[UUPoly-L] more on the porn/erotica thread

[Valerie White <valerie@valeriewhite.org>]

While I was a consulting editor to "The Humanist" magazine, my charge 
was soliciting contributions from women, as the mag was aware that 
women writers had been under-represented.  Accordingly, when I met 
Nadine Strossen (ACLU president) at a Vermont Law School function, I 
asked her if she would write something for "The Humanist".  She said 
graciously that she would think about it, but I was nonetheless a bit 
surprised when I received, some time later, an article from her.

It was a chapter from her next book.  And the thesis was, that women 
have more to lose from a culture which practices censorship than from 
a culture which tolerates "pornography".  I think she was right.

For one thing, laws designed to "protect" women from objectification 
and exploitation in porn are in fact too often employed against 
feminist enterprises in which explicit discussion of sexuality 
(Think, "Our Bodies, Ourselves") is part of their mission.  For 
another, many women feel that writing or performing or reading or 
watching sexually explicit material is a part of their sexual 
expression, and they have a right to revel in that expression.

If you're concerned about exploitation, pass laws that protect sex 
workers . . . don't ban the medium.

Now, I'm in agreement with the poster who said some sexually explicit 
material is a turn-on and some isn't.  (I sincerely hope it CAN be 
because I've written a strongly feminist highly erotic novel.  Anyone 
want to read it?)

One thing I hold against a lot of mainstream porn is that it creates 
unrealistic expectations in inexperienced boys about what women are 
actually LIKE in sex.  I have never seen a porno movie in which a 
woman had an obvious orgasm.  A boy who expects his sex partner to 
behave like a porn star is going to be REALLY surprised and taken 
aback when his partner (if she is lucky enough!) stiffens out, 
becomes oblivious, shudders, grimaces, and gets a flush all over her 
chest!  And when she discourages his caresses in the immediate aftermath.

For that matter, HE's not going to find he can perform the way he 
THINKS the studs in the x-rated video perform . . . he doesn't 
realize how many different "takes" are spliced together to make the movie.

And most REAL women have blemishes.  They have hairs around their 
nipples, or stretch marks on their thighs.  There is some gray in 
their pubic hair.  (Horrors!)  They have moles.  They have 
zits.  They carry some extra fat, or they are bony, or they are 
bowlegged, or have wrinkles. You know what?  They fart 
sometimes.  They have to get up and go pee.  They don't often really 
get transported into ecstasy by smearing semen all over their faces. 
They are BEAUTIFUL but they are not like the depillated, 
silicone-augmented, concealer-treated, made-up, carefully coifed 
women in the videos.

How's that for a rant?  My computer is going to warn me that this 
message may be offensive.

But, no matter how much we may be repulsed by sexually explicit 
material, we MUST NOT censor it if we value our freedom.  People who 
don't like it don't have to look at it.

Valerie