeing around, I made some bearing a "sex-positive" symbol consisting of the feminine/masculine/androgynous symbol -- a circle with a +, a ->, and a +> arranged around it equiangularly, with a + sign in the center -- with the slogan "What part of YES don't you understand?" above and below it. I would put these on the edges of the offending stickers so that it was clear upon what I was commenting.

5. Avoid "segregating" sex in your language. For instance, say "movie" rather than "porno"; "actor" or "actress" rather than "porn star."

6. Seek out products and services of the sexually rebellious, even in areas unrelated to sex. Doing so can help to break down the stigma still attached to such people by much of society.

7. Register and vote for candidates who take sex-positive positions. Consider getting actively involved in your political party to advance such positions and candidates.

Eric Hamell

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