| In memory of Neda Salehi |
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| 04:18pm 21/06/2009 |
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mood:  sad
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As much as I hate to admit it, I have become, like a large portion of the US, inured to violence and pictures/videos of violence posted on the news or online. As a result, when I saw the video of Neda's shooting and death at an Iranian protest she attended with her father on HuffPo, I clicked it knowing it would be terribly sad but not thinking twice about how it would make me feel. You can imagine my surprise when I found myself having to fight back sobs while I watched the young woman's life bleed from her mouth and watched the life leave her eyes. Yes, the video is that graphic and perhaps that is why it's affect on me was so strong. Now I have watched people die before. I've sat at the bedside of dying people and held their hands as they breathed their last but for some reason this struck me heavily. I don't know if it emotion left over from old grieving left unfinished, if it was because she was a woman and hence it seemed more personal or if it was simply the violence perpetrated against her by the Basij but suffice it to say, it got my attention.
I don't pretend to understand everything about Iran and it's politics. What I do know is that the violence against the people being that we see being tweeted/blogged/video'd is wrong and a violation of basic human rights. While I have no illusions about my ability to effect a change there I do know, thanks to years of work with Amnesty International, is that governments don't like it when their injustices are seen and marked by the world and making sure that Iran and Ahmadinejad know we are watching is important.
Neda paid for her convictions with her life. We are hardly being called upon to sacrifice anything so valuable.
I have posted this here because women have ever been on the frontlines of the battle against injustice, be it fighting sexism or fighting for everyone's human rights. |
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| A request. |
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| 07:15pm 18/04/2009 |
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Hi all. I teach a class on activism at Cornish College of the Arts; one of the assignments is to interview someone who self-identifies as an activist.
One of my students would really like to interview someone who does activism around sex work but is having a hard time finding an interviewee.
Any volunteers? It would need to be done in the next two weeks.
Thanks! |
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| WARNING TO BOSTON SEXWORKERS ON CL!!!!!!! |
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| 02:54am 16/04/2009 |
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A visiting provider from NYC was recently murdered in boston. I read the follow up on Boston Police Twitter. Link below also shows video surveillance pics of the suspect.
http://www.bpdnews.com/2009/04/update_death_investigation_at_16.html
Another link led me here:
http://www.wakingvixen.com/blog/2009/04/16/sex-workers-murder-and-false-securities/
PLEASE, ladies. If you are going to be an indie sex worker, SCREEN YOUR CALLS! Do check ins with a buddy system. Share a room or have someone nearby.
This is why past indie work for me, be it dominatrix, dancer or so on, had a high work-to-result ratio. I'd get maybe ONE person out of every 50 replying people because something seemed off, they didn't screen right, they lied. Hell, ask for references. Yes, its work, but life is more important. |
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| Well isn't this lovely? |
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| 11:29am 31/03/2009 |
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Afghan leader accused of bid to 'legalise rape' - The Independent
Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which "legalises" rape, women's groups and the United Nations warn. Critics claim the president helped rush the bill through parliament in a bid to appease Islamic fundamentalists ahead of elections in August.
In a massive blow for women's rights, the new Shia Family Law negates the need for sexual consent between married couples, tacitly approves child marriage and restricts a woman's right to leave the home, according to UN papers seen by The Independent.
So much for progress in Afghanistan. We went in there supposedly to get rid of Taliban influence and lo and behold, the restore Sharia again.
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| Tonight @ CineKink... 'Wanton Female Desire' !!! |
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| 09:17am 27/02/2009 |
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CineKink NYC presents…
Friday, February 27 - 9:00 PM
"Wanton Female Desire" (Shorts Program) What is it that a woman wants? Most of the answers are infinitely varied, but the shorts in this celebration of female pleasure will help guide you in one generally appropriate direction.
Program includes:
( Read more... ) ABOUT CINEKINK NYC Billing itself as "the really alternative film festival," CineKink NYC returns for its sixth annual appearance February 24-March 1, 2009, to be followed by a national showcase tour. Presented by CineKink, an organization dedicated to the recognition and encouragement of sex-positive and kink-friendly depictions in film and television, works featured at CineKink range from documentary to drama, camp comedy to hot porn, mildly spicy to quite explicit - and everything in between. For more information, visit http://www.cinekink.com |
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| Registration is OPEN!! |
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| 12:31am 12/02/2009 |
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Mayhem! The Weekend Event for Leatherwomen May 8 – 10, 2009 Vancouver, Canada Queer women’s BDSM, play, sexuality and fun. All. Weekend. Long. We’re completely pleased to be bringing you a conference-style weekend, with play parties, education, entertainment, and a line-up of brilliant presenters. We would like to invite all past, present and future women who enjoy woman-to-woman BDSM to our unique weekend of kink, play, and fun. Whether you’re just beginning to explore kink, or consider yourself a seasoned veteran, Mayhem! is the place to play hard, play soft, learn, or just hang out and socialize with some very damn cool women. History Mayhem! will be the first women’s kink conference in Western Canada since 1993 — and the first one ever in East Vancouver, the area many local lesbians call home. The Mayhem! weekend is organized by Canadian Mayhem/Bride of Pride. Our goal has always been to put on the exact kind of party that we all dream of attending, and of course that includes inviting everyone along.
www.canadianmayhem.com |
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| 10:23pm 17/12/2008 |
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No Fauxxx Roulette Teaser Part One

At last! The first sneak peek at No Fauxxx's Premier DVD, Roulette! It's Walter and his fiance, Nikolaj, kissing (a lot), sucking, fucking, and coming - all on Trouble's rooftop.
Video & Video stills by Trouble & Babygirl
Join No Fauxxx
NoFauxxx.Com's been around for almost six years now, and the one thing we don't have is our very own DVD! But not for long, because we're in production! Check out our special page devoted to Roulette.
Don't forget about our Photo Contest! You and one of your friends can both win one year of free queer porn! All you have to do to win is take a photo that defines what "Queer" means to you. That could mean many things, so check out our contest entry page for more details! The deadline in January 4th, so charge up your cameras and get to work! If you're ready to enter, check out the submission form.
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| The Postmodern Geek's Guide to Sex #36: International Day To End Violence Against Sex Workers |
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| 06:35pm 17/12/2008 |
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mood:  calm
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You can download the podcast HERE!
Today's podcast is a quickie.
It's a brief blurb about the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. I mention it's origins as a brain child of Dr. Annie Sprinkle that the Sex Workers Outreach Project ran with and turned into an international event.
I discuss my reasons for supporting this day, namely, the human right not to be hurt or killed while working just because someone does not approve of your line of work or thinks you aren't really human.
Please give it some thought and definitely give some thought to the many people who have been hurt or killed simply because they were (or were thought to be) sex workers.
Annie Sprinkle offers Ten Things You Can Do to Participate(from the SWOP Web site)
Absolutely EVERYONE is invited to participate. Here’s how.
1. Organize (or attend) a memorial in your town. Simply choose a place and time to gather. Invite people to bring their stories, writings, thoughts, related news items, poems, lists of victims, performances, and memories. Take turns sharing.
2. Hold (or attend) a candlelight vigil in a public place.
3. Do something at home alone, which has personal meaning, such as a ritual memorial bath, or light a candle.
4. Call a friend and discuss the topic.
5. Send a donation to a group that helps sex workers stay safer. For example, some teach self-defense or host web sites that caution workers about bad Johns.
6. Go to the Sex Worker Outreach Project’s, www.swop-usa.org, read it, and add something to the site. Do let others know about any planned Dec. 17 events by listing them on the SWOP web site.
7. Spread the word about the Day to End Violence Towards Sex Workers and the issues it raises; or blog, email, call, send a press release, or forward this text to others.
8. Go to Washington DC. This December 17, 2008 there will be a National March for Sex Worker Rights. People will converge from all over to take a stand for justice and safety. Info at www.swop-usa.org
9. Organize a panel discussion about violence towards sex workers. Procure a community space and invite speakers like sex workers, police, and families of victims.
10. Create your own way to participate.
Intro and Outro music is Melody Gardot-Wicked Ride
Wanna talk to me outside of the podcast?
Email: postmodern.sexgeek@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PMSexgeek
My Space: http://www.myspace.com/postmodernsexgeek
RSS Feed URL: http://marieb.libsyn.com/rss
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| Where is the sisterhood? |
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| 02:21pm 02/12/2008 |
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I am feminist-identified.
I got my feminism from the resonations of people like Gloria Steinem and Susie Bright and not liking what Andrew Dworkin had to say. And I got my feminism from my mother who went to Harvard at a time when they still called it Radcliffe for chicks and didn't let them join the club and who managed to barrel through all sorts of glass ceilings, while never letting anyone see her sweat. I got my feminism from wanting to play video games in 8th grade and having the members of the otherwise all-male extracurricular not want to allow me near the school computers.
I'm the kind of woman who has had mostly male friends.
But I do not want to be the only woman in the video game room.
So I am troubled that so many women, who seem like I'd feel commonality with, are so hostile to the idea of not being the only woman in the video game room. They push other women away, wanting to be the only female who gets it, whatever it is. I find sex bloggers to be a particularly harsh lot in general, who really seem to want to believe they are each the first woman who has ever demanded her own orgasm and will support the heck out of men and faux feminism, while dissing women and genuine feminism.
I know comedian Chris Rock says it boils down to the fact that women hate each other. But do feminists hate each other? Isn't that counterintuitive somehow? Can anything be done? |
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| 11:55pm 28/11/2008 |
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Welcome to the brand new No Fauxxx, made live at 8:30pm on November 23rd, 2008! We didn't tell you about it because we really wanted to treat you, and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to introduce these new features.- A free community. Sign up on the right-hand so set up your profile, partake in the brand-new message boards, check out our incredible models, make friends, leave comments, and show your love for No Fauxxx. We've always claimed to be a hub for the queer underground community, but we've never been able to offer you this kind of communication.
- No Fauxxx Culture is a multi-media blog featuring interviews, features, art, and discussions. You can comment on anything, and you can also add it to your Google Reader or RSS feeds, so you can keep up to date without even coming to the site! Right now, we've got interviews with Tara Jepsen, Beth Lisick, and Audacia Ray. There's plenty, plenty more to come, so stay tuned!
- SHOPPING!!! We've teamed up with Babeland.Com, a woman-owned, passionate sex toy company to offer you the absolute hottest sex toys on the market, as well as Queer Porn DVDs and our favorite sex books.
- Beautiful lightbox galleries in the members area, with incredible resolution, luminosity, and navigation. We've really taken our hot porn galleries to the next level for you. Some of the older galleries still need to be converted, but they should be done by next week.
- We are honest-to-god currently in production with our very first DVD, No Fauxxx Roulette, which will be ready (hopefully!) in January. It's going to top every queer porn DVD out there!!!
There's more great features coming your way, and if you have any ideas about features we could add to NoFauxxx.Com, please please please tell us what you think using our Contact Form. Love you! xo Trouble |
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| Porn turns men off the real thing? |
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| 02:18pm 19/11/2008 |
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Naomi Wolf on Why Porn Turns Men Off the Real Thing
In the end, porn doesn't whet men's appetites--it turns them off the real thing...
For how can a real woman--with pores and her own breasts and even sexual needs of her own (let alone with speech that goes beyond "More, more, you big stud!")--possibly compete with a cybervision of perfection, downloadable and extinguishable at will, who comes, so to speak, utterly submissive and tailored to the consumer’s least specification?...
The reason to turn off the porn might become, to thoughtful people, not a moral one but, in a way, a physical- and emotional-health one; you might want to rethink your constant access to porn in the same way that, if you want to be an athlete, you rethink your smoking. The evidence is in: Greater supply of the stimulant equals diminished capacity.
Someone on my f-list posted this, and I was interested in getting some "porn-positive" feedback from this community in particular.
I don't agree with the premise of the article. I respect Naomi Wolf as far as feminists go. She's not a feminazi (at least she disagrees with Andrea Dworkin). But I don't think that wearing veils makes sex more sacred or that porn takes the mystery out of a fulfilling relationship.
Contrast this with "acceptable" expressions of sexuality in the mainstream, like ballet (yes, it's extremely sexy and sensual), the Olympics (talk about objectifying perfect bodies), or even the Victoria's Secret catalog. I'd say most men holding out for that perfect size 0 are painfully lonely. And I think fantasy and masturbation are important parts of a healthy relationship.
Any reactions? |
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