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Feminist sex wars

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Thefeminist sex wars,also known as thelesbian sex wars,sex warsorporn wars,are collective debates amongstfeministsregarding a number of issues broadly relating tosexualityandsexual activity.Differences of opinion on matters of sexuality deeply polarized the feminist movement, particularly leading feminist thinkers, in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continue to influence debate amongst feminists to this day.[1]

The sides were characterized byanti-porn feministandsex-positive feministgroups with disagreements regarding sexuality, includingpornography,erotica,prostitution,lesbian sexual practices,the role oftransgender womenin the lesbian community,sadomasochismand other sexual matters. The feminist movement was deeply divided as a result of these debates.[2][3][4][5][6]Many historians view the feminist sex wars as having been the end of thesecond-wave feministera (which beganc.1963) as well as the herald of thethird wave(which began in the early 1990s).[7]

Two opposing views

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Andrea Dworkin
Catherine MacKinnon
Ariel Levydescribed theDworkin-MacKinnon Ordinanceas "the single most divisive issue" of the feminist sex wars.[8]Dworkin captured the spirit of the anti-pornography side of the debate in her famous utterance: "I'm a radical feminist, not the fun kind."[9]

The two sides became labelledanti-pornography feministsandsex-positive feminists.

Anti-pornography feminists

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In 1976,Andrea Dworkinorganized demonstrations against the filmSnuffin New York, but attempts to start an organization to continue the feminist anti-pornography campaign failed. Efforts were more successful inLos Angeles,whereWomen Against Violence Against Womenwas founded in response toSnuffin 1976; they campaigned against theRolling Stones' 1976 albumBlack and Blue.[10]The U.S. anti-pornography movement gained ground with the founding ofWomen Against Violence in Pornography and Media(WAVPM) in 1977 inSan Francisco,following a 1976 conference onviolence against womenheld by local women's centers. Early members includedSusan Griffin,Kathleen Barry,andLaura Lederer.

WAVPM organised the first national conference on pornography in San Francisco in 1978 which included the firstTake Back the Nightmarch.[11]The conference led to anti-pornography feminists organizing in New York in 1979 under the banner ofWomen Against Pornography(WAP),[12]and to similar organizations and efforts being created across the United States. In 1983, Page Mellish, a one-time member of WAVPM and of WAP, foundedFeminists Fighting Pornographyto focus on political activism seeking legal changes to limit the porn industry. Andrea Dworkin andCatharine MacKinnonwanted civil laws restricting pornography and to this end drafted theAntipornography Civil Rights Ordinance,[13]also known as theDworkin–MacKinnon Ordinance.

Sex-positive feminists

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The termspro-sex feminismand, later,sex-positive feminismwere inspired byEllen Willis.[14]

From 1979, feminist journalistEllen Williswas one of the early voices criticizing anti-pornography feminists for what she saw as sexualpuritanism,moralauthoritarianismand a threat tofree speech.Her 1981 essay,Lust Horizons: Is the Women's Movement Pro-Sex?is the origin of the term, "pro-sex feminism".[14]In response to the anti-pornography strand of feminism, sex-positive feminists promoted sex as an avenue of pleasure for women, seeing anti-pornography positions as aligned to thepolitical right-wing’s war on recreational sex and pornography.[15]Early sex positive groups includedSamois,founded in San Francisco in 1978, whose early members includedGayle RubinandPat Califia,and theLesbian Sex Mafia,founded byDorothy Allisonand Jo Arnone in New York in 1981.[16]TheFeminist Anti-Censorship Taskforce(FACT) was set up in 1984 by Ellen Willis in response to the Dworkin–MacKinnon Ordinance;[17]in 1989Feminists Against Censorshipformed in the UK, its members includingAvedon Carol;andFeminists for Free Expressionformed in the United States in 1992 by Marcia Pally, with founding members includingNadine Strossen,Joan Kennedy Taylor,Veronica VeraandCandida Royalle.

Key events

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In October 1980, theNational Organization for Womenidentified what became known as the "Big Four" through declaring that "Pederasty,pornography, sadomasochism andpublic sex"were about" exploitation, violence or invasion of privacy "and not" sexual preference or orientation ".[18]One of the more memorable clashes between the pro-sex and anti-porn feminists occurred at the1982 Barnard Conference on Sexuality.[19]Anti-pornography feminists were excluded from the events’ planning committee, so they staged rallies outside the conference to show their disdain.[20]

Debates

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The two sides of the feminist sex wars clashed over a number of issues, resulting in intense debates held both in person and in various media.

Pornography debate

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Toward the end of the 1970s, much of the discourse in the feminist movement shifted from the discussion oflesbian feminismto focus on the new topic ofsexuality.One of the primary concerns with sexuality was the issue ofpornography,which caused a great divide among feminists. The two recognized sides of the debate were anti-pornography feminism and "pro-sex" feminism.[21]One of the major influences ofanti-pornography feminismwas its predecessor, lesbian feminism.[citation needed]Anti-pornography movements developed from fundamental arguments displayed by lesbianism, such as the notion of patriarchal sexual relations.[21]Ellen Willisdescribed these relations as being "based on male power backed by force."[22]From this perspective, pornography is created exclusively for men by men and is a direct reflection of the man-dominant paradigm surrounding sexual relations.[19][21]Another idea taken from lesbian feminism by anti-pornography groups was that sexuality is about creating a compassionate bond and a lasting relation with another person, contrary to the belief of the purely physical nature of sex.[23]

In her book,Pornography: Men Possessing Women,Andrea Dworkinargued that the theme of pornography is male dominance and as a result it is intrinsically harmful to women and their well-being. Dworkin believed that pornography is not only damaging in its production but also in its consumption, since the viewer will mentally internalize pornography'smisogynisticportrayal of women.[21]Robin Morgansummarized the view of anti-pornography feminists that pornography andviolence against womenare linked in her statement, "pornography is the theory, rape is the practice".[24]

The anti-pornography movement has been criticised bysex-positive feministsas a repression of sexuality and a move towards censorship.[21]In her article,Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality,Gayle Rubincharacterizes sex liberation as a feminist goal and denounces the idea that anti-pornography feminists speak collectively for all of feminism. She offers the notion that what is needed is a theory of sexuality separate from feminism.[25]InXXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography,Wendy McElroysummarizes the sex-positive perspective as "the benefits pornography provides to women far outweigh any of its disadvantages".[26]

The pornography debate amongradicalandlibertarian feministshas focused on the depictions of female sexuality in relation to male sexuality in this type of media.[27]Radical feminists emphasize that pornography illustrates objectification and normalization of sexual violence through presentation of specific acts.[27]In contrast, libertarian feminists are concerned with the stigmatization of sexual minorities and the limited right to practice sexual choice that would be hindered without pornography.[27]

Sadomasochism debate

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The main focus of the sex wars' debate onsadomasochismand otherBDSMpractices took place in San Francisco.Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media(WAVPM) was founded there in 1977. Its first political action was to picket a live show at a strip club featuring women performing sadomasochistic acts on each other, in line with its stated aim to end all portrayals of women being "bound, raped, tortured, killed or degraded for sexual stimulation or pleasure".[28]As well as campaigning against pornography, WAVPM were also strongly opposed toBDSM,seeing it as ritualized violence against women and opposed its practice within the lesbian community.[29]In 1978Samoiswas formed, an organization for women in the BDSM community who saw their sexual practices as consistent with feminist principles.[30]Several black lesbian feminists have written on this topic, includingAudre Lorde,Alice Walker,Darlene Pagano,Karen Sims,andRose Mason,condemning sadomasochism as an often racist practice, insensitive to the black female experience.[31][32]

Prostitution debate

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Another debate of the feminist sex wars centered onprostitution.The women in the anti-pornography camp argued against prostitution, claiming it is forced on women who have no alternatives.[neutralityisdisputed]Meanwhile,sex-positive feministsargued that this position ignored the agency of women who chosesex work,viewing prostitution as not inherently based on the exploitation of women.Carol Leighnotes that "The Prostitutes rights movement of the early 1970s evolved directly from the women's movement", but adds: "The women's movement in the U.S. has always been ambivalent about prostitutes".[33]

Effects

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The polarization of feminist ideology during the sex wars has had wide-ranging effects. Examples include, according to Liu (2011), "The confusion in the interpretation of the definition of human trafficking is a consequence of opposing feminist views on prostitution."[34]

According toNew Directions in Sex Therapy,the fields ofsexologyandsex therapywere made to keep a "low profile" during the 1970s and 1980s due to attacks fromsocial conservativesand anti-pornography feminists.[35]

Third-wave feminists' views

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Third-wave feministwritings promote personal, individualized views on the gender-related issues focused on during the feminist sex wars, such as prostitution, pornography and sadomasochism. Items such as sex objects and porn, identified by somesecond-wave feministsas instruments of oppression are now no longer being exclusively used by men but also by women.[36]Feminist criticTeresa de Lauretissees the sex wars not in terms of polarized sides but as reflecting a third wave feminism inherently embodying difference, which may include conflicting and competing drives.[37][38]Meanwhile, critic Jana Sawicki rejects both the polarized positions, seeking a third way that is neither morally dogmatic nor uncritically libertarian.[37]

Sheila Rowbothamand the other socialist feminists who dominated the British women's movement saw women's liberation as inextricably linked to the demolition of capitalism. But it also required—and this is where they diverged from the Old Guard—a reconsideration of common patterns of life, such as sex, love, housework, and childrearing.[39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Atmore, Chris (2002).Sexual Abuse and Troubled Feminism in Snakes and Ladders: Reviewing feminists at the centuries end.Routeledge. p. 92.ISBN978-0415197991.
  2. ^Duggan, Lisa; Hunter, Nan D. (1995).Sex wars: sexual dissent and political culture.New York: Routledge.ISBN978-0-415-91036-1.
  3. ^Hansen, Karen Tranberg; Philipson, Ilene J. (1990).Women, class, and the feminist imagination: a socialist-feminist reader.Philadelphia: Temple University Press.ISBN978-0-87722-630-7.
  4. ^Gerhard, Jane F. (2001).Desiring revolution: second-wave feminism and the rewriting of American sexual thought, 1920 to 1982.New York: Columbia University Press.ISBN978-0-231-11204-8.
  5. ^Leidholdt, Dorchen;Raymond, Janice G (1990).The Sexual liberals and the attack on feminism.New York: Pergamon Press.ISBN978-0-08-037457-4.
  6. ^Vance, Carole S (1989).Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality.Thorsons Publishers.ISBN978-0-04-440593-1.
  7. ^As noted in:
  8. ^Ariel Levy (writer)Levy, Ariel."The Prisoner of Sex".New York Magazine.Page 4. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  9. ^"Dworkin on Dworkin," an interview originally published inOff Our Backs,reprinted inRadically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed Ed. byRenate Kleinand Diane Bell.
  10. ^Bronstein, Carolyn (2011).Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement 1976-1986.Cambridge University Press. pp. 88–97.ISBN978-0521879927.
  11. ^Currens, Elizabeth Gail (2007).Performing Gender, Enacting Community.University of California, Santa Barbara. p. 50.ISBN978-0549268703.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^McBride, Andrew."The Sex Wars, 1970s to 1980s".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-06-24.Retrieved2011-12-06.
  13. ^Demaske, Chris (2011).Modern Power and Free Speech: Contemporary culture and issues of equality.Lexington Books. p. 140.ISBN978-0739127841.
  14. ^abEllen Willis,Lust Horizons: The 'Voice' and the women's movementArchived2015-05-18 at theWayback Machine,Village Voice50th Anniversary Issue, 2007. This is not the original "Lust Horizons" essay, but a retrospective essay mentioning that essay as the origin of the term. Accessed online 7 July 2007. A lightly revised version of the original "Lust Horizons" essay can be found inNo More Nice Girls,pp. 3–14.
  15. ^Johnson, Meri Lisa (2007).Third Wave Feminism and Television.I.B. Taurus. p. 70.ISBN978-1845112462.
  16. ^"About us".lesbiansexmafia.org.Lesbian Sex Mafia.Retrieved4 November2015.
  17. ^Boffin, Tina (1996).Stolen Glances in Lesbian Subjects: A Feminist Studies Reader.Indiana University Press. p. 121.ISBN978-0253330604.
  18. ^"Promiscuous Affections: A Life in the Bar".Retrieved1 February2013.
  19. ^abDouglas, Carol Anne (July 1990). "Realignment in Feminist Sexual Politics".Love and Politics: Radical Feminist and Lesbian Theories.San Francisco, CA, USA: ISM PRESS. p. 186-7.ISBN9780910383172.
  20. ^McBride, Andrew."Lesbian History".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-19.Retrieved2008-03-24.
  21. ^abcdeMcBridge, Andrew."Lesbian History: The Sex Wars".University of Michigan. Archived fromthe originalon 19 July 2012.Retrieved6 December2011.
  22. ^Willis, Ellen (1983).In Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality.New York City: Monthly Review. pp. 460–467.
  23. ^Ferguson, Anne (1984).Signs.pp. 106–112.
  24. ^Cavalier, Robert."Feminism and Pornography".CMU Philosophy Department Web Server.Retrieved6 December2011.
  25. ^Rubin, Gayle (1998).Social Perspectives in Lesbian and Gay Studies.New York City: Routledge. pp. 100–133.
  26. ^McElroy, Wendy (1997).XXX: A Woman's Right to Pornography.St Martin's Press.ISBN978-0312152451.
  27. ^abcFerguson, A. 1984. "Sex War: The Debate between Radical and Libertarian Feminists."Chicago Journals.10 (1): 106–112.
  28. ^Bronstein, Carolyn (2011).Battling Pornography: The American Feminist Anti-Pornography Movement 1976-1986.Cambridge University Press. p. 139.ISBN978-0521879927.
  29. ^Bronstein, Carolyn (2011).Battling Pornography: the American Feminist Anti Pornography Movement 1976-1986.Cambridge University Press. p. 287.ISBN978-1139498715.
  30. ^Rubin, Gayle S. (2011).Deviations: A Gayle Rubin Reader.Duke University Press. p. 210.ISBN978-0822349860.
  31. ^Ruby., Rich, B. (1998).Chick flicks: theories and memories of the feminist film movement.Durham: Duke University Press.ISBN978-0822321064.OCLC38535937.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^Rich, B. Ruby; Samois; Linden, Robin Ruth; Pagano, Darlene R.; Russell, Diana E. H.; Star, Susan Leigh; Snitow, Ann;Stansell, Christine;Thompson, Sharon (1986). "Feminism and Sexuality in the 1980s".Feminist Studies.12(3): 525.doi:10.2307/3177911.ISSN0046-3663.JSTOR3177911.
  33. ^Leigh, Carol (July 2008)."On the frontline of sex wars".On The Issues Magazine.Merle Hoffman.Retrieved1 February2013.
  34. ^Liu, Min (2011). "Human trafficking and feminist debates: Feminist debates on human trafficking". In Liu, Min (ed.).Migration, prostitution, and human trafficking the voice of Chinese women.New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. pp. 37–39.ISBN978-1-4128-4554-0.Preview.
  35. ^New directions in sex therapy: innovations and alternatives.OCLC. 2001.ISBN9780876309674.OCLC804013010.
  36. ^Crawford, Bridget J. (Mar 1, 2010)."The third wave's break from feminism".International Journal of Law in Context.6(1): 100.doi:10.1017/S1744552309990346.S2CID55396191.
  37. ^abCode, Lorraine (2003).Encyclopaedia of Feminist Theories.Rroutledge. p. 445.ISBN978-0415308854.
  38. ^de Lauretis, Teresa (Nov 1990)."Feminism and Its Differences"(PDF).Pacific Coast Philology.25(1/2): 22–30.Retrieved7 February2013.
  39. ^Srinivasan, Amia (2021-09-06)."Who Lost the Sex Wars?".The New Yorker.ISSN0028-792X.Retrieved2024-03-20.
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