Of late I have been trying to work out where I stand in relation to porn. Continue reading “Making sense of porn – using it for good?”
Education, Activism and Practice: Report from the BERA Sexuality & Youth Studies Event
November 11th 2011 saw an exciting joint symposium between the Youth studies and Sexualities BERA SIG at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Continue reading “Education, Activism and Practice: Report from the BERA Sexuality & Youth Studies Event”
Conference 2011 Keynote Address: Educating Desire (Davina Cooper)
Davina’s paper looked at the Toronto Women and Trans Bath House, a venue for sex between women who were often strangers, as an example of an ‘everyday utopia’. The notion of how to institutionalise social change lay behind the argument, but Davina was more focussed on alternatives to an institutionalised ethics which has become embedded in the ‘fetishisation of a colonised future’. Continue reading “Conference 2011 Keynote Address: Educating Desire (Davina Cooper)”
Conference 2011 Keynote Address: Gender and Education in the Twenty-first Century, Engendering Debate? (Becky Francis)
Becky Francis’ keynote took on the task of exploring the current place of gender in the education system. She reflected on our current place as researchers in gender and education, on the theoretical challenges of our work and on our relationship to practice. Continue reading “Conference 2011 Keynote Address: Gender and Education in the Twenty-first Century, Engendering Debate? (Becky Francis)”
“I’m just a girl who just says no”: Guides to Keeping Your Legs crossed- Abstinence Only Sex Education for Girls
Whilst I am always happy to see critical discussion on the role of sex and relationship education in schools and youth centres, worryingly, this week saw a new amendment narrowly passed in the UK Commons. Continue reading ““I’m just a girl who just says no”: Guides to Keeping Your Legs crossed- Abstinence Only Sex Education for Girls”
Japan and the Forgiveness of Women
In the wake of Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, the English service of China Radio International reports that among the groups sending their condolences to the Japanese people has been a group of South Korean elderly women who organized a silent demonstration to commemorate the victims of the earthquake. Continue reading “Japan and the Forgiveness of Women”
Are girls victims of their own sexual agency? Sexualisation, sexual violence and schooling
On the 15th October the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) organisation called upon the Coalition Government to urgently address the “alarming levels” of sexual harassment and violence against young women in schools. Their YouGov 2010 online survey of 788 16-18 year olds found that a third (29%) of young women reported unwanted sexual touching at school and witnessed routine sexual name-calling on a daily or twice-weekly basis. Over a quarter (28%) said they had seen sexual pictures on mobile phones at school twice a month or more. In the same month, Girl Guiding UK continued to fight the sexualisation of girl culture by delivering a 25,000 signature petition to Downing Street calling for the Government to introduce compulsory labelling for all airbrushed images. This concern addressed the findings from their Girls’ Attitudes Survey, in which 50% of the girls reported that they would consider having surgery to change their looks and more than half had been bullied for their appearance. Indeed, the impact of ‘sexualisation’ upon girls and young women has become the subject of high profile controversial reports and inquiries from a number of government and non-governmental bodies (Home Office 2010). Continue reading “Are girls victims of their own sexual agency? Sexualisation, sexual violence and schooling”