Booty Politics

The week in review.

So, this has been an enraging week. On so many levels. I feel like I was so overwhelmed with all the mayhem I couldn’t even bring myself to blog about it every day. So here is the week in review. All of my rage in a quick summary.

We had PETA’s not so surprising ad campaign depicting a vegan boyfriend fucking a girl so good she ends up with a broken neck.

We had the grammys welcoming Chris Brown with open and forgiving arms a mere 3 years after he beat then-girlfriend Rihanna just nights before the grammys.

There was the male dominated birth control hearing, producing the now infamous photo of dudes making crucial contraception decisions.

Let’s not forget Virginia’s new bill that would require women who want and abortion to get an ultrasound.

And finally, we had the charming and quaint declaration of millionaire backer of Rick Santorum that “gals” should just hold an aspirin between their knees as a form of contraception. I had one of those moments thinking that Foster Friess is like your creepy sexist uncle of yours who keeps saying inappropriate shit and you know one day you are just gonna crack and yell at him for being a sexists fuck. Then I realized I actually have that uncle. And he actually said that aspirin thing and old dudes actually think things like that.

Friess is responsible for about 40% of the funds of this super PAC behind Rick Santorum. As if money in politics wasn’t bad enough before, it simply baffles me that super PAC’s ever became acceptable. Can’t we just immediately outlaw shit that insane? Without thinking about it, debating it, or mulling it over? Super PAC’s make it possible for one sexist old man to nearly singlehandedly support one crazy candidate and have it be somehow okay.

I feel like the best option here would just be to embarrass the crap out of the man. “Oh, btdubs, Foster, you could actually still fuck with your knees together. Have you never had sex from behind? Oh, you are totally missing out, you should try it sometime.”

There is never going to be an acceptable contraceptive solution that suggests we all be a little more prudish. So just get the fuck over it. People fuck. They don’t necessarily want babies. This isn’t the 1950’s.

As far as I can tell, this week needs to simply vanish. I mean really.

The one and only moment of sanity in all this madness:

Thank god for constructive comedy.

You know I really didn’t like “Princess Diaries”, but after seeing “Love and Other Drugs” and this, I am really starting to like Anne Hathaway.

With Rick Santorum once again “surging” (headline writers have to understand the pun they are making right…right?!) it looks like the republicans are going to, once again, drag out the old culture war shit. If you can’t win on the strength of your ideas,

I am so tired of bigoted homophobes making any of the following idiotic statements:

“My imaginary friend says two boys can’t get married”
“Two girls getting hitched will ruin my marriage”
“My imaginary friend wrote a book, it says two boys kissing is wrong”

Its even worse when they start saying things like this:

“We should make it illegal for two adults who love each other to get tax breaks for getting married because they both happen to be boys”
“Two girls who love each other can’t visit each other in the hospital even if one is dying”
“Two boys who love each other can’t adopt a baby that no one (including other people in our church) wants”

If you ask them WHY any of the previous statements should be true, they refer you to the first three. So basically the republicans have no good reason why gay people shouldn’t have all the rights as straight people. Not a single logical reason, not a single legal reasons, not a single good reason. They are simply bigots, pure and simple. In much the same way that we see racism as patently stupid, we will see homophobia one day. These people are going to go down as the villains of history. If only they could see this now, it would solve us all a lot of trouble.

You can love or hate Valentine’s Day.

You can love or hate Eve Ensler.

What is V-Day? from V-Day Until the Violence Stops on Vimeo.

Regardless, it’s definitely worth supporting V-Day as an alternative to the corporate crap show that is consuming candy and chocolates on Valentine’s day.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the world. Porn is fine. It’s okay to watch it. Sometimes it’s even good and healthy and awesome to watch it. Don’t be embarrassed that you watch it. Don’t be jealous that your lover watches it. Don’t be hard on your teenager if you catch them watching it. Sex is fascinating. It’s normal and healthy and good. Watching other people have sex can have a profound and life changing impact. Short of getting to watch your close friends that you are comfortable with have sex, watching porn may be the next best. You can learn from good porn. See something you have never thought of. Learn something new. Become inspired. Be awed by the varied shapes, sizes, wants, needs and desires of different people and bodies.

Obviously there is some debate about the merits of porn re: whether or not it’s a healthy portrayal of women, how they want to be treated (or should be treated), what they should like or want, and what their bodies should look like. I know there are plenty of feminists who will argue that the negatives far outweigh the benefits of the porn industry. But I say this. Just stop watching shitty porn. You have simply got to see good feminist porn.

It’s hard to find, so I’ve sorted a few starting points out for you.

Tristan Taormino is absolutely my favorite porn director/sex educator. She has the most feminist bad ass approach to pornography and hot/sexy/informative sex education. The first film of hers I ever saw was The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Woman. She somehow combines an informative how-to video with some hot damn porn. You can be into anal sex or not, I would recommend checking this out as a good intro to how porn can be more than grody degrading cum shots.

For feminist porn that isn’t instructional in nature, take a look at her Chemistry series. This is a brilliant, hot, unscripted porn series where she hires porn stars, puts them in a house together for a weekend, and films them fucking. It is so good. If you have a hard time getting into the idea of porn but are still compelled to take a look, start with this. Complete with interviews with the actors/actresses; it’s fascinating and hot.

I could go on about Tristan forever, but i will let you do some exploring on your own.

Annie Sprinkle! Goddess of Sex! So her porn is a little dated, but her books are fucking outstanding. It’s a stellar look into her life. Her website is a great resource for a sex positive outlook. One of her best contributions to society was the Public Cervix Announcement. As a post-porn performance artist, Annie did a performance piece where she invited the audience to the stage to take a look at her cervix. Thank you, Annie!

violet blue. Author of The Smart Girls Guide to Porn, violet blue knows her feminist porn. I admit that there was a time in my life I though I needed to be against porn to be a feminist. Fuck that! Porn can be fun if you have a positive approach to it and can feel good about the actors/actresses.

And of course Nina Hartley is simply a classic with a lot of great stuff to say. As a veteran of the porn industry, folks have a lot to learn from her. One of my favorite quotes from her regarding the possibility of men taking a degrading lesson from porn: “Watching pornography to find out about how sex works is like watching a James Bond movie to find out how spies do their job.” (Read the whole interview at Jezebel. Don’t love everything she says, but do love and respect everything about her. Porn is political for sure.)

Also, youporn dot com is fine for some porn access (you can even find sasha grey on there), but it’s best to be selective about what you are watching so you know you are getting the good stuff. I recommend finding what you like and feeling good and healthy about it before going there.

I’m sure I’ll post more about porn someday when the news has lots to say about the porn industry, but this is just a little intro. Porn doesn’t have to be degrading. Watch it alone, watch it with your partner. Turn it off when you don’t like it. Discuss it. Do it. Enjoy! Sex is for fun and exploration. Porn doesn’t have to be a bad place to start.

In what seems like an unending serious of WTF moments in our nation, a bunch of Catholics are upset because they are going to be forced to cover birth control in health care they give their employees To be clear, Churches are exempt, but Catholic charities, hospitals, etc. will have to offer the coverage.

More results here

Obama is taking is on the chin from these people.

The president’s tone was polite but not contrite, a person briefed on the calls told POLITICO: He explained that while his health care law exempted Catholic churches from the requirement, he wouldn’t carve out other Catholic institutions even though the Vatican views artificial birth control as contrary to the will of God.

Aides say Obama’s move, which has sparked thunderous denunciations as he prepares to address the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, was motivated by personal conviction and his long-held belief that all health plans need to provide birth control to women.(via)

If I am an atheist and work at a catholic hospital I can’t get birth control covered under my health care plan, because some guy in Rome says its against his imaginary friends rules? Even if I am a Protestant, a Jew, or Hindu; because Rome says no birth control doesn’t get covered. I applaud Obama for standing up for the rights of these workers. Just because you work for a Catholic doesn’t mean you have to do every incomprehensible thing their leader says.

Just to get an idea of how silly this whole thing is. These are the same people who waited hundreds of years to admit the earth goes around the sun long after an overwhelming amount of evidence. They almost put a man to death for saying the same, and their main justification for these decisions, God told us to. Are these really the kind of people we should let help us decide important things?

I am not alone it seems, in fact a majority of Catholics themselves think that the catholic church should cover birth control.

A majority (55%) of Americans agree that “employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost.” Four-in-ten (40%) disagree with this requirement.

Key breakdowns

58% of all Catholics agree employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception. That slides down to 52% for Catholic voters, 50% for white Catholics.
61% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say employer plans should cover contraception.
50%of white mainline Protestants want the coverage. However, for evangelical Protestants, that drops to 38%.

And perhaps of greater note among election-watchers:

Women are significantly more likely than men to agree that employers should be required to provide health care plans that cover contraception (62% vs. 47% respectively).

A second poll, also released today from Public Policy Polling, has similar findings. This poll, conducted at the request of Planned Parenthood, finds

…a majority of voters, including a majority of Catholics, don’t believe Catholic hospitals and universities should be exempted from providing the benefit.

…Independent voters support this benefit by a 55/36 margin; in fact, a majority of voters in every racial, age and religious category that we track express support. In particular, a 53 percent majority of Catholic voters, who were oversampled as part of this poll, favor the benefit, including fully 62 percent of Catholics who identify themselves as independents.(via)

In fact 98% of Catholics ALREADY have used birth control, so of course they want it covered under their insurance plan.

Why should the opinion of Catholics merit any consideration in this decision? There have been a million crazy ideas over the eons, from the idea that humors are what made you sick (and must be balanced with mercury), to the one that an invisible friend doesn’t want you to be on the pill. We wouldn’t allow someone who thinks the earth is flat to attend our geography convention, why do we let Catholics help us decide what gets covered under our health care?

I am glad Obama stood up to these folks, maybe there is hope yet for this nation.

While I’m not the biggest fan of Penn Jillette, he breaks it down pretty good here.

I have been increasingly frustrated by the right wing “pro-life” religious forces in this country. I understand their imaginary friend wrote a book and that book tells them a bunch of nonsense. I am a firm supporter of their right to think any crazy idea they want. In fact our country was founded on their right to believe that nonsense. Heck, I would even go so far as to fight for their right to believe that foolishness. I think its the American thing to do, fight for everyone’s right to believe anything they want.

However when your imaginary friend tells you to spend your life trying to deny funding to organizations who provide abortions, you are not being American. This country was founded on the freedom FROM religion as much as the freedom of religion. That means you are free to NOT get abortions, you are free NOT to give your money to cancer research, but when you actively work to de-fund these things for others you are imposing your religious views on people who may not share them. Its no different than a Catholic telling you that you are legally prohibited from eating meat on Fridays. It’s not how this country is supposed to work.

Cancer kills roughly half a million men and women every year in this country. There have been roughly 50 million abortions provided legally in this country since 1973, which works out to roughly 1.2 million per year. Roughly 5%-20% of that number were because of risk of health to the fetus or the mother.

Fighting against groups like Planned Parenthood isn’t “pro-life.” If you are really “pro-life” You would also care about the 1 in 2 people who will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and the 500,000+ of them that die from it every year. I would hope that the “promotion of life” doesn’t end once the baby is born. As such pro-lifers have just as much responsibility to fund cancer diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and research as you do fight abortion providers. All of which are done at places like Planned Parenthood.

It’s a pity that people are unable to understand complex and nuanced issues. They think Planned Parenthood = abortion. Their imaginary friend told them abortion is bad, so they hate Planned Parenthood. The reality of the situation is much more complex. Planned Parenthood also provides birth control (can’t have an abortion if you don’t get pregnant), breast cancer screening, STD tests (HPV causes cervical cancer), and a whole host of other treatments that save lives.

I am not sure one bolsters their “pro-life” credentials by keeping much needed and life saving treatments out of the hands of men and women. It boggles my mind that the major political party in this country that is linked to the pro-life movement, is also the one against HPV vaccines, universal health care, public funding of birth control, and sex education.

What further boggles my mind is that the inspiration for this stance is based on the ramblings of bronze age goat herders that was translated over and over again before undergoing 2000 years of politically based revision, translated a couple more times, and finally spoon fed by the powerful to the weak. We are talking about people who think that human beings can rise from the dead and that virgins can give birth, these are not the kind of people who we should be taking advice from!

The “pro-life” religious right should be regulated to the fringe of this discussion, instead they seem to be at its center. We have a group with a tenuous grip on reality, the constitution, and science trying to dictate what women should do with their own bodies. Any way you slice it they don’t appear to be up to the task of making that decision.

Mayor Cory Booker, in an elegant and forceful way, says exactly why human rights shouldn’t be put up to a vote. There have been moments in America’s history when just about any group’s rights would have been taken away if put to a popular vote. Irish immigrants, Japanese immigrants, Catholics, women, blacks, interracial couples, and now queer folk, the list of people who’s rights would have been taken away if put to a vote is long. Our history is basically the history of each of these groups fighting for equal rights.

The daily show really sums it up perfectly.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

There are so many people in this country that fought tooth and nail to get the rights that are supposedly given to all. And after that long hard struggle so many of them seemed to be perfectly happy to turn around and ignore other groups fighting a similar fight.

Gay rights are not just for gay people, they reflect on us as a nation. Until every citizen has the same full legal rights, none of us are really living up to our potential as a nation. Thanks Mayor Booker for laying it out so clearly.

Men can (and should) be feminists. The entire world would be better. But some men, usually the ones who are kind and understanding, and sensitive, and deeply committed feminists, sometimes have trouble dealing with the full implications of the feminist movement. By which I mean they sometimes have trouble having sex with a woman. Especially when she wants him to do something that isn’t missionary style, stare into her eyes, romantic intercourse.

I have actually heard it lamented by women that “feminist boys will go down on you all day, but just don’t fuck that well.” They say this not to demean these boys, but rather to point out that you don’t have to give up your animal passions to be a feminist. You can in a very egalitarian manner, taking full account of the equality of your partner, and in a manner consistent with major feminist theory, pee on a woman. Especially, and this is kind of the point, if the woman desperately wants you to.

The idea of women being equal includes the idea that some women want to be pissed on, some want to be smacked around, tied up, or called a dirty slut. Equality demands that women have access to these choices, even if they choose not to take them. Being equal in power means you can choose to give it up.

I loved this video, I thought it was funny and raised some interesting issues about power dynamics, feminism, and quirky romance. I thought it had a nice happy ending, and I was really excited to see so many complicated ideas expressed in such an elegant way. Watch it again, it will warm your heart.

No matter how much you love to hate Newt Gingrich, I have one thing to say to this man. Thanks. Only in this very specific instance, but thanks nonetheless. Thanks for making Tristan Taormino’s Opening Up sell out on amazon.

The week following reports of Newt Gingrich asking his second wife, Marianne, for an open marriage gave us a spattering of fascinating articles about open relationships, from the New York Times to the BBC to the Guardian. I was so pleased to see how many articles featured people who were legit sources on the topic (Dan Savage, Jenny Block, Tristan Taormino, etc!) The amazing thing about it all was everyone was on board saying, “Newt couldn’t have approached it more wrong, but there is actually a right way to do it.”

Obviously six years into an illicit affair is not the time to say, “hey honey, do you think we should open this marriage up?!” Not a soul who supports open relationships would say that is an appropriate tact to take. No one would deny that Newt is a slimy, cheating, lying and downright grody man. All I am saying is, it has opened up a dialogue about open relationships in some really fascinating ways. It could have gone disastrously and tainted the good name of loving, honest and consent based open relationships, but instead it created a space for making them acceptable. So yay.

If only every disaster that man created could end in something compelling.

Booty Politics

The (sexist) week in review.

Love Is Not A Poltical Statement

V-Day

Porn

New Survey Shows Majority Of Catholics Favor Birth Control Coverage

The Atheist Guide To The Elections

Breast Cancer Doesn’t Care About Your Religion

Mayor Cory Booker, Civil Rights Not Up For A Vote

Piss, A Video About Trying To Get Your Feminist Boyfriend To Pee On You

Open Up