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

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

What are your thoughts on “sex positivity”? Just the term itself, for now!
When I first heard the term, I couldn’t reconcile the fact that such a sensual and dazzling realm was described using 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, where the blind spots are highlighted that arise when, in exploring a topic, one limits oneself one-dimensionally to the accumulation and piling up of facts, even though there is also an abundance of knowledge that cannot be reduced to facts, that cannot be clearly answered with “yes” or “no.” In these initial associations with “positivity,” the term is not initially judgmental, but merely denotes a factual “something is there,” “something is above zero.” Of course, “sex positivity” does not merely wish 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 the 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 boundary 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 gross sex.” On reading the reviews of Jan Bonny’s *Wintermärchen*
Beate Absalon Beate Absalon

“Always this gross sex.” On reading the reviews of Jan Bonny’s *Wintermärchen*

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 way sex is portrayed in *Wintermärchen* works 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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