The Joy of Sex

The Joy of Sex was a landmark text when first published in the 1970s.  It remains an oftener referenced and purchased sex manual, entering our culture as The Karma Sutra did all those centuries ago.   The BBC recently conducted an interview with Chris Foss, the man responsible for the images.  Not only was the book to be significant for its contribution to our understanding of sexuality, but it was also significant for pushing the socio-legal boundaries of publishing, coming just over a decade after the famous Lady Chatterley's Lover/Penguin obscenity trial.

Read the fills tory and watch the interview here.

Follow Friday: Matthew Weait

My 'special' Follow Friday (#ff) mention this weeks goes to Professor Matthew Weait.  Matthew is a Professor of LAw and Policy at Birkebeck College, the University of London and an international expert in the field of HIV/AIDS law.  His excellent book 'Intimacy and Responsibility' is a must-read for anyone interested in a comprehensive, accessible and well-argued exposition of the criminalisation of HIV/AIDS. He's also a fiction writer, photographer and all round Waterloo-based renaissance man.  Follow him!

Follow Matthew here.

Don't forget  -you can view all my special Follow Friday mentions by clicking 'Follow Friday' in the last of tags below.  The same goes for any keyword! :-)

Yates Murder and a Predictable Rant

The news broke this evening that Vincent Tabak has been found guilty of murdering 25 year old Jo Yates.  The case had, we are told, a sexual dimension but it was Tabak's use of porn - which was not admissible in the case - that has set the twitter and blogging world alight.  Julie Bindel  - the ever controversial feminist was quick (amazingly so - almost as if it was pre-written) to get her copy in to the Guardian.  She has written a piece which - for me at least - is pretty much astonishing in its ill-thought out proposals and analysis.  It is based on misunderstandings and misapprehensions and these are dealt with in the extensive comments to her post that have already appeared.  Rather than repeat them here, read her piece, read the comments and decide for yourself.

The Indy Pink List

Any list will always be criticised, and will never achieve 'perfection'.  Nonetheless, they offer a barometer of who appears to be making an impact among those that the media deem worthy judges of such things.  It's a sort of slightly more straight-forward REF (one for the academics).  Anyhow, the Independent on Sunday has published their annual pink list today and it makes for an interesting read.  It seems slightly more diverse than previous names, featuring people that you might not be instantly familiar with - less celebrity focused and more activist focused.  I like it.

The list can be viewed in full here, and the number 1 slot is taken by Elly Barnes - music teacher, trainer and diversity officer.  Interesting Terence Etherton is once more in the list (Lord Justice Etherton) at 26, and Daniel Winterfeldt is a new entry at 90.  Winterfeldt is of the Interlaw Diversity Forum for LGBT Networks, a forum for the legal sector with more than 1,000 members and supporters from 70 law firms and 40 corporates and financial institutions.  Quite why he made it on his own is a bit of a mystery to me (given he is 'co' chair and 'co' founder).

After a decade of tremendous change to the socio-legal landscape of 'gay' rights in the UK, it i striking that so few legal figures still feature on the list.

Pinksixty - Technical Problems

For those of you who regularly check out the brilliant Pinksixty news updates, please be aware of the following notice from the production team:

'Due to a technical problem with our studio, there will be no Pinksixty shows this weekend. We will have the problem fixed by Monday. Please accept our apologies. Colin Fallesen - Executive Producer.'

Follow Friday: Ian Rivers

My special Follow Friday mention this week goes to Professor Ian Rivers.  Ian has devoted almost two decades to studying bullying in schools.  His 2011 text on homophobic bullying instantly re-enforced Ian's position as an expert on bullying, and set against a backdrop of a series of teen suicides, established Ian as a key advisor on homophobic bullying in the United States.  Based at Brunel University, in the UK, Ian occasionally blogs here, but can be found on Twitter here.  Get following him.

Vacancy: Two Postgraduate Chartered Studentships

Readers may be interested in the following two vacancies.  Given the number of PG researchers who seem to read my blog, I hope posting these vacancies from time to time is useful but if it's becoming irritating, please let me know! :-)

Two Postgraduate Chartered Studentships

The Open University,

Faculty of Social Sciences

Based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Stipend £13,590 per annum

Start date 1^st January 2012

The Faculty of Social Sciences invites applications for two fully-funded PhD Charter Studentships commencing January 2012 within the Department of Social Policy and Criminology. These studentships will be allied with the ESRC-funded research project Enduring Love? Couple relationships in the 21^stcentury. Research undertaken is, therefore, expected to link to this project. Full details are available at:www.enduringlove.co.uk

Charter Studentship 1: the focus of research undertaken by this Studentship should address a dimension of the central research topic of the Enduring Love project; that is experiences of long-term couple relationships in contemporary Britain.

Charter Studentship 2: this Studentship is being funded in collaboration with Relate , the UK relationship counselling service; applications should be focused on the provision and experience of relationship support. Information about Relate is available at: http://www.relate.org.uk and details about the Relate Institute, a centre of excellence for relationship studies, can be found at:www.relateinstitute.ac.uk

For detailed information or email the Recruitment Co-ordinator (socsci-phd-applications@open.ac.uk) quoting the reference number RD/SS/13.

To apply, go to www.open.ac.uk/employment

Closing date: midday on Thursday 10 November 2011. Interview date: Monday 28 November 2011.

Polari, Canal Street and Those Pesky L Plates

Via - once Via Fossa - is to become 'Polari'.  One of Manchester's best-known Canal Street venues decries the change as a 'nip and tuck', with a series of tweak that sound like an attempt to shift 'up market'.  They've announced that there will be no dance music or pop, and instead they will have a live pianist and vocalist with a classical/jazz theme depending on the night.

I was particularly struck by their door policy description (keep in mind they have to comply with the Equality Act in the same way that a 'straight bar' can't exclude 'gay' customers).  They state:

'We like others are investing in our Gay Village and we will still be a straight friendly GAY venue and we will be continuing with our policy of No Fancy Dress and No Bunny Ears we do not cater for Hen Parties or Stag Nights because after all we are a gay space in the gay village not Blackpool seafront.'

Poor Blackpool (although it's an absolutely true observation).  It seems Via is the latest venue to re-iterate that they are a 'gay venue'.  When they say 'straight friendly', it's essentially to say they will comply with the law.  They can be straight unfriendly I suppose but not down and out opposed.  They can however, control dress-policy and the re-iteration of their existing policy of excluding hen and stag parties highlights that these parties remain an issue of the village - an issue that was notably highlighted in the important research of Bev Skeggs, Les Moran and others.  A must read for students interested in queer space.

Gaddafi, Democracy and an Uncertain Future

Democracy, it could be said, is a damned odd thing.  The killing - whether an execution, incompetent man-handling or - as I suspect - an out of control mob, of former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi today, is being hailed as the end of a dictator and the true birth of a democracy.  The son of a goat-herder advocated an alternative to liberal democracy in his Green Book.  I'm not sure how many of the people who keep making reference to it have actually read it, but I did earlier this year when the rising first began.  It starts out fairly engaging and then becomes dull, repetitive and contradictory.  For Gaddafi, democracy inevitably results in power lying in the hands of one or the few and they will - by human nature - abuse it.  He therefore advocated a complex and fluid series of 'committees' which would run a society (although really it's about engineering a conversation).  Of course, in reality, these ideas seemed to be forgotten as Gaddafi accumulated power and wealth for himself, his family, tribe and supporters.

Now he's gone.  Another Arab nation, Egypt - where the Arab Spring really caught the world's attention - swept away another old leader earlier this year.  Egypt today is run by the military - a committee of the unelected and whilst elections are promised, it seems hard to believe that the military will cease to have a role in the governing of Egypt.  In Britain, an 85 year-old unelected woman who descends from a series of tyrants continues to reign, with little power but kept in a luxurious lifestyle though taxation of her 'subjects'.  Democracy is, as I say, a damned odd thing.

It's the word 'democracy' that features on every news bulletin as Libyan crowds declare that they want 'democracy', and celebrate now Gaddafi has been bumped off, that they'll have 'democracy'.  There are strange expectations from some that this will mean some sort of social revolution.  Democracies have equal rights for women, employment protection, a welfare state, effective gay rights...well don't they?

Err, not quite.  The world's largest democracy is led by a man regarded as so left wing that many in his country - including leading elected politicians - regard his as a 'socialist' and yet he is opposed to same-sex marriage.  Obama's attempt to ensure his citizens had access the health-care triggered a collapse in support - something that would puzzle many Brit's who cherish their flawed but previous National Health Service.  Just fifteen years ago, this country had a very different legal landscape when it came to 'gay rights', and yet I don't recall John Major - who was called many things - being dubbed a dictator (although it's possible Edwina Curry may have done that in a moment of kinky sex).  We were, I think, a democracy (even with that pesky old dear ruling over us).

So, to all those who seem to have become swept up in the belief that the Arab Spring - and the recent events in Libya - signal a transformation in the rights of those who identify as homosexual, trans or who hope for new rights for women, I sound a word of caution.  Gaddafi held back the power if Islamic clerics during his years of bloody rule, and now Islamic thinkers are on the move in Libya and in Egypt.  These ideological forces are not ordinarily associated with a blooming in gay rights and the rights of women.  The mob that has been driving and shooting across Libya must be put back in the box that it came.  The rule of the mob must be replaced by the rule of law - and the ability of the provisional Libyan government to do that remains untested.  Today saw the death of a dictator, but the future for Libya remains uncertain, and potentially ripe with fear for many.

Happy Bedfellows? Adult Channels and TV, A Royal Television Society Debate

I'm absolutely gutted I can't attend this event as I have a prior speaking arrangement!  However, I  strongly recommend that anyone in the North East interested in sexuality, adult content, and/or media gets themselves along.  I hope as many of my students make it as possible.  Full details below:

A ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY DEBATE
Chaired by Chris Jackson (BBC Inside Out)

On Tuesday 25th October a Royal Television Society event – free and open to over 18s – will feature a lively and informed debate on the regulation of adult content on TV. With more than 30 adult channels available on UK digital TV this debate will explore the topic of regulating pornography on-screen. Chaired by the BBC’s Chris Jackson, our all–female panel will introduce the audience to the different views of the pornography producer, the academic researcher and the Ofcom regulator.

Kath Worrall sat previously on Ofcom’s content board and sanctions committee and will share her opinions about the distinction between private adult viewing and the need to protect sections of society and specifically children from adult content. She has written for The Guardian on the challenges facing Ofcom in the wake of an increasing demand for adult content.

Clarissa Smith is Reader in Sexual Cultures at the University of Sunderland and brings her 15+ years of experience researching the habits of users of pornography into the debate. She is the author of One for the Girls! The Pleasures and Practices of Women’s Porn (2007) and lead researcher on an internet study of more than 5000 porn consumers at www.pornresearch.org.

Liselle Bailey is a producer working in the adult content sector as a scheduler for the pay-tv channel Television X . She will explain how the industry adapts to regulation and how it continues to push boundaries.

The discussion will focus on regulation, and where the line is drawn between protecting the vulnerable and over-regulating a major entertainment industry. There will be some adult content shown – so over 18s only - in order to illustrate the debate about regulation. The three female panelists will also explore the role of women in pornography – as contributors, producers and consumers. Join our panel for the debate followed by Q&A session to discover the reality of producing and regulating adult content in the digital television age.

TUESDAY 25th OCTOBER
NORTHERN FILM & MEDIA, UNIT 3 THE KILN, HOULTS YARD, WALKER ROAD, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
19:00 FREE ENTRY

Vacancy: Research Associate

Readers may be interested in the following vacancy at Kent Uni:

Ref SS0470 Location Medway Job Type Research Contract Type Fixed Term Salary Type Per Annum Salary (£) 30870 - 30870

SS0470, SSPSSR, Closing date: 11 Nov 2011  The Role We are seeking to appoint a Research Associate who will work with Professor Phil Hubbard and Dr Rachela Colosi (Lincoln University) on an ESRC-funded research project ‘Sexualisation, nuisance and safety: Sexual Entertainment Venues and the management of risk’. This study will, for the first time, attempt to establish the impacts of lap dance clubs and related sites of adult entertainment on the communities in which they are located. Such clubs emerged in the 1990s, with the licensing system regarding these as sites of public licensed entertainment rather than as sex premises. The researcher in this project will be charged with collecting and analysing this evidence from four UK cities.  In addition to this prime responsibility for data collection, the post-holder will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project and provide the management link with stakeholder organisations. The Person You will have an undergraduate degree or equivalent in a relevant social science discipline along with experience of undertaking research on issues pertaining to gender and/or sexuality.  You will have experience of collecting and analysing data and of writing up research findings in the form of a report, dissertation or thesis.  With the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively in written and spoken English you will also be able to plan own day-to-day research activity and workload within the framework of the agreed programme.  You will have a willingness to organise and lead night-time guided walks in case study cities in the South East and East Midlands. For a complete person specification please refer to the job description. The Department The School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research is one of the largest departments of its type in the UK, and is the largest department in the Faculty of Social Science. It is made up of two main groups of teaching staff: the Social Policy and Sociology group (which includes Criminology and Cultural Studies at Canterbury, and Social Sciences and Criminal Justice at Medway) and the Tizard Centre (for the study of learning disability), and two main research units: the Centre for Health Service Studies, the Personal Social Services Research Unit (which houses the Kent Centre for Criminal Justice). The School is split between the Canterbury campus and Medway campus. Further Information Closing date for applications: 11 November 2011 Interviews are to be held: week commencing 21 November 2011 Please see the links below to view the full job description and also to apply for this post (please do not send your application directly to the department).

http://jobs.kent.ac.uk/fe/tpl_kent01.asp?s=FoQnTYvIgXJoLlXgd&jobid=35925,2335252365&key=20369092&c=652115792334&pagestamp=semddqfhcvudqchekr

Journal Alert: Sexualities

Readers may be interested to learn that a new issue of Sexualities has been published.  I'm really interested in reading the sex clubs article (students at Sunderland can access all these directly from the library journal search or via Athens and the SAGE Journals Online database).  Details as below:

Kerman Calvo and José Ignacio Pichardo
Sexualities transformed? Inside visions of sexual, social and political change in Spain

Raquel Osborne
Good girls versus bad girls in early Francoist prisons: Sexuality as a great divide

Oscar Guasch Social stereotypes and masculine homosexualities: The Spanish case

José Ignacio Pichardo We are family (or not): Social and legal recognition of same-sex relationships and lesbian and gay families in Spain

Kerman Calvo and Gracia Trujillo Fighting for love rights: Claims and strategies of the LGBT movement in Spain

Fernando Villaamil and María Isabel Jociles Risk and community: The impact of HIV among gays in Madrid. The case of sex clubs

Raquel Platero The narratives of transgender rights mobilization in Spain

Full details available here.

A Sporting View

Those outside of Sunderland might only know it for it's football team.  There may be others who only know it for it's football team players.  There may also be some who know it for what it's players did a few years ago when a self-made group orgy porn video (with a girl) emerged on the Internet.  If that's the sort of thing that floats your boat a brief Google search will reveal all.  Those former players must be looking on with envy as it emerged that the Shea Stadium in New York - the former home of the New York Mets -  which became the focus of reports that it once hosted a 'porn room' in which players could gather and errr relax.  This is the sort of story we like on a Friday night.  Read the full story here and have a great weekend!

Follow Friday: Mark Simpson

This week's special Follow Friday mention goes to Mark Simpson.  He can be found tweeting at @marksimpsonist  For a certain generation, he'll be a brilliant Attitude columnist, and you may have seen him popping up in various TV shows but he's also an author of some wonderful thoughtful texts, and also coined a word you may have heard of - 'metrosexual'.  Simpson also popped up over on the Huffington Post this week in which he takes a fascinating look at the 'manly strap-on'.  Read it in full here.

Growing Old Disgracefully

As London and other cities around the UK erupted into violence in the Summer, British media as well as that around the world focused upon the youth of the nation; the feckless lazy youth, wanting something for nothing, lacking a sense of responsibility, selfish and too focused on their own pleasures.  Not like the gold old days.  Similarly, when we look at rising STI rates, it is ignorant youth, failing nee again to behave in a responsible manner.

It was therefore interesting to see this story on the BBC this morning.  At a time of mass cuts in local government, Portsmouth Council managed to shuffle enough cash together to organise a workshop for Portsmouth Residents (no outsiders allowed) aged 60 or above who wanted to find out about 'sex in later years' and would have focused on safe sex practices.  Unfortunately, the event has now been cancelled due to a lack of interest.

The event actually has a sound rationale, we know that with the development of Viagra, and a shift in culture, the baby boomer generation are not only still randy past 60, but are able to 'express' those desires, creating rising (no giggling) STI rates in this age group.  So, faced with the need to behave responsibly, and to 'rubber up', use condoms and be aware, they have decided "sod that" whilst commensurately bemoaning the young people who similarly react.   Oh well.  Read the BBC story here.

The Porn Ban That Wasn't?

Curious times.  I blogged yesterday on briefed plans for new controls on access to pornography and other explicit material in British homes coupled with the launch of a new website - Parentport - through which parents could report their concerns about individual sites and obtain support.  The media reports were, I suggested, muddled.  Conflicted messaged about opt in or opt out and as the day advanced, there seemed a third option of opt in but only for news customers.  So I waited.  And I waited.  Eventually, the BBC updated their story in the evening - buried on the technology pages after it had started the morning headlining on the news and featuring prominently in many newspapers.

So where are we?  Well, Number 10 helpfully published a press release on the event.  It is headlined 'PM launched Parentport website' - so no mention of porn or the ISP's.  It states:  'The Prime Minister and Children’s Minister, Sarah Teather have hosted a summit at Downing Street on tackling the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. The Prime Minister was joined by parents and children to view the new Parentport website.'

Which all sounds rather lovely.  A Lib Dem minister plus the PrimeMinsiter had a few parents and children around to number 10 to take a look at a website.  Lovely, but it doesn't exactly set the heather alight does it?  What of the four ISP's trailed in the media stories, or the issue of opt in/opt out to website controls.  Buried mid way through the press release is the following line:

'The commitment from the top four Internet service providers (BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin) that all customers will receive an active choice at the point of purchase over whether they want to block adult content on their home Internet or laptops.'

Ahhh, an 'active choice'.  Seemingly vague but it does indeed suggest that these companies will have a box on their website or a question during purchase offering parents the opportunity to request a block - although the press release still doesn't define what 'adult content' is.  Questions continue to abound.

One of the interesting revelations in this press release was the inclusion of Sarah Tether - this was not a Cameron only, Conservative proposal.  It was a coalition proposal.  So, what are the Department of Education saying about the event?  This is the department that Tether is based in and which has produced the same press release text as Number 10 except the headline has mysteriously changed.  They go with:  'Prime Minister welcomes progress on tackling commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood but says more must be done.'  So perhaps we start to get to the bottom of the muddle - two departments involved in an event both attempting to say the same thing but spinning the story in a different way.  Then we add into the mix the Mothers Union who seem to have a more prominent say in the BBC report - and who - given their inclusion - were obviously briefed before the event and may well have also been briefing the media on how their understood the proposals.

So, we have a set of measures by some members of the Internet industry that still seem incredibly ill-thought out, badly conceived and unlikely to achieve the misplaced aims that the British Government seems to want to achieve.  Yet, I am less concerned than I was this time yesterday morning as the changes are perhaps more stupid than scary.

Put Down the Pornography!

There seems a bit of confusion in the media this morning; a media which has clearly been briefed yesterday on a speech that British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is going to deliver later today but can't agree on what he is going to say (Number 10 briefers apparently hitting new heights in uselessness).  As his Government faces rising poverty stats, a cabinet minister implicated in potential fraud and now under investigation by the Government, Cameron is launching a new crusade against Internet pornography.  It seems that tackling masturbation is now at the heart of turning our society around.  Except, it's not as simple as that for the this it is about saving children (does this sound familiar?).  Parents could purchase or utilise software include in their Internet bundles to take responsibility of their own computers and control the material kids see but no, the government will do it for you!

If you believe some newspapers this morning, such as the Guardian, then you will have to opt out of the new controls.  So, the single gay male living alone (i.e. me) will have to phone up and say "Good Morning! I'd like to see explicit material please".  If you do have to do this, I suggest making particularly loud groaning noises, or perhaps a reworking of a Withnail and I line "Hello, Virgin customer services?
We want the finest porn sites available to humanity. And we want them here, and we want them now!"  The married couple might find that they work it into popping Sky Movies on for Christmas - "Hello, can we please pop Movies pack 1 and 2 on just for Christmas, oh and we can we have access to porn, David tends to get a little randy around Boxing Day?".  The married man who might be familiar with a furtive wank in the confines of his study may need to revert 20 years and purchase top shelf porn magazines from service stations and hide them in the boot of the company car. Back to the future!

The BBC Today Programme was suggesting this morning that some media outlets are suggesting that you must opt in - which is essentially a non announcement as that's the current situation.  So, pointless announcement or massive assault on civil liberties?  Welcome to the botched world of the Cameron spin machine.

Top four BT, Sky, Talk Talk, Virgin, we are told by other media companies will require the opt in.  If true, this is nothing short of a disgrace.  That four have been singled out in this way suggests it's likely - after all, those companies won't thank a government for wrongly linking them to a story that turns out to be untrue.  If the story isn't quite right, they'll be wondering what the hell they've got themselves into.

Because this is about preventing access to 'adult material' such as a bulge you might see on XFactor (such as Olly's which flooded Twitter this last weekend) or a topless woman (as in page three of The Sun - Britain's best selling daily newspaper), quite where the line should be drawn remains unclear - and could potentially mean that one company censors a site but another doesn't.  What about this blog?  Is it the sort of thing you'd like delicate 6 year old Nancy stumbling upon?

The announcement takes place at a gathering in Number 10 later today with the Christian Charity - the Mothers Union.  A move that seems straight out a Republican Presidential race campaign, and comes just weeks after it emerged that Cameron's support was falling among women - so what better than embrace the wants of a few campaigning right-wing breeders?

This new website will be called ParentPort apparently (presumably without rum and wenching) which already shows up on Internet searches but isn't yet working - so it looks like it all be: http://www.parentport.org.uk/

So, what next? Who ultimately makes the decision about content? Will they follow guidelines, if so, who will write them, who will review them? Will there be a right to appeal the decision? If so, to whom? Who will regulate and monitor this process? Will companies be audited as to how effectively they are implementing any code? What will happen to the data on requests for access? Who will it be shared with? What additional data on access will be gathered?

The BBC reports this morning that there is nervousness among the Internet industry which must come as little surprise as these plans seem to be a shambles.  Let's see what actually gets announced and what practical outcomes ultimately emerge.

Sex Worker Open University 2011 opens in London 12 - 16 October

Readers may be interested in this event - which sounds brilliant.

The second edition of the pioneering London Sex Worker Open University will happen at The Arcola Theatre (24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL) in East London 12-16 October, bringing together sex workers and allies from around the world to learn new skills, socialise and empower themselves, whilst exploring the diversity and contradictions of the sex industry.


Highlights include: more than 50 talks, practical workshops and discussions by sex workers and allies including internationally recognised academics, activists, service providers and artists, on numerous topics related to the sex industry, plus a host of topical performances, films and art. Key events include an evening dedicated to bringing together acclaimed international sex workers' rights activists to share their diversity of experiences from around the globe, plus a packed performance and movie night which will explore issues and themes related to the sex industry.


Full programme of events can be found at http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com/. A number of sessions are open to the public, whilst others are reserved for sex workers only.  Entry is by suggested donation (£5 per day or part day, or £20 for the entire event) - people on no/low incomes will be asked to pay what they can afford and no one will be turned away because of lack of funds.  There is no need to preregister, unless stated, and all events are on a first-come, first-served basis.


Organisers of the Sex Worker Open University commented: “The Open University initiative, which is organised by and for sex workers, is a unique project bringing together sex workers from around the world to meet each other, learn from each other, share skills, experiences, ideas and ultimately empower each other. For many, sex work is a decision, even when made in difficult economic and legal circumstances and we challenge the popular stereotype of sex workers as victims or criminals. We believe firmly that those who choose to work in the sex industry, for whatever reasons, deserve the same legal and human rights as all other workers and criminalisation only increases our vulnerability and oppression at work.”


Events open to the public include:
10am - 12 midday Wednesday 12 October @ Arcola - Launch event with introductions from SWOU organisers
6-8pm Wednesday 12 October @ Old Palace Yard, Westminster (just beside Houses of Parliament) – Demonstration for the decriminalisation and labour rights for all sex workers in the UK. Bring red umbrellas, banners and placards
3-6pm Friday 14 October @ Arcola - Range of presentations from leading academics, whose research interests include sex work around the world:

• History of the sex workers’ rights movement in UK (Thierry Schaffauser, President of GMB branch I50 (sex workers), Director NSWP Europe, SWOU member);
• Migration & sex industry (Dr Nick Mai, Reader in Migration Studies at London Metropolitan University, Director of COMIDAS RAPIDAS, MOTHER EUROPE & NORMAL);
• Where do we go from here? Sex worker activism and anti-trafficking (Dr. Jo Doezema, independent researcher, sex worker activist)
• Professional girlfriends in Cambodia (Dr Heidi Hoefinger, social researcher and sex worker rights activist, SWOU member);
• Trafficking in Portugal, globalisation and social panics (Filipa Alvim, CRIA (Portugal) anthropologist; researcher; activist; PhD candidate - trafficking)

Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=1642410336628777-11pm Friday 14 October @ Arcola - Presentations from leading international sex worker rights’ activists from around the world including Turkey, Japan, Bangladesh, Ireland, Germany, France, Canada, Netherlands, USA and UK


Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=2699145597079298-11pm Saturday 15 October @ Arcola - A packed evening of performances and short films:
Performances include:

• Sex worker storytelling from New York with Audacia Ray and her Red Umbrella sessions;
• Anna Peak’s "Between the Sessions" exploring the space in between clients: ‘Phone calls and cleaning - ooooh my the service industry...’;
• Dance performance by two members of Japanese sex-worker NGO SWASH that promises to challenge preconceptions;
• Presentation by The Urban Chick Supremacy Cell - ethical pornography loosely based on female supremacist Valerie Solanas’ work (SCUM Manifesto)
• Plus surprises from London and Berlin

Films include:

• COMMON LIFE (UK 2011) Dir. Clare Havell, 13m,30s - Premiere of new short film looking at sex work in Istanbul, against the broader political context
• ALL THAT SHELTERING EMPTINESS (USA 2010) Dirs. Gina Carducci and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, 7m, 16mm - A meditation on elevators, hotel lobbies, hundred dollar bills, the bathroom, a cab, chandeliers, cocktails, the receptionist, arousal, and other routines in the life of a New York City callboy. Explodes the typical narratives of desire, escape and intimacy to evoke something more honest
• PROSTITUTION FREE ZONE (USA 2009) Dir. PJ Starr, 14m -  In 2006 the city council of Washington DC passed new laws that allowed the Police Chief to call any part of the city a 'prostitution free zone' for up to 10 days. This short documentary describes how sex workers, trans people and other communities have organised to oppose the new policy that violates basic civil and human rights
• A DAY IN HER LIFE (Netherlands 2010) Voices of women in media, 18m - Compilation of 6 short movies made by sex workers in Amsterdam’s Red Light District through the Voices project, whose goal is to use media to create a more humanised and multi-faceted picture of the sex industry. They say: “We want to show this industry as a complex fabric, composed both of women workers who are entitled to demand their rights as workers and women who have been forced into the industry. Many people looking in from the outside have quite a polarised view. Women are either victims, or they are making choices. But as in any other area of life, there are many grey zones”

Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=300711969946262Events for sex workers only include:

• 10am - 6pm Wednesday 12 October @ Arcola - Opening welcome/launch event with the SWOU team; Speak Up! Media Training for sex Workers (led by Audacia Ray; preregister for this workshop - see website for details); Escort buddies - information on website offering support for sex workers (Passionate Penny); Relationships and intimacy (SWOU team)
• 10am - 4pm Thursday 13 October @ Arcola - Sex workers and disabled clients; Response to criminalisation and the Swedish model (Liad Hussein Kantorowicz); Meditation and mindfulness in sex work practice (SWOU team); Impact of anti-prostitution law on sex workers in Korea and Japan (SWASH)
• 10am - 11pm Friday 14 October @ Arcola - Emotional boundaries with clients / keeping safe (Dominic Davies), Organising with migrant workers (SERTUC), Safer sex - peer-to-peer discussions (SWOU team); Interpersonal intimacy, sculpture, responsibility and identity (Mareen Scholl); Feminist self-defence (SWOU team); Career transitions in the sex  industry (Celso Lopez)
• 10am - 6pm Friday 14 October @ The Pot - There will be a series of hands on erotic professional skills workshops taking place at The Pot, a beautiful sex-positive sensual workshop space in East London. These include: Conscious touch (Rebecca Lowrie), Introduction to sacred kink (London Faerie) and Erotic skills for sex workers (Ms Tytania). NB. preregistration required for events at The Pot - see http://swou11fridayatthepot.eventbrite.com/  for details; also Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=228816933842136)
• 10am - 11pm Saturday 15 October @ Arcola - Whoring 101 (Marcus);  Law in the UK (ECP); Critical whiteness: analysis of race and class privileges in sex workers' rights movement (Hydra); Sacred sexuality/sex workers in the ancient world/temples of Inanna (Lindsay Wolf); Self defence / martial art (Ben)
• 10am - 7pm Sunday 16 October @ Arcola - Reducing stigma and building our capacity (with Nengeh Mensah, Tuulia Law, preregister for this workshop - see website); Friends, families, partners (SWOU team); Interpersonal intimacy, sculpture, responsibility and identity (Mareen); Sex worker activism around the world - Different histories (Laura Agustín); Pole Dancing/Strip tease; Closing event: discussion / feedback

The Sex Worker Open University, which won Pioneer of the Year Award at the Erotic Awards for its first edition in 2009, is grateful to supporters including GMB, GMB Adult Entertainment Branch, SERTUC, eros.com, Bondassage and Turn Off The Blue Light.
Key event details:

• Event title:  London’s Sex Worker Open University 2011
• Organisers:  Sex Worker Open University
• Dates: Wednesday 12 – Sunday 16 October
• Times: Various – see programme for timings
• Primary venue: Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL
• Tickets: For most event there is no need to register or book in advance - just turn up (*except for those workshops mentioned above).  Suggested donations: £5 per day of workshops; £20 for all 5 days  (NB. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds). For the film/performance night, tickets cost £10 and can be booked via the Arcola. Events at The Pot (practical erotic skill sharing workshops): £10 for each of the two 90 min sessions, £15 for the 2-hr session; £30 for the entire day of 3 workshops. Places can be booked at http://swou11fridayatthepot.eventbrite.com/

More info:  

• Arcola Theatre - http://www.arcolatheatre.com/; 020 7503 1646
• Sex Worker Open University (SWOU) website - http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com
• SWOU Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/sexworkeropenuniversity
• Main SWOU 2011 Facebook event which also has links to the other events - https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106815766093595
• SWOU Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/SexWorkerOU; Hashtag #sexworkerOU
• SWOU Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/groups/sexworkeropenuniversity/
• Email - swoul09@yahoo.co.uk

Gonorrhoea and the Coming Legal Battle

The announcement today by the UK Health Protection Agency that we may be heading to a point when gonorrhoea is incurable unless new treatments can be found. For now, they say, doctors must stop using the usual treatment cefixime and instead use two more powerful antibiotics.

So, from a health perspective that's bad. But as we saw last week in Middlesbrough, the transmission of HIV continues to result in criminalisation and imprisonment.   If other STIs cease to be treatable, it would be a logical (if mistaken) extension of the law to criminalise these patterns of behaviour.

It also adds weight to HIV campaigners who have been critical of the growing acceptability of bareback sex - which takes place in a narrative of few deaths.  Ahh they say, just wait until the magical HIV drugs stop working, then you'll regret it.  As yet another drug becomes useless, and the possibility of an STI once more becoming incurable, the prospect of death once more walking the corridors of bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs and the haunts of millions of human beings who choose to fuck raw seems more plausible.  The greatest tool that safe sex campaigners have is when we start dying.  It's a terrifying possibility but I'm not yet convinced that the behaviour of those who choose and celebrate bareback will change their behaviour.  They are not crazy or especially kinky, they are rationale human beings making an informed decision.  Today is another bit of information to add to the scales of decision making but the scales are along way from tipping the other way.

Read the full story here.

Litigating Masturbation

Apologies for the typos in this post when first posted - now corrected and hopefully it flows a little better/makes more sense! (14/10/11).  Frantic times and trying to juggle too many things :-(

Absolutely fascinating story in the US regarding an attempt to open an Adult Video Store in North Haven, Connecticut.  It seems key to the planning and zoning officials in settling this long-running action, that the booths (where people pay to watch porn) can only accommodate one person (whether this is like airline seats and based on super thin people I don't know).

It's fascinating to see how the Supreme Court in Connecticut regarded the private booths (or 'buddy' booths), that is to say, that they found them to be an accessory to the business, allowing people to preview pornographic films before purchasing them.  This is in contrast to the booths being a separate business in their own right, i.e where people go to watch a film or to use as a cruising/public sex space.  It is of course true, that the booths can be viewed as an 'accessory' to the business, but the local officials - who attempted to block the opening (as it were) of the store - got themselves in a terrible socio-legal mess.   In much the same way that a restaurant critique does not merely look upon a meal with a critical eye, but also consumes with his mouth, one presumably does not merely 'review' pornography in a botth with a critical eye, but seeks to find out how it, well, 'stands up'.

Officials seemed OK with the basic principle that people masturbate and thus sometimes buy pornography (I may be being generous in thinking they accept this link), so they didn't oppose the store per se, but they were not terribly keen on people masturbating in a commercial space (home fine, private booth in a store bad), and tried therefore to argue that the booths shouldn't be allowed.  Having ultimately been forced to accept such 'public' masturbation they are absolutely firm that it must be alone.  They were (I'm guessing) concerned that hordes of men would descend on the business, ejaculating left right and centre, and pumping (if you pardon the phrase) money into the local economy.

Such concern reveals that they thought it would be popular.  After all, if you thought the store would be a flop, you wouldn't give a toss (OK, bad choice of words).  They clearly feel there is a demand for greater opportunities to masturbate in public - so much demand that they used taxpayers money to stop people from masturbating.  Rather fascinating when you think about it.

Check out the full story and thanks to David Downs for first alerting me to this story on Google+.

X Marks the Spot!

The recent change to Australian passports (see my earlier post here), enabling gender to be marked on passports as X continues to be be clarified as groups and the government put more material in the public domain.  oii Australia (Intersex in Australia) was an advisor to the Minsiterial Panel on this policy and has posted a really nice overview on their website.

They note that the qualification to receive an X sex designation on your passport if you wish it is a letter from your doctor stating that you live as a person of indeterminate, unknown or non-specified gender*. Anyone can apply so long as they have a willing doctor.

The full post is well worth a read - see it here.

Out! Northeast (Oct/Nov)

The latest issue of the ever excellent free magazine, Out! Northeast is available from their website.  Sunderland students in particular will find this a really useful resource for a regional context, and it also has helpful more general sections.  Download the October/November issue here.

A BoyLover's Glossary

One of the interesting aspects of my law and sexuality class (there are of course, many) is the use of language.  Every new cohort is a reminder of the importance of language around sexuality and the specialist terms and subtleties of use associated with words.  Take the 'twink'; the smooth slim youthful sugary gay male or alternatively the 'bear'; the hairy, large build, 'masculine' gay identity.  Cottaging, dogging, BDSM, kink, frottage, rimming, and so on are examples of the terms that every year need some degree of explanation.  The growth of the Internet has meant that we have a whole level of new 'words' and terms, and boy love - intergenerational male for male sex is no exception.

Sometimes defined as paedophilia (although an imprecise term) this site - A BoyLover's Glossary - documents the language that is used within this network - and is clearly intended for self-identified boy lovers.  So we get the familiar LOL but we also see TBL for teen boy lover or  PVF for plain vanilla faggot (someone who is not a boy lover - a 'plain' gay).   You can view the site in full here.

It is essentially a net speak glossary of boy love and links to a couple of 'pro boy love sites' so it's fairly clear to see the angle the site designer is coming from.  There's nothing explicit or shocking on the site although I'm sure the terms will seem uncomfortable for some.  Nonetheless, in an area that concerns so many, but for which the light is rarely shone, this site is an important information resource.

Bareback and Gloryholes

I'm sad to say I've been a bit slow to discover this wonderful podcast about bareback sex and gloryholes/public sex.  It's from  Distorted View Dailywhich is a daily comedy podcast.  The site describes how the presenter, Tim Henson, 'scours the darkest corners of the web in search of the truly bizarre. He then presents his finds to you, complete with unique (read: crass, vulgar, childish, and inappropriate) commentary. For a half hour each day, sit back and witness this audiophonic trainwreck. After listening, you’ll feel much better about your own life.'

So...don't expect a podcast extolling the virtues of bareback and public sex, although Henson is talking with bareback brother website architect, Mark Bentson - who I finally hear.  It's a really fascinating interview covering a lot of ground.  A must listen for all my students and anyone interested in public sex, glory holes, bareback sex, and HIV transmission (including stealthing).

Check out the podcast here.  The podcast proper begins at 2.11.

You can check out Mark's explicit gloryhole etiquette guide here and you can see the bareback brotherhood (also explicit) here.  You can also read my earlier blogpost on the bareback brotherhood here.

The remarkable thing (for me) about the podcast is that Mark sounds much more engaging, open and convincing than he does in text.  I'm already convinced, but it seems to me a pretty relaxed commentary in which you think 'fair enough' - at least at first.  He even deals really well with the "worth a bit of AIDS" line.  I also wonder how many males who have sex with men find these anecdotes familiar - especially the stuff about males who claim to be 'safe sex only'.  Where Mark maybe comes undone is the use of stealthing - an activity that I continue to unreservedly condemn.  It's a shame as I think his acceptance of stealthing undermines his wider bareback arguments.

Objectifying Men

My Twitter timeline exploded last night as the British nation collectively exploded at the prospect of a natural milky treat - thanks to a Yeo Valley advert.  PME200 picks up the story on his clog and puts this latest advert into a wider narrative of the exploitation of men.  It's well worth a read; check it out in full here.

Sexuality and the International Aid Agenda

One of the themes that seemed to emerge at the two coalition partner conferences was that both the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives saw an 'internationalisation' of homosexual rights to be a priority.  These essentially means that the British Government should not be neutral where governments torture, kill or criminalise their citizens because they believe them to be homosexual.   The latest idea, according to the Daily Mail, is that the British Government will withhold aid to developing countries if they persecute homosexuals - and points to the announcement that Malawi has had aid cut by £19 after two men have been sentenced to hard labour.  The Daily Mail line seems to be 'f you're going to be tough on governments that oppress gay men and women, what about regimes that do xyz'.  It's a position I have some sympathy with but aid is often used as a way of keeping regimes 'on side'.  Take Pakistan, not a gay friendly nation and one that is currently battling with corruption and terrorism.  It's an imperfect state and a good argument could be made to cut aid.  However, a Pakistan without aid is likely to become more radicalised and less supportive, presenting a danger to the region (with a nuclear conflict with India a real possibility) and a potential exporter of terrorism globally (let's not forget where Bin Laden was found).

The consequence of this real politic philosophy is that I should support regimes financially that frankly, would like to see me dead.  In truth, I don't think this in area that can be 'politically pure', and sexual rights can not be divorced from a wider international political agenda.  Yes, the British government should condemn regimes that oppress people because of their sexuality, but stop aid, I don't think so.  I suspect this fudge will actually be the end result despite the headlines but it's a position that is likely to satisfy few.

Read the full Daily Mail piece here.

Gay Marriage: The Right Perspective

Charles Moore, the right-wing columnist has written an interesting piece in the Telegraph in which he challenges the recent acceptance by David Cameron of same-sex marriage.  Whilst Cameron has cleverly taken the concept of marriage and used it to include homosexuals in a very 'traditional' conception of the family, Moore appears to short-circuit at such ideas and uses his piece to propagate the kind of hateful homophobia that many have to expect from the media of the right.  In case his diatribe against 'tolerance' and homosexuality more generally didn't convince readers, he moves on to include a reference to Muslims (always a sure fire way to have readers in full boggle eyed mode).  He writes:

'...for example, roughly as many Muslims in Britain as there are homosexuals. Muslims believe in polygamy – for men only, up to four wives. Muslims insist that women, just as much as men, welcome this rule. Suppose that Mr Cameron had got up and told his conference, “it shouldn’t matter whether commitment is between a man and a woman or a man and four women”, would he have been able to make the audience clap? Mightn’t they have recognised that a situation in which men were now permitted to marry four women would damage a society in which, until now, one man could only be married to one woman at a time? Wouldn’t they have said that the consent of those involved was not the only issue at stake? Wouldn’t they have been right?'

Now, for liberal loons like me, that's an easy one, yes, polygamy should be 'allowed' and recognised by the state.  Moore reminds us that the 'victories' of gay marriage/same-sex marriage are in fact about the incorporation of homosexuals to heteronormative institutions. These acts of 'progress' are not about a fundamental re-appraisal of the marriage construct, which remains inherently conservative.  As such, these attacks by the likes of Moore can act as a 'smokescreen', creating a reaction among LGBTQ activists to argue for same-sex marriage - if the nuts are against it, we must be for it.

 Check out the full piece here.

Homophobia and the Legal Profession

The Guardian carried a really interesting piece on Thursday from Alex Aldridge (check out one of his podcasts in my earlier blogpost here).  He notes that the judicial appointments committee (JAC) – the body founded in 2006 to enhance judicial accountability – has begun to monitor the sexuality of wannabe judges (it already monitors gender, ethnicity, age, professional background and disability). He also notes that the JAC is also increasing its engagement with the gay lawyer community through talks at LGBT legal events (yes, they do exist) and the publishing of case studies of gay judges.

I remain concerned that many of these efforts are London based and as Aldridge highlights in his piece, even in London, homophobia appears evident, so how fares gay lawyers in the so called 'provinces'?

He also notes the growing number of law firms now included in Stonewall's index of gay-friendly employers (six in the recent list).  Whilst this is probably a sign of progress, I remain deeply critical of this survey as a box ticking exercise.  Have an LGBT group - excellent.  The survey doesn't take account of how often such a group meets, or how vibrant it is (instead terms of reference and other such worthy documents are produced).  It's a human resources dream, good at forms, and writing policies, you're in.  This is, of course, better than nothing but a more rigorous process is needed if we want to see real demonstrable change.  In case, you think I'm being too cynical, check out the 2012 workplace equality index criteria here.

Aldridge also notes the regular complaint among legal LGBT groups that they are dominated  dominance  by 'a certain type of confident gay man'. Apparently, just 30% of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LAGLA) members are female.

Check out the full piece here.

Follow Friday: Kevin Poulter

Oh dear, two works into term and my blogging goes pear shaped.  A very late Follow Friday special shout out this week goes to @kevinpoulter an openly gay London based employment lawyer.  Poulter was also one of the founders of the Gay Employment Lawyers Network.  Get following Kevin and say hello to him.

Australian Students: Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives Fourth Year Thesis Prize

One for Australian readers...

For many years now the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives has offered a prize for the best fourth year thesis (honours or equivalent -- that is, of about 10,000 words) submitted at an Australian university in the field of GLBTI studies. The amount of the prize is $250.

The thesis may be in any discipline and must have as its major concern some aspect of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and/or queer experience, contemporary or historical, in Australia. Work submitted at an overseas university that meets this criterion will be accepted for consideration.

To nominate a piece of work please send a single printed copy, preferably bound, to the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives, PO Box 124, Parkville 3054 Victoria. The submission date is Thursday 1 December 2011. Late submission may be accepted by arrangement with Graham Willett (see contact details below). Theses will be retained by the Archives and will become part of its collection. For more information on the prize, please contact Dr Graham Willett, President of the Archives on gwillett@unimelb.edu.au. 


The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives is a community-based, volunteer-run, non-profit organisation that has been collecting and preserving Australian queer history since 1978. More details about the Archives may be found at www.alga.org.au.

Sunderland Students: A Guide to E-Books

Sunderland Students should find this video guide to e-books of interest and use.  Almost all the key books for the module are available as e-books.