The other night at the Crossdressing: Erotic Stories event, the three of us who read were asked about sexual politics. Veronica Vera’s response really hit the nail on the head, so I asked if she would send me something of a transcript of what she said. Here it is.
The political consequences of sex without guilt are enormous.
enormous.
Our culture is mired in guilt and this has kept us bound in chains of fear and powerlessness, not only about the experience of sex but of the experience of being human. Our institutions of state, church and the media, either through ignorance or guile continue the process.
When we feel guilty, we do not voice our opinions. If we do not voice our opinions, we cannot raise questions. If we do not raise questions, we cannot effect change.
When I gave myself permission to touch myself and my sexuality in all of its aspects, I gave myself permission to feel. I validated my feelings. The right to feel is a basic right and with it comes the right to have an opinion, and what follows is the right to ask questions. We ask questions and we meet others who are asking the same questions and together we create a world.