After years of staring across the battlefield at the National Organization for Women and other misguided women's groups, I can usually predict what the feminists will do, but this one caught me by surprise. In a recent blog post on the California National Organization for Women's website called "I Love Consensual Sex," Mandy Benson, President of CANOW, writes:

"Oh yeah. Definitely. Absolutely. I really, really do. Yesssssssss…..I just love consensual sex.

"California NOW in partnership with chapters across the state are launching the I Love Consensual Sex campaign, hosting I Love Consensual Sex Day in April 2008 during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Most people don’t want to talk about rape, but lots of people want to talk about Consensual Sex. This campaign will open up communication about consent, asking and teaching people what consent is and how to ask for exactly what you want.

"Both Minneapolis NOW (who created this fabulous campaign. Thank you!) and NOW at SDSU have had outstanding success with the campaign. Hundreds of students at SDSU wore I Love Consensual Sex t-shirts raising consciousness and controversy. Many people really didn’t know the definition of ‘consent’, which probably accounts for some crazy percentage of the date rapes that happen at college parties, so we are also considering legislation that would require campuses to teach the definition of consent.

"Want to join the campaign? Want to create your own I Love Consensual Sex Day? Want a fabulous I Love Consensual Sex t-shirt, sticker, button? We want you involved, so just let us know. I want something too…I want to know, what is your definition of consent?"

Now that I'm off the floor, a few thoughts:

1) On a initial level, the campaign seems male-positive, and seems to acknowledge something that some feminists have had a hard time acknowledging--women enjoy having sex with men. That sounds like a good thing.

2) Predictably enough, my suspicion comes in when Benson alludes to a feminist definition of "consent." In some ways feminist groups have done admirable work in helping rape victims. In many others they've tried to make the definition of rape so wide that many consensual sex scenarios fall under it. Feminists have also denied the large problem of false rape accusations, which has also caused great harm.

3) Benson asks feminist blog readers "What is your definition of consent?"--I wonder what those definitions would be?

4) If this marks a shift away from the exaggerations, distortions and rape hysteria of Sexual Assault Awareness Month and towards a more rational discussion about sex, young people, and consent, that's a good thing. I still have a faint hope that the more positive, male-friendly feminism of the '70s will come back and replace today's anti-male feminism. A faint one.
 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 10:16 am and is filed under Feminism/NOW, Rape/Sexual Assault/Statutory Rape. You can trackback from your own site.