WMST/CMST 419

How to Lose Your Virginity — The Movie

Elizabeth Kissling — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 16:02:44 +0000

Just in case any of you might check this site one last time, I want to let you know that Therese Shechter is still raising funds to finish her film, How to Lose Your Virginity. Since so many of you enjoyed the film and talking with her about it, I thought you’d like to know and perhaps contribute. I know that you’re struggling students, but even $10 will help her reach her goal. If you can’t contribute, you may know someone who can — spread the word about her Kickstarter campaign on your Facebook page (and if you haven’t already done so, like the film’s Facebook page). Write something about the film and what you think it would mean to have it available to schools everywhere.

So how long have you known?

Elizabeth Kissling — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:16:11 +0000

I saved this photo for this class a week or so ago, but now I forgot where I found it!

Anti-homophobic campaign, Why isn’t this more popular?

mikaila — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:14:30 +0000

Anti-bullying As i searched a favorite blog of mine i came across this inspiring commercial that is apparently really popular in the UK. It makes me wonder why we don’t have more campaigns like this in the U.S since we have been having such an epidemic of gay teens committing suicide/being depressed. Tell me what...»

are fetishes normal?

jbarrera23 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:41:49 +0000

Something that I have always found interesting is fetishes. I have never really understood why it that people are so into different things is. Some people are into feet, some are into masochism, and others enjoy role play. What is it about fetish that turns people on? I know this might sound like a dumb post but it’s always been a fascination of mine to understand why people do the things they do? I believe in class we mentioned about men who like to watch women pop balloons, while being naked? I don’t understand what is it about things like this that people are willing to pay for. Is it normal to have a fetish about something or is it abnormal?

guy men dont just have girl friends

jbarrera23 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:35:46 +0000

I was really fascinated with the fact that people always think that gay men give the best advice and that they are a women’s best friend because they are so feminine. I have met so many gay men that are even manlier than straight men. I can personally say that I love having gay friends because I love to learn about them and how they think and what it is like to be gay. Sometimes I find it interesting that my guy friends say that they wish they were gay just so they can get to hang out with as much girls as gay men do and I find that I bit disrespectful because gay men have guy friends too and just because they are gay doesn’t mean they are experts in fashion and are their helping the girls decide what to wear. I think that some of my guy friends think that we allow them to watch us change just because we’re friends. Why do guys think that all gay men have only girl friends? It’s annoying that they think like this.

Violence vs. Gays/Lesbians

Millie — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:21:19 +0000

Why is violence so much more tolerable in the movies than gay/lesbian characters? During our discussion on Monday on x rated movies, nc-17, r, and so on it was apparent that the restriction or qualifications for the ratings are on completely different scales when it comes to violence vs. sexual representation (at least in my opinion).

Violence in media -> real life violence
sex in media -> real life sex
gay in media -> real life gays

It seems as though media is afraid to portray gay/lesbian characters because it will alter people’s views and influence them to turn gay as well. Because being gay is a choice, right? It might also be because it is taboo, or wrong in some eyes. But how is violence any better? Or sex? The violence in movies, video games, shows, has had its influence on our society in crimes, school shootings, etc, but it is still portrayed in such ways as entertainment. As well as sex, even though it doesn’t have positive outcomes as well. It easier to access and view movies/tv that are violent or sexual in nature, yet films that had romantic relationships between the same sex are a little tougher to get a hold on. Yes, there are a large number of gay/lesbian relationships and representatives recently; I am just referring to the comparison of violence and sexual content.

Education of Pornstars

ngot — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:15:46 +0000

After watching the video in class I was curious about how many people, mostly actors, have some sort of education. From what I’ve heard a large portion of the population of people who work in porn industry lack higher education. I was curious and did a quick google search and ran into the following information:

1. Tera Patrick – BS in Biology and an AAS degree in nursing from Boise State University.

2. Gen Padova – A UCLA graduate, with Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts.

3. Calli Cox – Has a degree in middle level education from Eastern Illinois University, and was teaching 8th grade English before getting into porn.

4. TJ Hart – Graduated with a triple major in psychology, sociology and art, with a minor in early childhood education from the University of Colorado. She was also member of the 1988 US Olympic swim team.

5. Ron Jeremy – Used to be a teacher, making good use of his bachelor’s degree in education and theatre and a master’s degree in special education from Queens College in New York.

6. Nina Hartley – Graduated magna cum laude from San Francisco State University’s nursing school, and is a registered nurse.

7. Juli Ashton – A Colorado State University graduate, with a degree in Spanish and History. She subsequently taught Spanish at a junior high school before she caught the porn bug

8. Joanna Angel – has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature with a minor in Film Studies from Rutgers University.

9. Audrey Hollander – Graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Elementary Education.

10. Lexington Steele – Earned a double degree in History and African-American studies from Syracuse University.

11. Bobbi Starr – Holds a music degree from San Jose State University. She is currently a pre-med student, aiming to become a gynecologist.

12. Laurie Wallace – Not only did she graduate summa cum laude with a double major in German and political science from Loyola College in Maryland, she also attended law school at George Washington University.

13. Lisa Sparxxx – This pornstar who holds a world record for having sex with 919 men in the space of a day has a Master of Arts degree in Multimedia with a minor in Business from the University of Kentucky.

14. Mika Tan – She studied at the San Diego State University en route to a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and an Associate’s degree in Psychology.

15. Dave Cummings – Currently laying claim to the title “oldest active male pornstar”, Cummings has both a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Masters Degree in Public Administration. To top it of, he also used to be a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army.

16. Shy Love – A certified public accountant, having earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in accounting.

17. Careena Collins – Graduated with a law degree

18. Selena Silver – finished university with a degree in Marine Science

19. Mandingo – has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.

source: http://www.listaholic.com/19-pornstars-with-college-degrees-or-higher.html

Its surprising to see the varying level of education each pornstar has yet they still choice to pursuit a career that doesn’t have any sort of higher education require. Not sure if the education that that they acquired was due to peer pressure from family and society or the discovery of a personal passion of porn to throw it away for a career that they “enjoy”. This makes me wonder if i’ll even find a job with my career path or end up somewhere else.

As a soon to be graducating senior I’m not sure if sure if what

This makes me wonder if people even follow through after graduation

“She Can’t Quite Measure Up to the Porn Stars”

anycia5 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:13:48 +0000

As I read He’s Just Not That Into Anyone I read about how some women aren’t living up the some men’s expectations these days, seeing that porn “can be just as good or even better” than sex with their girlfriends and wives etc…) They visually experience things they would never experience physically simply by viewing some occasional and/or frequent porn. I found it rather sad when I read when Perry (41 year old lawyer) mentions:”“I used to race home to have sex with my wife,” “Now I leave work a half-hour early so I can get home before she does and masturbate to porn.”” The article goes on to say that he’s still very much attracted to his wife but she just doesn’t measure up to the porn stars he views online. and that ““Me and her, we still ‘do it’ and everything, but instead of every day, it’s maybe once a week. It’s like I’ve got this ‘other woman’ … and the ‘other woman’ is porn.”” Could it be porn/media’s fault relationship go down the drain?

The Obliteration of Porn? No way..

anycia5 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:35:33 +0000

Eradicating porn might sound logical in the sense that it can somewhat diminish coercion in the sex industry and sex trafficking etc…) But ,in truth, there’s a possibility that it might not be such a good idea. As I was reading Pornography 101: Why College Kids Needs Porn Literacy Training, professor Shira Tarrant goes on to describe that completely annihilating porn would be the wrong way to go and that abstinence-only education would be a waste of time especially “”when the media have become such an important source of information” about sexual activity. Since pornography is one aspect of media, it holds that promoting porn abstinence is also an unwise strategy.” She also mentions that “Rather than fostering silence and further taboo, it is crucial to provide critical media literacy, increased access to sexual information, and greater conversation about gender, race, consent, and power.” And our adolescents need to learn from our older generation who are used to viewing porn and they need to be taught on how to control what they view in the media.

“The Situation” of real life

Millie — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:28:09 +0000

While taking this class I have noticed my thinking and viewpoints have changed drastically. This was especially apparent when I went to the bars in Cheney for ‘Thirsty Thursday’. As soon as I walked in I realized that almost every man there was on the prowl and that women are viewed as objects, myself included. At one point, my friends and I were dancing and these random guys just come up behind us, attached and started grinding on us—as if we were objects. These thoughts ran through my head, “first of all, how do you know I like men? How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend? And why would I think this is attractive?” And then I walked away. It is in our culture for sex to be casual and drunk, for men to buy drinks and women to go home with them. Women are objects of affection, and men are the chasers. I liked being able to learn this and apply it to the real world, and realize how a lot of people act. I do apologize if I have offended anyone for being too general in my opinions. I realize that not all men and women act like this, just the majority of the population at the bars on Thursday night.

Bad ass women, a bad romance

brittany_918 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:36:01 +0000

I don’t know if any of you wonderful classmates have seen this video, but it is for lack of a better term, epic.

The women who created this video rewrote bad romance to be about women’s suffrage.

After taking the class I think we need to find again the fire that burned so bright in the women of the suffrage movement. These women fought hard, long, did hunger strikes, went to jail for nothing more than the right to vote. In modern times we have rights, but lets face, freedom is not all that free. With the sexual politics going on today, we need to stand up again and fight for our rights. Unfortunately there is so much misinformation in today’s media. We’re just lucky enough to learn about the truth. Like the women of the suffrage movement, we need to fight this bad romance and make a stand about our sexual and reproductive rights. Its a bad romance, but our ancestors have fought even harder for the smallest steps. Why not fight now for ours?

My Virginity

lynn_23 — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:10:42 +0000

The question of why I’m still a virgin was perhaps the one that lingered around my head the most during this class. Sure, the theory and analysis of social discourse was intriguing. But on a personal level, the class also served as lens through which I could analyze my personal decision.

I’m not refraining due to some white-dress, shame-filled, father-daughter purity pledge experience, nor did my parents raise me to see sex as some dirty thing that I should avoid at all costs. I was raised to be independent and make informed decisions for myself.

I think that out of all the three views we went over in class, transition is the one that I can relate with the closest. It’s a transition; however, it’s one that I wish to share with someone meaningful. I’m not expecting a magical mind-blowing first time: passionately awkward honey-moon sex would probably be more accurate. But yes, I would like it to be shared with a person who is willing to spend the rest of their life with me. Old fashioned I am not, nor do I force my view on others. It is a personal decision, not one to be made by a girlfriend, boyfriend, religious community, or society.

Because it is my body, I choose that I would only like to share it with one person. I’m hoping for something that goes beyond the physical aspect and into the spiritual—a connection rooted in love.

Within the feminist community I find great articles like some that we mentioned in class: “myself, my sluthood,” yet I don’t feel much support for those of us who decide to only have sex within marriage. In fact, I feel that I have to explain more in depth the reasons that I am a virgin in order for the two identities of virgin and feminist to exist in harmony. I understand how patriarchy has used sex to control women, the Marxism comparison made a lot of sense to me. However, in rejecting this control, we shouldn’t discredit women who chose to abstain.

An empowered woman is free to make her own decisions about consensual sex.

Virginity or sluthood.

A reflection

Samantha — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:18:23 +0000

As I reflect back on this class I can really see that it was worth taking. I learned more about sexuality and all that goes with it than I ever thought I would. Many of the issues that we have talked about are going to be what plagues our generation and will set us apart in 100 years when they are making a time line. We are at the tipping point, it will either go down in history as the start of equal rights or when we all failed and left it for our children to figure out. I felt lucky to have such progressive thinking classmates that are willing to challenge the heteronormativity and really make me think about it and how much other people are struggling because of choices others make about them based on how they feel. I am glad I took the risk and signed up for this class knowing nothing about what to expect.

Gay men can donate blood… In England!

wstotts — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:27:47 +0000

Lifetime blood donation ba about to be lifted

So according to htis article which I have just read and attached. Men who have sex with men will most likely be allowed to donated blood, tissues, and oragans here very soon. Medical professionals have accepted this. Yet, here in the U.S. as of the age of 16, I’m still on a national list of potential donors, who is not allowed to donate blood because I am gay and I have had sex with another man since 1965! ANyone have any comments on this issue? All donated bllod is tested for dseases and HIV in specific. So why is this still such a big issues? Could it be that some conservative, so caled “medical- professionals”,” are still convinced that you can “catch” or “contrac,” the gay disease?

Study Guide

Elizabeth Kissling — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 04:02:13 +0000

Here is the study guide [pdf] we developed together in class this afternoon. Remember, you can take the exam on Monday, during our regularly scheduled class time, OR during our scheduled final exam time, which is Friday, March 23, at 12:00 p.m.