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I have the opportunity to speak at the first annual SFU Sex Week: Taboo Talk. The last evening (tonight, Feb. 5) is called a conference and there look to be a number or interesting speakers. Here is the URL: https://www.facebook.com/events/809845689072315/?pnref=story    
  I was reading a review of the movie Magic Mike, a movie I must admit I have not seen, which discussed the question of whether the mainstream media was starting to cater more to women’s sexuality. Showing hot young men with glistening bodies does appear to be content directed at heterosexual women and gay men. However, the question that was then asked was: Does the objectification of men move us forward in the fight for sexual equality?
This question of objectification is one that I have found fascinating for a long time. When we walk down the street, go to the beach, sit in a bar or restaurant, or take in some entertainment, are we objectifying the people around us if we look at them and enjoy their physical (or even sexual) beauty?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not condoning leering or obnoxious comments and propositions. I just wonder whether there’s anything wrong with seeing a beautiful man or woman and having a basic, evolutionarily natural, pleasant sexual response. Does looking at someone and thinking that it would be great to have sex with them really make them somehow less in any way?
It seems to me you can enjoy someone’s beauty and even have some sexual thoughts about them while still respecting their innate worth as a person, and just as importantly not acting stupid, inappropriate or lecherous in the process.
I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts on this.
The 1st week of this month I was fortunate enough to be involved with the Western Canadian Sexual Health conference. Having attended a number of these conferences in the past I knew what to expect. However, this time I was very involved as a member of the organizing committee and a facilitator of the pre-conference two day SAR (Sexual Attitude Reassessment workshop). The energy and enthusiasm of the participants was fantastic! The sessions I attended were varied and fascinating. It was wonderful to spend an entire week talking with other health professionals about sex and sexuality. This is something most of us rarely, if ever, get to do. On the last day of the conference, I presented a workshop called “Negotiating the Sex We Want is Healthy Sex”. It was an honour and a real treat to have about 25 people share their ideas as well as personal experiences about asking for the kind of sex one really wants. If you want to read a little more about the conference, here is a link to the article on the Xtra website: http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Vancouver_hosts_biennial_Sexual_Health_Conference-11954.aspx
Beginnings by their very nature are exciting and at the same time frightening. This tends to be true whether we’re talking about a new job, a new blog or a new relationship. I’ve been thinking about beginnings and their significance while staring at the empty blog page of this website. What to say? What to write? We often think that beginnings must be grand and significant, but what does this mean? The old saying, “the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step”, may help us as a guide. Even new relationships often begin with a simple “hello”. With our current technology it may just be a mouse click indicating “you sound interesting”. The above makes beginnings sound easy but in fact what makes them difficult is the apprehension we feel. So many possibilities, the potential for success and the fear of failure. It is this emotional side that often makes beginnings difficult. The answer seems to be to take the plunge. To that end, here is the first real entry of my blog, the first step.
Welcome to my site. I hope you will find some interesting content here. The blog is a place I hope to put some of my musings as well as things that might be of interest to others. I always appreciate feedback so feel free to contact me through the Contact page. Take care.
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