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swingtown cbs promo picture 300x259 NCSF Entertainment Media Update for Swingtown

Swingtown – Molly Parker as Susan Miller, Jack Davenport as Bruce Miller, Lana Parrilla as Trina Decker, Grant Show as Tom Decker (CBS Photo by Cliff Lipson)

Show Title: Swingtown
Episode Title: “Pilot”
Original airdate: June 5, 2008
Series continues: Thursday, 10 pm
Network: CBS
Produced by: CBS Paramount Television
Executive Producers: Michael Kelley, Allen Poul and Carol Barbee

Description
From the program’s website – “SWINGTOWN, from the director of ‘Big Love’ and ‘Rome,’ traces two generations of friends and neighbors as they forge intimate connections and explore new freedoms during the culturally transformative decade of the 1970s. It portrays the ever-shifting “swing” of the pendulum that reflected the change in America’s collective value system — morally, politically and socially. After moving to an upscale lakeside Chicago suburb in July of 1976, Susan and Bruce Miller must confront temptation in the form of their provocative new neighbors, Tom and Trina Decker, while not abandoning their old friends Janet and Roger Thompson. As the adult couples evaluate whether to embrace or avoid newfound personal freedoms, the curious Miller and Thompson children begin to discover and assert their own morality and sexual identities as they come of age in a world on the precipice of change. In a shifting social climate — defined by its music, fashion and style — everyone in SWINGTOWN is confronted with personal choices, experimentation and varying attitudes.”

More info, including clips and the most recent episode of the show,
can be found at:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/swingtown/

NCSF Reviewer’s Note

Originally intended for a cable network outlet, “Swingtown” has obviously been retooled to meet broadcast standards and withstand certain scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Nonetheless, while it shies away from nudity and direct depictions, the show still manages to take a refreshingly
positive approach to sexual exploration and freedom. The most adventurous couple of the three featured, the Deckers, is presented as sharing a mutual enjoyment of their open marriage and seem to have a healthy, affectionate relationship. Similarly the Millers, introduced to the swing lifestyle in the first episode, are shown to be in love, but just seeking a little something to rev up their sex life.

It’s a little difficult to predict where the series will go over the course of its initial 13-episode run, but given how quickly the Millers jump into the action – counter to what most swingers themselves would counsel – there are sure to be complications ahead. While there are likely some consequences to be faced down the line, hopefully the show will maintain the sex-positive tone it exhibited in its premiere episode.

In light of complaints already being registered from media watch groups and religious political extremists, the CBS network and its local affiliates deserve commendation for airing “Swingtown” and should be encouraged to continue its broadcast.

(Reviewed by Lisa Vandever, NCSF Media Committee)

CRITICAL ACTION – GIVE FEEDBACK ON SWINGTOWN TO YOUR LOCAL CBS AFFILIATE:

Find your station here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/31/utility/main517034.shtml

(Hard copy letters are generally more effective, but sending an email is better than nothing.)

ADDITIONAL ACTION – GIVE FEEDBACK ON SWINGTOWN TO THE CBS NETWORK:

CBS Television Network
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

(While hard copy letters are generally more effective, you can also send a direct email to the network via a form on their website -
http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml.)

YOU CAN ALSO LEAVE INPUT VIA THE “SWINGTOWN” COMMUNITY MESSAGE BOARD:
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/swingtown/community/
(requires email registration)

HOW TO WRITE VIEWER FEEDBACK

Viewer letters are an effective way to convey a positive image of alternate sexual practices such as SM, swinging or polyamory. Your feedback can help to correct negative social myths and misconceptions about these types of practices, and may influence the future decisions of programmers and producers about the entertainment they provide.

These letters help achieve the advocacy goals of the NCSF.

For more information and suggestions of points to include in your letter, see:
http://www.ncsfreedom.org/index.php?option=com_keyword&id=182

Please alert us to positive, negative or neutral stories about SM, swinging and polyamory at media@ncsfreedom.org

***

A joint Project of NCSF and ITCR: The Foundation of NCSF

The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is a national organization committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual expression. NCSF is primarily focused on the rights of consenting adults in the SM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities, who often face discrimination because of their sexual expression.

National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
822 Guilford Avenue, Box 127
Baltimore, MD 21202-3707
410-539-4824
media AT ncsfreedom DOT org
www.ncsfreedom.org

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deabauchette writes:

So, I did this interview with Diane Sawyer. It was an anonymous interview in silhouette, with a distorted profile and an altered voice and a few other anonymizing tricks. A few of you already know about this — one of you said I was identifiable by the way I used the word ‘yeah’ and the way I touched my hair. Another said I wasn’t recognizable at all.

When Sawyer asked why I agreed to speak with her, I said, “I don’t know.” But I do know. I did it because she asked. It was flattering, if a fucked form of flattery, but I was mostly interested because her perspective stands in diametric opposition to my own. She represents the view of middle America; she works for a family-friendly network with no tolerance for grey area in a subject as inflammatory as sex work. It was clear that there could be only one slant for her documentary, being the old Victorian trope of the broken, dysfunctional, fallen prostitute, incapable of forming her own opinions or making her own decisions (and I find it interesting when self-described feminists reinforce this). A network like ABC wanted Dickensian sex workers and that’s precisely what they were going to show. But here I was being given a chance to offer my own take and experience, which runs counter to their thesis, and more specifically, I was being offered the opportunity to sit down and talk with this woman personally.

. . .

I’m mentioning the interview now because last night I learned that my parents tuned in to ABC that fateful day and promptly recognized me, in spite of the silhouette, the altered voice, the distorted profile, the vague and thoroughly dated details. I received an email from my mother saying that she knows. She saw the interview and decided to sit on this knowledge until she could see it again, and then she decided to contact me. What tipped her off exactly, I don’t know. Maybe my mannerisms or my tendency to mumble or the few details that were mentioned. Whatever it was, it was clear to her. I’m sure that while she knows nothing about me personally, she can recognize my speaking habits.

(more. . .)

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Hey sex bloggers – put those posts about sexuality to work in support of a great causes, plus the opportunity to win awesome prizes.

gbbmc08 logo large Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN)

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, and it’s a big month for the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization’s goal is to raise enough money to be able to offer victims of sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape an online hotline offering counseling and assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. RAINN’s Chelsea Bowers, Kevin Apgar and Sexography Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN) author Carly Milne have banded together to launch a one-of-a-kind online fundraising event to help RAINN reach that goal… but they need your help! All you have to do is do what you already do – blog, but with a twist.

The Deal:
Carly’s book, Sexography Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN), is both a tragic and comedic memoirs about her journey of sexual self-discovery. And now, it’s your turn to blog your own version of Sexography Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN). Even if you’re not a “sex writer” per se, we want to encourage you to explore the comedy, fear, silliness, scariness, million-and-one emotions and million-and-one experiences that are mental, physical, emotional and spiritual, all of which make up the rich tapestry of sexuality. So if you want to write about how your dog watches you masturbate or how you can’t stand porn or about your first time or what you think of sex in the media and how it affects you personally, you should. What you write about is up to you, just as long as it falls under the “sexuality” header. Personal stories about survival are strongly encouraged.

For each Sexography Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN) blog entry you post, you’ll be soliciting donations for RAINN from the readers you entertain and engage with your commentary. But the best part? Not only will you be helping an incredible cause, but the bloggers who come in first, second and third place for most funds raised will nab fabulous prizes. Simply place a link to the RAINN Donation Page (https://donate.rainn.org – that “s” at the end of “http” is important!) either at the top or bottom of each GBBMC-related post. Also make sure to tell your readers to put “GBBMC2008″ and your name in the more information box when they donate. It’s the only way we’ll know that the donation was made because of what you wrote.

Also, since the contest period spans a month during which you can write as many or as few entries as you like, we will be awarding weekly prizes to the entries we deem to be “best” based on our personal judgments.

Tell them what they can win, Bob! (seriously, the prizes are sweet)

Remember – you only have until Sunday, March 30th to sign up as a blogger/fundraising sponsor! Sign up by e-mailing gbbmc2008[at]gmail.com. Please help us raise funds for an incredibly worthy charity and cause!

What You Need To Do:

* Sign up (if you’re from the United States of America and Canada).gbbmc08 logo small Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN)
* Place one of the two available GBBMC2008/Sexography/RAINN icons (at right, 150px wide, and above, 350 px wide) on your blog for the duration of the contest, April 1-30, 2008.
* Blog about sexuality as it relates to your life as many times as you like between April 1 and April 30, 2008.
* On each of these posts, link to the RAINN donation page.
* Make sure to tell people to reference the GBBMC2008 and include your name with their donation so you receive credit.
* If you’d like and know how, trackback to the original post about this on Kevin Apgar’s site so we and other visitors know where to find your posts and can read them as well.

Important Links:

* Sign Up Now (e-mail link) – gbbmc2008[at]gmail.com
* RAINN Donation Page
* Contest Prizes
* Full Contest Rules and Regulations
* GBBMC2008 Sponsors (please visit their sites)

About RAINN:
The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline with a nationwide partnership of more than 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines, providing victims of sexual assault with free, confidential services around the clock. The hotline helped 137,039 sexual assault victims in 2005 and has helped more than one million since it began in 1994. RAINN’s goal is to expand its hotline services with the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline, which will be the nation’s first secure web-based hotline that provides live, secure and completely confidential help to victims 24/7 through an interface as intuitive as instant messaging. RAINN educates more than 120 million Americans each year about sexual assault. RAINN also publicizes the hotline’s free, confidential services; educates the public about sexual assault; and leads national efforts to improve services to victims and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization and has been ranked as one of America’s 100 Best Charities by Worth Magazine.

About Sexography:
By turns serious and playful, Sexography Blog to support the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN) maps the coming of age, tragedy and rebirth of one woman’s sexual self. From “making out” with imaginary Hollywood stars in her closet (and getting busted) to coming to terms with abuse, assault and rape, from embracing her curiosity enough to become a sex toy tester to accepting and dealing with her tumultuous past, Carly Milne paints a brutally honest – and, at times, amusing – picture of what it’s like to learn about and experience sex in every sense of the word. From the earliest experiences in her childhood homes in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta to present day Los Angeles, Milne guides readers through the sometimes troubled waters of female sexuality with a mixture of candidness and humor. Whether you’ve been through similar experiences or just know someone who has, Sexography will change your mind about why and how survivors survive.

Here’s my (old school Live Girl Review style!) review of Sexography:

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links for 2008-03-20

by Viviane on 03/20/2008

in sex

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links for 2008-03-12

by Viviane on 03/12/2008

in sex

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Empowering Sex Workers to Ensure Safety, Health and the Protection of Human Rights
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
52nd Session
Parallel Event Sponsored by
Sex Workers Project, Urban Justice Center &
International Women’s Health Coalition
February 27, 2008
Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Church Center
(Across the street from United Nations, 44th and 1st)
Hardin Room (11th Fl.)
777 United Nations Plaza
NY, NY 10017

As leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS and trafficking, sex workers are integral to educating their clients, their communities and the public about safe sex practices and to helping prevent forced sex work. Panelists will discuss how sex workers rights must be protected to ensure access to health, legal, educational and social services.
Taking the Pledge, a short film about USAID funding restrictions in regards to sex workers, will also be shown.

Moderator:
Supriya Pillai, Program Officer, International Women’s Health Coalition

Panelists:
Sapna Patel, Staff Attorney, Sex Workers Project at the Urban Justice Center
Elaine Pearson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch
Melissa Ditmore, Ph.D., Coordinator, Network of Sex Work Projects; Editor, Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work

Video:
Taking the Pledge

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sitps Sex Work, Trafficking, and Human Rights: A Public Forum

For Immediate Release

Contact: Elizabeth Wood
Email: elizabeth (at) sexinthepublicsquare (dot) org
Co-founder, SexInThePublicSquare.org
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Nassau Community College

Sex In The Public Square Presents:
Sex Work, Trafficking, and Human Rights: A Public Forum

New York, February 20, 2008 – Ten prominent sex worker advocates, writers, researchers will be publicly discussing the issues of sex work and trafficking from a human rights and harm reduction perspective, February 25 – March 3, on SexInThePublicSquare.org. The week-long online conversation will conclude with a summary statement on March 3, International Sex Worker Rights Day.

Sex work and trafficking are two issues that must be discussed as distinct yet intersecting, and we’ve invited some of the smartest sex worker advocates we know to help sort out the complexities. “This forum is not about debating whether or not we should be using a harm reduction and human rights approach instead of the more mainstream abolitionist and prohibitionist approach to sex work,” explains Elizabeth Wood, co-founder of Sex In The Public Square and Assistant Professor of Sociology at Nassau Community College. “Instead our goal is to create a space for nuanced exploration of the human rights and harm reduction approach so that we can use it more persuasively.”

Wood explains: “The human rights and harm reduction approach seeks to reduce the dangers that sex workers face and to stop human rights abuses involved in the movement of labor across borders, a movement which occurs in the service of so many industries. We want people to be able to learn about this perspective, and to develop and refine it, without having to dilute that conversation by debating the legitimacy of sex work.”

[click to continue…]

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