Vivian
Slaughter
What has sex positivity done for you?
ABOUT
ABOUT ME
My name is Vivian Slaughter and I am currently in the process of writing a book exploring the real life implications of sex positivity. I am looking to speak to members of all communities and learn what sex positivity means to you, how it has impacted your life, and how the movement can be improved.
WHAT I'VE DONE
I've done sexual health education for over 4 years, working with college aged students in interactive workshops, on crisis lines, as well as in adult shops. I've been featured in Bitch Media, the Huffington Post and Think Progress, and I have worked actively to raise awareness about sexual assualt, dating violence and the dire need for comprehensive and honest sexual health education.
WHAT I DO
I understand that sex positivity has become a very popular movement in the last few years, but I'm less interested in what the movement looks like on paper; I want to know how it is felt in your daily life, the benefits or harm it is doing, and how we can make it both more acceptable and understood.
Chris*
A sneak peak at interviews, updated randomly
"I’m very much such so my own person. I don’t follow along with the status quo. That’s been established when it comes to sex." Chris is excited to talk to me. He sent me an e-mail expressing interest in learning more about the project, and responded with urgency: "Viv! That sounds amazing. How do we do this, then?"
"I’m a very sexual person, I talk about sex all the time. But I'm still in the closet with the family...." He lives with his father, who he believes to be more accepting - theoretically - of who he is. His mother? Less so: "My mom told me if I were gay and I had a partner, my partner would not be allowed to come over. Her love, in other words, is not unconditional. I used to be a momma’s boy. Our relationship has gone down hill."
Chris recalls being very close to his mother in his youth. She took her eager son to church every Wednesday and Sunday, dressed in his finest, with hair combed to one side. She instilled in him the necessary values of a good and God fearing Baptist. He was taught by mother and church that he would be punished if he disobeyed God and that letting Jesus into his heart was the only way to protect his soul; anything short of total submission to the Lord was a ticket to eternal torment. As soon as he was old enough, he broke away from the church, and in doing so, pulled away from his mother.