Debbie Nathan

Men browsing “French postcards” by the Seine

Hey folks, I’m back! — after some annoying website problems and a summer vacation from the blog. In July I traveled with my family to Scandinavia, Lithuania, Poland, Paris and points east again. We were doing family things, including finding my great-grandfather’s shtetl near Kovno (now Kaunas). It was a great trip and you can see pix here. I’ll be posting more later about my “sex-pol” and Yiddishkeit adventures. Stay tuned for puberty exhibits at a French museum, old photos of hysterical “extase” at the Bibliotheque Nationale, bubble gum and sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld in Germany … and getting smiled at and yelled at when I spoke mameloshn in Hamburg and East Berlin. All that up next, probably in the next post or two.

Meanwhile for this one. If you’re in New York on October 4, do attend a fun fete to celebrate and support the awarding of the first Sex-Positive Journalism Awards (of which I’m a winner for my reporting about Kurt Eichenwald and Justin Berry: click here for my winning article).

The party will be Saturday, October 4, from 6:30-9:30pm,
in the downstairs lounge of Splash, 50 W. 17th Street, New York.
(www.splashbar.com)
$5 cover

Mingle with your favorite sex-positive writers and advocates, and support the mission of Sexies awards so they can continue into 2009! The first 100 attendees will get a gift bag of goodies from the Sexies sponsors.

Meet first-place winners Amanda Robb (“Abstinence 1, S-CHIP O,” New York Times), Debbie Nathan (“Hysteria, Exploitation, and Witch Hunting in the Age of Internet Sex,” Counterpunch … to download and read, press here), Jill Bauer (“Never Too Old for Sex,” Miami Herald), Daniel Engber (“Naughty Nursing Homes,” Slate), and Alysha Rooks (“Between the Briefs,” Res Gestae, University of Michigan Law School), as well as many of our other fabulous winners.

Meet the stellar Sexies judges! Attending the award ceremony will be: Carol Queen, PhD, writer, speaker, educator, and activist with a doctorate in sexology; Liza Featherstone, journalist and author of “Sex, Lies, and Womenís Magazines” (Columbia Journalism Review); Judith Levine, journalist and author of the award-winning Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex; and Doug Henwood, contributing editor to The Nation. Judith Levine will talk about her experiences with the media when Harmful to Minors was released.

There will also be a silent auction and raffle to support the awards. The fabulous prizes include:

• original art by Julio Aguilera and Sophy Naess;
• signed copies of books by winners, judges, and supporters;
• sex toys;
• gift certificates for sexy pleasures; and more!

Don’t miss out on this chance to support sex-positive journalism and take home something you’ve always wanted. Prize donations are still being accepted. Contact Miriam at info@sexies.org if you have a donation.

Also, make a weekend of it! For those who are interested, Oct. 3-5 is also Polyamorous Pride weekend in New York City, and PolyNYC has planned a packed schedule (none of which overlaps with the Sexies party!). There is a cuddle party Friday night, a rally and picnic Saturday afternoon featuring Sexies winner Tristan Taormino as keynote, an afterparty, and a reading and book signing on Sunday. More information here: http://www.poly-nyc.com/pride/

The Sexies are the brainchild of journalist Miriam Axel-Lute, and were brought about in collaboration with writers, readers, and activists from The Center for Sex & Culture and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom. Corporate sponsors include Babeland, The Playboy Foundation, Xbiz, UltraVirgo Creative, and Splash. More details are available at: www.sexies.org.

Remember to send in your entries for next year’s awards whenever you read something sex-positive: www.sexies.org/submit.php.

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