Audacia Ray's Blog, page 71

Worthy Causes: Scarleteen

I remember when I first started to get a sense of community, activism, and desire to do something, help, make a difference, I was frustrated when the answer to the question, "What can I do to help?" was often "Donate." That just seemed - detached. Like I wouldn't really be involved or get my hands dirty or be a part of something. Where does all that money go? Does it really help people? How does money translate into real services and real change for real people?

Organizations of different...

Visions of Sexual Freedom: Queering an Homage

I blogged a little bit last week about the 2010 Sex Blogger Calendar - which in my opinion, is a pretty perfect holiday gift for your favorite perv - its $20 plus shipping, and you get a free download of my comedic short Dacia's Love Machine. But there is backstory to the photo I posed for with Sinclair Sexsmith. Our photo was taken by the talented Amanda Morgan

Here's a little of what Sinclair said today about the choice we made:

The theme for this calendar was "SEXUAL FREEDOM," and while...

Fax/Call/Show Up to Support RI's Center for Sexual Health and Pleasure

(The following is a press release written by Megan Andelloux)

The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health (CSPH), the first non-profit sexuality resource and information center on the East Coast, is set to go before the appeal board on November 30th at 6:30 pm to challenge a zoning decision that prevented it from opening in September.

The CSPH was not permitted to open as planned in September when a Pawtucket zoning officer cited a lack of zoning clause for "education" in The Grant Building, the ...

Sex Worker Movement Building: What I've Learned From a Year of Professional Feminism

At the end of October, I celebrated one year of working full time at the International Women's Health Coalition. In that year, I've done a lot - launched a successful blog that has become a daily part of my work there (and on which we've published more than 250 posts, pretty damn good for a non-profit blog), I've spent time working at the United Nations (and made a goofy video about it), and traveled to India. I've learned a crazy amount of stuff - not the least of which is the fact that I...

MARIA: Social Justice and Abortion Access in Mexico

Most of the blogging I'm really proud of these days is happening on Akimbo, the blog I edit for the International Women's Health Coalition. This is a post I wrote for Akimbo and published yesterday (click here for the original post). If you're interested in sexual rights and reproductive health with an international focus, you should be reading Akimbo. I mean, I'm biased, but we do some pretty awesome stuff over there. For example: a piece we published last week by our Camerounian partner...

(In Which I Try To Have) A Strategy for My Better Future

"Maybe you should give yourself a break, like take a vacation through the end of the year," Sinclair suggested a few nights ago as I stressed about whattodo whattowrite howtobemoreproductive.

Why do I want to be writing and doing and making more more more stuff to put out into the world? This is a central question, a question of strategy, something I'm not awesome at but trying desperately to learn. I AM good at this cycle: have idea, get extremely excited, workworkwork create gogogo, release ...

Personal Snapshots: You Had to Be There

On Friday night I read at a Feminist Sex event at Bluestockings Bookstore here in NYC. The event was put together by Shira Tarrant, the author of the recent Seal Press book Men & Feminism, and featured me, Abiola Abrams, and Sinclair Sexsmith.

Shira read a few different excerpts from her book, Sinclair read a great and analytical piece about how feminism got in the way of her getting the sex she wants (because that sex happens to include the desire to hit women), and Abiola read her piece...

Book Review: Byron in Love

Byron in Love: A Short Daring Life by Edna O'Brien


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oh, Lord Byron. Sigh.

I was seriously obsessed with Byron, John Keats, Percy Shelley, and Mary Shelley when I was in high school. Why yes, I've seen Gothic about a million times. Also, on my first solo trip to Europe, I visited some of their haunts in Switzerland & Italy, saw Keats' death mask, locks of their hair… I'm a nerd, I know.

There are a number of biographical tomes on Byron, and this is one of the most easily ...

Pay As You Go: Sex Worker Shorts at UnionDocs, October 24

Photo of Kamalabai Pani by Audacia Ray/International Women's Health Coalition

Pay As You Go: Sex Worker Shorts

Saturday, Oct. 25 - 6pm & 8:30pm

Suggested donation $7 per show, $10 double feature price. Special free panel discussion at 7:30pm between the programs.PROGRAM 1: 6:00 – 7.30 pm

You Must Know About Me by HOPS and WITNESS. Macedonia, 2009 (18 mins) DVD

"You Must Know About Me" features interviews with sex workers from Skopje, focusing on 3 main themes: Their family lives, the...

Thoughtful Masculinities (Theory and Practice)

I've been thinking a lot about masculinities lately. Especially: as I go deeper and deeper into the feminism rabbit hole, as my career winds itself around fighting gender inequities and the injustices that face women, and the entanglements of women's and sex workers' movements which seem to persist in existing on the defensive and counter to men's violence (and maybe sometimes in opposition to masculinity in general). And, also: as I ponder my romantic, gender, and sexual entanglements with m...