Bi-Weekly Sexual Freedom Newsletter
Wednesday, August 26, 2020

How the pandemic could forever change the way porn gets made (Mashable) 

Mark Hay discusses the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the future of porn: “The stress, isolation, and boredom of lockdown life have prompted huge spikes in overall porn site traffic in recent months, with viewership up by at least 20 percent at some points this spring over the same time periods last year. [...] Yet for all these success stories, not every part of the porn world is thriving right now. The pandemic has ‘radically restructured the industry,’ says Mike Stabile of the Free Speech Coalition (FSC), an industry advocacy group. And that upheaval has left certain categories of content, producers, and performers struggling to stay afloat. It may even force some out of business for good.” Read more.

We Should Still Defund the Police (The New Yorker)

Racial justice is central to the fight for sexual freedom. As Keeanga-Yamahtta Tayor contends, defunding the police is a crucial step in the racial justice movement: “Now that millions of white people understand the severity of police brutality against Black people, the possibility that they ultimately see the end of policing as a solution is hardly utopian, especially as each passing day seems to bring more visual evidence of the racism and brutality of police across the U.S. We need to start over. No one should expect that to be a popular conclusion overnight. But neither should anyone conclude that it is unrealistic to defund and eventually abandon an armed layer of agents intent on maintaining a social order that is deeply racist, unequal, and violently deprives ordinary people, especially Black people, of the basic necessities of life.” Read more.

Class Solidarity: What It Is and How You Can Engage in It (Source) 

All workers are essential, including those whose jobs depend on the ability to exercise their sexual freedoms. Kim Kelly urges heightened engagement in class solidarity to protect all workers: “Class solidarity can be as simple as wearing a mask and observing social distancing rules when you go to the grocery store, or as intensive as building up a community garden and organizing deliveries to help feed your neighbors. Keeping one another safe is an act of radical love as well as crucial political praxis. [...] Right now, class solidarity is not only a good and necessary means of navigating the world around us and looking out for our more vulnerable neighbors. It’s a strategy for survival. No one is coming to save us; our only hope is one another.”
Read more.

The Twisted Racial Politics of Going Outside (Bitch Media) 

It’s difficult to imagine prioritizing the fight for sexual freedom when many are not free to walk in the park without fearing danger. s.e. smith writes about the racial politics of going outside: “Some white people seem to think that Black and Brown people don’t belong in outdoor spaces, unless they’re being photographed as noble savages. While earnest white liberal residents were swift to assure the New York Times that they weren’t racist, they were also patrolling the area with cameras to spy on ‘outsiders’ and said they felt ‘unsafe’ when a visitor called out a greeting in Spanish. Black and Brown communities are less likely to have access to green space and parkland at the best of times. When the United States began encouraging social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus in March 2020, these communities were also more likely to live in homes without private outdoor areas.” Read more.

These Mothers Are Fighting for Their Families by Occupying Vacant Homes (Source) 

Secure housing is a fundamental human right, one that must be met for us to begin to enjoy our sexual freedoms. Lizzie Tribone reports on recent housing justice efforts to preserve the right to shelter: “When Jennifer Bennetch noticed boarded-up houses seemingly everywhere in North Philadelphia, she began documenting them. [...] She ultimately found that the owner of the properties, the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), had no plans but to let them sit idle—so, in March, she quietly began moving in families. The occupation in Philadelphia, led by a coalition including Occupy PHA, Black and Brown Workers Cooperative, and the Revolutionary Workers Collective, is targeted at the city’s housing authority. They argue that the PHA, the largest landlord in Pennsylvania, has become indistinguishable from a private developer, leading to gentrification and displacement while ignoring the needs of the city’s low-income residents.” Read more.

How Quarantine Can Help You Learn to Accept Your Body and Gender Identity (them.) 

Naveen Kumar shares insight from mental health experts and advocates about leveraging an undoubtedly difficult time toward cultivating greater self-acceptance: “Not having much reason to get dressed up, or anywhere to show it off, can take a toll on our sense of self-expression. At the same time, quarantine could mean a break from potential rejection, harassment, or worse, especially for non-cis queer people. ‘Non-acceptance of one’s gender identity is a major predictor of bad mental health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse people,’ says Jack Turban, MD, clinical fellow in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he researches the mental health of transgender youth. ‘It makes sense that some may experience some relief working from home, for example, where they may be able to escape being around transphobic voices.’”
Read more.