Sex-Positive Movement

Sex-Positive Movement

The Sex-Positivity Movement: What it Means to Be Sex-Positive

© 2022 SMSNA for Patients. All Rights Reserved
You may have heard references to “being sex-positive” or “the sex-positivity movement” in popular culture. Various celebrities have brought attention to this movement by speaking out about their beliefs and personal experiences regarding sexuality, sexual health, body positivity, “slut-shaming,” and sexual assault.
So, what exactly does it mean to be sex-positive? While the definition may vary slightly from person to person, sex-positivity generally refers to having a positive attitude about sex, respecting others’ sexual preferences and consensual sexual practices, and treating sex as a normal, healthy part of life, rather than a taboo topic or something to be ashamed of.
Although sex-positivity may seem like a recent phenomenon, similar schools of thought can be traced back to the late 1920s when the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud addressed such concepts in his papers on sexuality and psychosexual matters. Sexual liberation was popularized in the 1960s and early 1970s during the sexual revolution, or the “free-love movement.” Supporters of free love rejected traditional views on sexuality and believed that sexual relations between consenting parties should not be regulated by law. They advocated for freedom of sexual expression in premarital sex, pornography use, public nudity, contraceptive use (like birth control pills), gay liberation, interracial marriage, women’s rights, and other sex-related issues.
Today, the sex-positivity movement looks a little different. Sex-positive advocates often use social media platforms to share information on safe and consensual sex, sex education, and body positivity. There is a wide breadth of topics in the contemporary sex-positivity movement, and different people may emphasize different points. However, these are some of the main areas of interest in the current movement:
International Society for Sexual Medicine. (n.d.). What does “sex positive” mean? Retrieved June 15, 2021, from https://www.issm.info/sexual-health-qa/what-does-sex-positive-mean/ .
Sex-positive movement. (2021, May 2). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 15, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex-positive_movement .

Encouraging a positive (or neutral), enabling approach towards sexuality in general in its many forms, diversities and possibilities. Encouraging and enabling self-aware, autonomous decisions about one’s sexuality. Mutual consent and respect as the only acceptable basis of all sexual interactions. Personal responsibility, community values and support, and the promotion of creative spaces based on honesty and transparency Open, compassionate, empathic, non-violent communication. Inclusion and diversity in its various aspects and declinations. Creating and establishing a safe, non-judgmental, inclusive and sustainable culture around sexuality and sex-positivity. Encouraging safer sex and providing relevant information concerning sexual health.

Any form of exclusion and / or discrimination based on non behavioral factors, misogyny, racism, homo- or transphobia, ableism, ageism, or any other form of prejudice or bigotry. Any form of pressure on people to behave or participate in certain ways in order to be accepted as sex-positive. Any form of pressure on making decisions coming from authorities, hierarchies, peer groups or that are based on economic dependencies. Including groups or communities whose behaviors, ideas or values conflict with our own for the sake with the sole goal of appearing more inclusive.

This is a non-commercial website to provide a platform for the European sex-positive community.

© Sex Positive Community Europe 2018 All Rights Reserved.
We define ourselves by a positive (or neutral), approach towards safer sex, consent and sexual health as well as sexuality in its many forms and possibilities.
We want to provide a platform to exchange information and share our resources. We believe in free and open source material and we want to provide high-quality and up-to-date information on sex-positivity and its adjacent topics.
The sex-positive movement wants to build a non-profit European association to support sex-positive communities, experts who work in the sex-positive field, as well as for everyone who values our approach.
We stand for open communication, we strive for inclusion and diversity, to create a safeR space based on honesty and transparency.
We want to be a voice for sex-positivity, to enable political and legal change to promote and protect our values.
We want to work together on our common goals – to make this world more open, more caring, more inclusive, more sex-positive. We believe that such a world would empower and liberate humans, and also make them happier.
We are an open group of people who want to:
We are aware that a movement and /communities / society change over time, as do identities and society itself and so its identity. Our vision and hope is to eventually fade into the background as a promoting agent of sex-positivity, as it becomes.
We have the vocation over time to disappear as a promoting agent of sex-positiveness as we hope that this will become the accepted norm of a future society, where, and all human beings can will be able to live and express their sexuality freely and unconditionally, without fear of societal reprisal.
Sex-positive means that we regard sexuality as a potentially positive (or neutral) element in human life; including an open and welcoming attitude towards its many expressions or consciously chosen non-expressions, along with an awareness regarding sexual health and consent. Our passion is based on our experiencing sexuality as an enriching and empowering force in our own lives.
The Manifesto redacted by the participants of the sex-positive incubators in 2018/2019, tries to concisely reflect our basic values and principles.

Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Health is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

Colleen Murphy is a writer and editor at Health. She has extensive experience with interviewing clinicians about patient care and medical research. She loves the Olympics and awards season, as well as spending time with family and traveling.

If you've been watching The Bachelorette at all this season, there's a term you've likely heard over and over again: sex positive . Several of the men competing on the show have used "sex positive" to describe the current bachelorette, 30-year-old Katie Thurston, who is known for being super comfortable talking about sex .

Even if you don't watch The Bachelorette , you might be hearing the phrase "sex positive" pop up elsewhere. That includes Twitter, as people are making jokes about turning this season into a drinking game: Whenever anybody says "sex positive," take a drink.

But what exactly does it mean to be sex positive? Here's how experts explain it.

Someone who is sex positive is open to learning more about their own body, other people's bodies, as well as consent, intimacy, and how to communicate about sex topics, Rachel Needle , PsyD, a psychologist in West Palm Beach, Florida, and the co-director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes, a company that trains couples and sex therapists around the world, tells Health .

It also means they're open to embracing and exploring their own sexuality and that of others-including sexual behavior, gender, sexual identity, and anatomy-in a respectful, non-judgmental way without shame.

But sex positivity doesn't only have to do with sex-positive experiences and ideas. Theo Burnes, PhD, a psychologist practicing in Los Angeles and the director of clinical training at Antioch University in California, tells Health that sex positivity can also be about fighting for people who work in the sex industry, making sure they have equal rights and that their work is decriminalized. It can include advocating for accurate sex education that is not abstinence-only or fear-based. Sex positivity can also focus on understanding sex in the media-and that sexualized pornography, movies, or ads tend to portray some types of people yet leaves other out.

Being sex positive can also mean being the person a friend can come out to or go to with "their own fears, their own internalized stigma, sometimes their own shame," Burnes says. Someone might call you, as a sex positive person, and say, "I'm really nervous about trying this new experience with my partner and I want to talk to somebody about it," he explains.

"Being sex positive doesn't necessarily mean that you're having an increased frequency of sexual behavior, or sexual encounters, or sexual arousal, but it does mean that you have an openness and a non-judgmental attitude toward engaging in sex, talking about sex, being open to other people talking about sex," says Burnes.

Being sex positive also doesn't mean you disregard the need for consent, Rosara Torrisi, PhD, certified sex therapist and director of The Long Island Institute of Sex Therapy , tells Health . "It's not about encouraging folks to have a certain sexual orientation, minimum or maximum number of partners, or engage in certain behaviors during sex," she says. "Expectations and pressure for anything about sexuality is inherently anti-sex positivity." Consent is always a must.

Sex positivity isn't just a concept that people identify with-it's also a political and social movement.

"One of the things that really started that movement is this idea that sexuality has been often talked about as secretive, shameful, unhealthy, and that being overtly sexual in any kind of way-whether that's talking about it, whether that's having conversations about it-is problematic," Burnes says. "And so the [sex positive] movement basically tries to say, 'Hey, wait a second, this is a part of our normative development. And it's not necessarily unhealthy or shameful, but having these conversations, doing exploration with sex when consent and trust and communication are part of the sexual process, is not wrong or unhealthy.'"

It's a movement that's been around for a long time. Recently, however, celebrities like Lady Gaga, Amber Rose, Jessica Biel, and Lizzo have spurred more conversations about sex positivity after speaking publicly about their experiences with slut shaming, sexuality, sexual assault, body acceptance, and sexual health and responsibility, Burnes explains. And yes, even The Bachelorette has expanded this trend.

"It wasn't some agenda that I had coming on to the show. It's just who I am and who I've been this whole time," Thurston said on the podcast Bachelor Happy Hour earlier this year, after viewers were first introduced to her sex positive attitude when she was a contestant on The Bachelor . "It wasn't until after the fact that I realized how big of a deal it was-which excites me, because I do believe it's 2021, and women should be comfortable talking about their sexuality."

"I appreciate being comfortable being able to talk about it," Thurston continued. "Hopefully that means other women will soon start to open up a little bit, because being sex positive is important in a relationship, [the relationship you have with] yourself, in your self-care, and so many different things, especially in this [ongoing COVID-19] pandemic."

Being sex positive is "actually quite healthy and has been endorsed by a variety of organizations, like the World Health Organization (WHO)," according to Burnes. In fact, the WHO says that "a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships" is paramount to sexual health.

"When we are sex positive we are more sexually healthy," Needle points out. "To many, being sexually healthy includes being comfortable with your own sexuality and making decisions related to and communicating about it." Being sexually healthy can also mean enjoying sexual pleasure, having access to health care (including reproductive health care), having better communication skills with our partner(s) so that we are more likely to get what we want and need, and knowing how to avoid unintended pregnancy and minimize the risk of sexually transmitted infections (and accessing treatment if needed).

Having sex positive views can enhance your mental well-being too, according to Burnes. "That can mean decreased amounts of feelings of isolation, which can lead to things like depression and anxiety, [as well as a] decrease in shame and stigma, which can also lead to building resilience," he says. When we eradicate ourselves from stigma and shame, he adds, we often demonstrate better health-related behaviors.

First, know that anyone can be sex positive. "Sex positivity has little to do with what your sexual behaviors, identities, etc. are and much more about your perspective about sexuality," Torrisi says. "It doesn't matter if you've had sex with only yourself, a million people, or no one. Sex positivity is a set of values that is inclusive and nurturing of your own and others' sexuality. It's not just for polyamorous and kinky folks."

As a whole, the US "has improved its understanding of sexual consent, pleasure, functioning, identity, orientation, behaviors, and expression," according to Torrisi. But there's still work to be done. "We're still grappling with dual realities about sex in this country," she says. "We are on one hand obsessed with sexuality, and on the other hand we are terrified of sexuality. Either end of this spectrum isn't sex positivity. Recognizing the nuances, the lived realities of billions of individuals, each with their own valid truths, now that's sex positivity."

It also helps to recognize the culture many Americans were raised in, "where we're constantly bombarded with images that sex is something we should think about, but never talk about," as Burnes puts it. Next, he suggests thinking about whether you want to see a therapist, read some books, or visit different websites to help you navigate what being sex positive will look like for you.

"Being sex positive doesn't necessarily mean that [you're] going to go and have certain sexual encounters-although if that's something that someone wants to do, that's great and awesome, as long as they're safe, consensual and communicative," Burnes says. Instead, he says, it can simply mean being more open to other people's and your own sexual curiosity and experiences.

To get our top sexual health stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Health Hookup newsletter

Hot Erotic Stories
Teacher Student Literotica
Jav.Com

Sex-Positive Movement

Report Page