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Oh Megan attended the Stop Porn Conference in Boston, Ma this past May (2010). Here her thoughts on the anti-porn conference her experiences being a sex positive individual attending and the next steps and rhetoric being used to create a “war on pornography.
Other guests included on this show are Diva, Deirdre and Aida, all of whom also attended the conference.
On Tuesday, one of the first things I saw when I got online was an article about controversy surrounding an anti-smoking ad in France. I read the article’s description of the advertisement before I saw the visual of the ad itself. This description included the following:
. . . [P]hotographs of an older man, his torso seen from the side, pushing down on the head of a teenage girl with a cigarette in her mouth. Her eyes are at belt level, glancing upward fearfully.
The first thing I felt uneasy about reading said description was that it seemed to indicate that being on one’s knees giving someone a blow job, especially if the recipient’s hand is on the giver’s head, was being shown as something obviously ominous and undesirable. Possibly the model on her (or his, as there are also ads with boys in the kneeling position) knees is supposed to be under the age of 18, but to me this frankly doesn’t seem obvious.
Then I saw the visual of the ad. The slogan accompanying it translates into, “To smoke is to be a slave to tobacco.” First, no one appears to me to be “pushing down” on anyone’s head. And “fearfully”? To me, the expression on the kneeler’s face in both the male and female versions looks frankly rather neutral.
I thus returned even more pointedly to the unease I felt at what message was being postulated by the ad. It seems to me the ad is supposed to be indicating that being on one’s knees giving a blowjob is not an appropriate place to be, even an indicator somehow of “slavery”—and I find this abhorrent.
The controversy I read about it did not seem to be sharing the concern I had. Rather, the impression I had was that certain organizations were objecting to the ad because it “trivialized” sexual abuse. Okay. Again, perhaps the ad is supposed to be depicting someone underage, in which case the argument for abuse occurring could be made in our no-one-under-18-thinks-of-or-should-in-any-way-be-participating-in-sex culture. However, the age of the kneeler again does not seem obvious to me, so to see controversy that seems to be perceiving that being on one’s knees giving someone a blow job is equivalent to sexual abuse seems frankly alarming to me.
Sigh.
But really, that’s not what this blog post is about (or not entirely, anyway). Later that day, I was perusing Facebook and saw that Good Vibrations had posted a link to an article in its magazine. I clicked on the link and was faced with a page that said, “Sorry: The link you are trying to visit has been reported as abusive by Facebook users.” I went to Good Vibrations Magazine’s home page and found the article in question. Turns out it is an article by Dr. Charlie Glickman talking about the very advertisement I just mentioned. He mentions in his article the same thing that first occurred to me when I saw it as well as discussing sexuality and advertising in relation to it and another ad. As usual with what I have read from Dr. Glickman, I found it an interesting, insightful, thoughtful piece.
When I went back and checked, the link on Facebook worked. I rechecked throughout the day, and sometimes it went through while other times giving the disabled message. So perhaps it is/was a glitch with my computer.
If, however, the link was disabled by Facebook (which means, as I understand it, that someone reported it as inappropriate), I find that disheartening and seriously frustrating. This is not a salacious or X-rated article. It is an article written by a sex educator discussing implications of two particular ads and the use of sexuality in their messaging. How it could be found “abusive” pretty much escapes me.
Unless, of course, it was deemed so solely because it centered on the subject of sex.
Whether or not the link disabling was intentional on Facebook’s part, the possibility itself (and/or of the link being reported as such) reminded me once again of the way sex/sexuality seems to be treated differently from other subjects and areas of life. To much of society this seems to be expected or even appropriate. Since I personally find it arbitrary, that very perception seems to make the situation all the more frustrating to me. And in the case of the disabled link to the article in question, I not only lament the arbitrary bias toward the subject of sex, I find a lack not only of acceptance but of active appreciation seriously regretful.
I feel like we should be thanking Dr. Glickman up and down for offering the attention, insight, caring, and dedication he does to sexual matters and the sexual health of all individuals. To me Dr. Charlie Glickman and his numerous (though still a considerable minority) colleagues such as Dr. Carol Queen, Dr. Richard Wagner, Ms. Violet Blue, Dr. Annie Sprinkle, Dr. Elizabeth Wood, Ms. Megan Andelloux, and Dr. Marty Klein should be positively showered with appreciation, respect, commendation, and accolades. Why? Because they care about sexuality. They find it important. They care about and find sexuality important enough that they study, observe, examine, discuss, share information about, and devote their professional, academic, personal, and/or intellectual time, resources, and attention to the subject of sexuality.
Instead of appreciation, their links on Facebook, metaphorically speaking, are reported and censored. They do what they do in the face of a society that seems not only to entirely not get the incredible service they are offering but also continually seems to condemn, disregard, and disrespect their work and sometimes them themselves. They have been mocked, ignored, dismissed, and judged by the simple virtue of the subject matter to which they have chosen to devote their attention—which is for me exactly why I so revere and appreciate their offerings. I do so not only because of their subject choice of sexuality and the way they have approached it, but also because they have done this despite the as of yet societal lack of understanding of the immeasurable value of their service.
There are all sorts of positions in which this kind of respect for sexuality and education around it occurs. Sex workers of all kinds have the opportunity to contribute in this way, as do erotic artists and sex-focused journalists and media commentators. The particular mention I give here is to the sex educators, to those who have devoted their academic and/or intellectual resources and capabilities to our sexual health and wellness with utmost respect for the pleasure, beauty, and importance of sexuality. I find what seems to be the societal lack of appreciation for them truly astounding, and I personally feel profound gratitude for the work they do in this area that is so dear to my own sensibility as well.
To the sincere, earnest, caring, thoughtful, enthusiastic, hard-working sex educators of the world—thank you.
In an especially sweet victory for sex positivity in the U.S., the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health(CSPH), the first non-profit sexuality resource and information center on the East Coast, was granted a permit to open in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Despite months of controversy and opposition during a long, drawn out battle over “zoning permits” (read: sexuality and sex-related scare-tactics), the Center is finally open for business!
Megan Andelloux, a board certified Sexologist and Sexuality Educator is the founder and director of the non-profit Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, and she’s had to go through a lot to see this center come to fruition. Despite the seemingly obvious benefits of having a center like this to educate, inform, and empower, she’s actually been in a legal battle over the opening since September since- surprise, surprise, the idea of this center wasn’t immediately a popular one in the Rhode Island town where it now resides.
Carnal Nation, where Andelloux is a contributor, reports that the rumors surrounding the Center’s opening were as flagrant as they were false:
“Accusations ranged from claims that they would teach sadomasochistic practices to schoolchildren to essentially being nothing more than a brothel.The grand opening celebration, which included speakers such as Carol Queen, Gina Ogden, andElizabeth Wood and attracted over 200 people, had to be held off-premises in Providence because the zoning board refused to let the Center open on the grounds that their location wasn’t zoned for educational purposes. As Megan herself wrote a few months ago, ‘That’s correct, folks: the city of Pawtucket, RI took a firm stance against ‘education’ coming into their town.’”
Scare tactics and fear surrounding sexuality and sexual health are nothing new, which is why I’m so glad the verdict came down on the right side this time. The Center will provide tons of crucial community services, including one-on-one coaching services and group classes, as well as hold drop-in hours and offer access to resources on sex, sexuality, pleasure, and health. And it looks like even those who initially opposed it have had to come around to the importance of these services in their community- the press release issues by the Center notes that:
“While the introduction of The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health started off rocky, and false rumors swirled about what the CSPH would be providing, members of the conservative, liberal, and libertarian community eventually stated that The CSPH mission, to provide adults with a safe space to access information about sex, did indeed fit in with their community values.”
Love it. Big congrats to Megan- She deserves major kudos for her perseverance and courage in the face of all this unfounded opposition.
For more, check out a video on Waking Vixen of Andelloux telling the story of the controversy.
Megan is a superstar. Her work in Providence has literally transformed lives, especially for women in the community. Glad to see her getting some recognition here!
I recently decided that I don’t want to pursue academia but rather some kind of reproductive-rights-related social justice / nonprofit work or something relating to sex education and empowerment – something exactly like this center. It’s really inspiring to see Megan Andelloux’s efforts come to fruition!
I’ve had the good fortune of knowing Megan for several years, and nowhere can there be found a more approachable, fun, informative example of adult sex education. Her presentations are as accessible as they are informed. The skill and perseverance with which she navigated the press, the Pawtucket city council, and all her other obstacles to get the CSPH off the ground cannot be overstated. Congrats to a great woman for her great work.
While I understand the alleged purpose of zoning laws, I’ve only ever seen violations or warnings given for things related to sex and sex-positivity. It’s a classic tactic, and virtually impossible to work around since zoning appeals are glacial. I had a friend whose house parties/National Coalition for Sexual Freedom fundraisers got shut down because they counted as “commercial activity”. What, fundraising can only happen in ballrooms now? No, the neighbors were afraid their kids would (somehow, at midnight, several dozen yards away) see someone in fetish shoes and a long jacket and be sullied and turn to the dark side of BDSM *eyeroll*. I’m always glad to see other people fighting the good fight. I’m even happier when they win.
Megan is amazing! She’s done sex ed workshops with our Vagina Monologues group on campus in the past, and I can’t overstate how fun, frank, and informative she is. Yes, this is a shameless plug: if you’re in the Boston area, get Megan on your campus!
Megan Andelloux’s Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, which would offer classes on sexuality and the latest from the nation’s medical journals, was slated to hold its grand opening in the Bucket last weekend.
But Andelloux was forced to move the long-planned celebration to the Spot, an arts space on Thayer Street in Providence, her plans delayed by zoning snafus and — perhaps — a little prudishness in Pawtucket City Hall.
“All these rumors got started that I was going to be selling porn and that [the Center] would be a brothel,” said Andelloux, a certified sex educator.
The trouble started with an e-mail sent a couple of weeks back by University of Rhode Island professor Donna Hughes, best known for her crusade to close the state’s prostitution loophole, to members of the city council.
Utilizing the suggestive power of well-placed quotation marks, the missive read, simply: “Hello, A center for ‘sexual rights’ and ‘sexual pleasure’ is opening in Pawtucket,” and included the web site for the center.
Deputy City Clerk Michelle Hardy said Hughes’ e-mail was the first time any of the council members had heard of the center.
“Most of the time people call us first to register their business,” Hardy said. “I’m not really the license police. But when something is brought to our attention, we do need to act on it.”
Andelloux had signed a lease, in May, for approximately 500 square feet on the ground floor of the Grant Building, which bills itself as a creative collective for a variety of services. She says the building’s owner, who knew of her plans to rent the space for sex education purposes, never told her she needed to apply for a license — for her business or the grand opening.
But the city, since it learned of the center, has erected some barriers. Zoning Director Ron Travers raised concerns about plans for a raffle for various sexual products at the grand opening, saying approval would have to come from state police. And noting that the Grant Building is zoned for “tenant” space, and not “educational” uses, he denied a zoning permit for the Center itself.
Andelloux, though, would not be deterred. Her “grand opening” went forward in Providence. There was a panel discussion with representatives of Planned Parenthood, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, and the National Organization for Women. Various organizations and businesses, including Wolf Princess, the Providence Pussy Posse, and Kink Academy, mounted booths. Nothing for sale, mind you — even in Providence, permitting matters — but plenty to see.
At the OhMiBod stand, where a cheerful arrangement of vibrating dildos matched all the colors of the new iPod, New Hampshire-based entrepreneur Brian Vatter (who, unsurprisingly, used to work for Apple) and his business partner and wife Suki Dunham, said they were disappointed at the move from Pawtucket. “We’re promoting positive sexuality,” Dunham said. “We treat our business like any other owner would.”
PRINCESS OF PLEASURE Andelloux at her grand opening.
Last week, Andelloux met with Mayor James Doyle in an effort to clear up some misunderstandings about her business. The mayor’s Director of Administration Harvey Goulet, also present at the meeting, allowed that the center was less-than-desirable for officials. But he said the project would go forward if it passed legal muster.
“Even if it’s not a place we feel we would like in Pawtucket, we will go by the law,” he said. The next step for Andelloux is to appeal the zoning ruling.
As to why she chose Pawtucket, which is more conservative than Providence, Andelloux said it doesn’t matter where she is. “People have the same questions over and over again,” she said. “It’s really scary that people don’t have an understanding of their body.
PRINCESS OF PLEASURE Andelloux at her grand opening.
