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Beyond 'sex-positive' and 'sex-negative'
Beate Absalon Beate Absalon

Beyond 'sex-positive' and 'sex-negative'

What’s your take on “sex positivity”? Just the term itself, for now!
When I first heard the term, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that such a sensual and dazzling realm was described with such a cold and mathematical expression—one whose sound reminded me of the phrasing of unpleasant medical diagnoses. Or I was reminded of the pejorative accusations of “positivism” I’m familiar with from scientific contexts—when the blind spots are pointed out that arise when, in exploring a topic, the approach is limited to a one-dimensional accumulation and piling up of facts, even though there’s also an abundance of knowledge that cannot be reduced to positive terms, that cannot be clearly answered with “yes” or “no.” In these initial associations with “positivity,” the term is not judgmental at first, but simply denotes a factual “something is there,” “something is above zero.” Of course, “sex positivity” does not merely want to emphasize that there is simply sex…

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The Ropes That Mean the World. Reflections on the EURIX – Rope Artist International Performances, Spring 2019
Beate Absalon Beate Absalon

The Ropes That Mean the World. Reflections on the EURIX – Rope Artist International Performances, Spring 2019

The most recent EURIX—an event dedicated to bondage, shibari, and kinbaku—presented its third edition of the “‘Rope Artists International’ Rope Bondage Performance Festival,” which aims to bring the performative aspects of rope bondage to the stage. “For this edition, we paired rope performers with experts in the field of professional performance and invited them to explore the intersection between art and kink,” explains the event description, adding: “Since EURIX focuses on creativity and innovation and brings together the most skilled riggers and models, the performance program showcases not only high-level technical skills but also presents the latest developments in aesthetics and theater…”

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“Always this disgusting sex.” On reading the reviews of Jan Bonny’s *Winter Fairy Tale*
Beate Absalon Beate Absalon

“Always this disgusting sex.” On reading the reviews of Jan Bonny’s *Winter Fairy Tale*

The arts reviews give the impression that emphasizing one’s own outrage and revulsion is a necessary conclusion that viewers must draw whenever sex and terrorist violence are presented together. And this is despite the fact that, if you look closely, the portrayal of sex in *Wintermärchen* functions differently from the callous, hardcore sex scenes in other neo-Nazi films. In contrast, the explicit scenes in Jan Bonny’s film look surprisingly “normal.” Normal = no steel-hard bodies, the fumbling seems clumsy (“ow!”), there is insecurity, jealousy, envy; it seems bored, then, to spice things up, they…

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