sex and sexuality
Articles about sex, gender and sexuality.
A brief history of the Gay Liberation Front, 1970-73
A short account of the GLF in the UK which, while we disagree with some of it, contains interesting historical information.
On the 27th June, 1969 as part of its policy of raiding and closing Gay Bars, the New York Police arrived at the Stonewall Inn to rough up the customers and make a few arrests. New York’s finest encountered black and white drag queens, gay men and lesbians, sick of police brutality, and who on being physically provoked fought back.
Anarchism and sex
The Anarchist Federation outline anarchist views and debates on sex and sexuality.
Anarchist views on sex can range from the idea that ‘anything goes’ between consenting adults, to the more traditional approaches of what constitutes free love between individuals. One thing these diverse opinions do have in common, however, is the idea of sexual freedom and the opposition to sexual exploitation.
Interview with an anarchist dominatrix
For two years Mistress Venus was a professional dominatrix in central London. She’s also an anarchist communist. So, we at Organise! thought we’d take the opportunity to ask her a few questions about this.
Organise!: There’s a popularly-held belief, also prevalent among the left and some anarchists, that anyone (particularly female) who works in the sex industry, is in some way a victim and has been forced into that situation. How realistic is this view?
Anarchism, Heterosexism and Secular Religions
A critical response to a letter about "gay issues" in the anarcho-syndicalist union CNT's newspaper.
Anarchism, heterosexism and secular religions
Dealing with street harassment guide
A guide for women with advice on how to effectively deal with sexual harrassment in public.
Harassment is: Any number of acts or comments which make you feel physically or sexually unsafe or uncomfortable. They can be made by people you have known for years or by perfect strangers.
Basic Advice
If you are the victim of harassment, take the following steps:
Be safe
The origins of the Gay Liberation Front ... and disrupting the 'Festival of Light' - UK 1960s
An excerpt from "Days in the Life - Voices from the English Underground 1961-1971", p. 378-382, Pimlico, UK, 1998.
The 'Festival of Light ' was a short-lived UK right wing Christian campaign involving Cliff Richard, Mary Whitehouse, Malcolm Muggeridge and other 'concerned' religious bores. It was a lame attempt to counter the libertarian culture of the 1960s-70s by re-asserting traditional Christian values.
Abuse of power in the NHS - the Kerr Haslam Inquiry
Ellen Kemp looks into the sexual abuse scandal involving vulnerable people that didn’t rock the nation.
In July 2005 the Kerr Haslam Inquiry reported its findings to the Minster of Health. Unlike of the Shipman inquiry or the inquiry into the deaths of babies in Bristol, this report has not made the headlines.
Anarchism, Sexual Liberation and Bisexuality
This article comes from Black Flag #207, which came out in 1995. It starts witha couple of quotes and then goes on to address some of the issues relevant at the time (many of which are of course still relevant now.)
Quote....
Chinese riot over detention of activist
Angry villagers in China's Shandong province have rioted in support of a blind activist who has been under house arrest for campaigning against forced sterilisations and abortions.
Chen Guangcheng, a peasant blind since birth who taught himself the law initially to fight for disabled rights, last year began exposing official abuse of the one-child policy. The abuse included making women have abortions, sometimes as late as seven or eight months into their pregnancies, then making them undergo sterilisation.
Interview with an ex-sex text worker
In the wake of the first unfair dismissal case for a sex worker, libcom.org interviews another sex worker about the industry, the work, and the possibilities for struggle
Last week, GMB member Irene Everett won the first ever unfair dismissal case for a sex worker, against Essex-based Datapro Service Limited. She had worked on their live adult chat lines for eight years. The GMB, following its merger with the International Union of Sex Workers in 2002, has been trying to organise in the UK, and this was their first victory.
